R .
76 | Genesis 33:6
Ja cob an swered , “ They are the chil dren God has gra ciously given your ser vant . o ”
6 Then the fe male ser vants and their chil dren ap proached and bowed down . 7 Next , Leah and her chil dren came and bowed down . Last of all came Jo seph and Ra chel , and they too bowed down . 8 Esau asked , “ What ’ s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met ?” p “ To find fa vor in your eyes , my lord ,” q he said . 9 But Esau said , “ I al ready have plenty , my brother . Keep what you have for your self .” 10 “ No , please !” said Ja cob . “ If I have found fa vor in your eyes , ac cept this gift from me . For to see your face is like see ing the face of God , r now that you have re ceived me fa vorably . s 11 Please ac cept the pres ent t that was brought to you , for God has been gra cious to me u and I have all I need .” And be cause Ja cob in sisted , Esau ac cepted it . 12 Then Esau said , “ Let us be on our way ; I ’ ll ac com pany you .” 13 But Ja cob said to him , “ My lord knows that the chil dren are ten der and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nurs ing their young . If they are driven hard just one day , all the an i mals will die . 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his ser vant , while I move along
# 1 Palestine ( Old Galilee )
slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds be fore me and the pace of the chil dren , un til I come to my lord in Seir . v ” 15 Esau said , “ Then let me leave some of my men with you .” “ But why do that ?” Ja cob asked . “ Just let me find fa vor in the eyes of my lord .” w
33:5 o Ge 48:9 ; Ps 127:3 ; Isa 8:18
33:8 p Ge 32:14-16 q Ge 24:9 ; 32:5
33:10 r Ge 16:13 s Ge 32:20
33:11 t 1Sa 25:27 u Ge 30:43
33:14 v Ge 32:3
33:15 w Ge 34:11 ; 47:25 ; Ru 2:13
33:10 to see your face is like seeing the face of God . Jacob compares his reunion with Esau with his experience at Peniel ( 32:22 – 32 ). Jacob ’ s remark does not mean that Esau ’ s appearance resembled God ’ s . Rather , by embracing Jacob and forgiving him , Esau ’ s actions resemble God ’ s . Esau treats Jacob in a way that Jacob does not deserve . 33:11 present . Hebrew bĕrākâ , which is also the word for “ blessing ” ( see note on 26:34 —
28:9 ). Having deceived Esau out of his blessing , Jacob now looks to make restitution by returning to Esau a “ blessing .” 33:13 – 14 Jacob declines Esau ’ s invitation in a way that shows Esau the utmost respect .
map _ 01 _ 31 _ jacobINSET ~ 50 %
JACOB ’ S JOURNEYS map _ 01 _ 31 _ jacob ~ 66.6 %
M e d i n e a n t e r r a a
S e
Damascus
Sea of Galilee
Jordan River
G I L E A D
Orontes
●➁
Edrei
Shechem Peniel Mahanaim
Bethel Jerusalem
Hebron
Dead Sea
Beersheba
Aleppo
Ebla
Carchemish
PADDAN ARAM
Euphrates
R i v e r
0 40 km .
●➀
Harran
0 40 mi .
Balikh River
M e d r a n i t e r
Shechem
|
Ephrath
( Bethlehem )
|
Salem
( Jerusalem )
|
Kiriath Arba |
Mamre |
( Hebron ) |
Gaza Gerar
To Egypt e a n
S e a
C A N A A N
Aphek Bethel
Beersheba
Dothan Peniel
Mahanaim
0 10 km . 0 10 mi .
●➀ The Euphrates-Balikh River basin was Jacob ’ s destination as he fled from Esau , ultimately reaching the home of his maternal uncle ( Laban ) near Harran .
●➁ Jacob ’ s lengthy sojourn ended in a dispute with Laban and another flight — this time back to Canaan . His route likely took him toward Aleppo , then to Damascus and Edrei before reaching Peniel on the Jabbok River .
●➂ He and his dependents reached the hill country of Gilead before their caravan was overtaken by Laban . The covenant at Mizpah was celebrated on one of the hills later used as a border station between Aramean and Israelite territories .
●➃ Jacob lingered at Sukkoth , entered Canaan and proceeded to Shechem , where he erected an altar to the Lord .
Ai
Sukkoth
●➃
Jordan R .
Dead Sea
MAP NOTE : In addition to changing Sukkoth spelling , I ’ ve updated “ To Harran ” spelling .
●➂
To Harran
G I L E A D