King James Version
Genesis 33
20 verses with commentary
Jacob Meets Esau
And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel an...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to h...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXXIII.
(3) **He passed over before them.**—While providing some small chance of escape for his wives and children, arranged according to their rank, Jacob manfully went first and placed himself entirely in Esau’s power. He endeavoured, nevertheless, by his sevenfold obeisance in acknowledgment of Esau’s superiority, to propitiate him; for the cause of the quarrel had been Jacob’s usurpation of Es...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God gra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Esau ran to meet him.**—Whatever may have been Esau’s intention when he started, no sooner does he see his brother than the old times of their childhood return to his heart, and he is overcome with love; nor does he ever seem afterwards to have wavered in his fraternal affection. We have had a proof before (in Genesis 27:38) of Esau being a man of warm feelings, and similarly now he is again...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 32
Ge 32:1, 2. Vision of Angels.
**1. angels of God met him--**It is not said whether this angelic manifestation was made in a vision by day, or a dream by night. There is an evident allusion, however, to the appearance upon the ladder (compare Ge 28:12), and this occurring to Jacob on his return to Canaan, was an encouraging pledge of the continued presence and protection of God (Psa ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. with: Heb. to thee
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? An...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Who are those with thee?**—Heb., *to thee, *that is, Who are these belonging to thee? Esau noticed that they were Jacob’s family, and asked for fuller information concerning them.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. Mahanaim--**"two hosts," or "camps." The place was situated between mount Gilead and the Jabbok, near the banks of that brook.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously trans...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ge 32:3-32. Mission to Esau.
**3. Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau--**that is, "had sent." It was a prudent precaution to ascertain the present temper of Esau, as the road, on approaching the eastern confines of Canaan, lay near the wild district where his brother was now established.
**land of Seir--**a highland country on the east and south of the Dead Sea, inhabited by the Horites, w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rach...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau--**The purport of the message was that, after a residence of twenty years in Mesopotamia, he was now returning to his native land, that he did not need any thing, for he had abundance of pastoral wealth, but that he could not pass without notifying his arrival to his brother and paying the homage of his respectful obeisance. Acts of civility tend to disar...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. What: Heb. What is all this band to thee?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace i...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **What meanest thou by all this drove . . .**? Heb., *What is all this camp of thine that I met? *From the time of Jacob’s coming to Mahanaim, the word *mahaneh, *“camp,” is used in a very remarkable way. It is the word translated *bands *in Genesis 32:7, and *company *in Genesis 32:8; Genesis 32:21. It is the proper word for an encampment of pastoral people with their flocks, and might be use...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. keep: Heb. be that to thee that is thine
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. The messengers returned to Jacob--**Their report left Jacob in painful uncertainty as to what was his brother's views and feelings. Esau's studied reserve gave him reason to dread the worst. Jacob was naturally timid; but his conscience told him that there was much ground for apprehension, and his distress was all the more aggravated that he had to provide for the safety of a large and helple...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **For therefore I have seen thy face.**—The latter half of the verse would more correctly be translated, *inasmuch as I have seen thy face as one seeth the face of Elohim, and thou hast received me graciously. *To the Hebrew the thought of God was not terrifying, and so the vision of God’s face was the sight of something good and glorious. There is much of Oriental hyperbole in comparing the ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it. enough: Heb. all things
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, a...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transform...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-12. Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham--**In this great emergency, he had recourse to prayer. This is the first recorded example of prayer in the Bible. It is short, earnest, and bearing directly on the occasion. The appeal is made to God, as standing in a covenant relation to his family, just as we ought to put our hopes of acceptance with God in Christ. It pleads the special promise made...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with yo...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Flocks and herds with young.**—Heb., *that give such. *Thompson (*Land and Book, *p. 205) infers from this that it was now winter, and thinks that this is confirmed by Jacob making folds for his cattle at Succoth. If so, more than six months would have elapsed since Jacob’s flight from Haran; but the conclusion is uncertain, and Jacob probably halted at Succoth because of his lameness.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-12. Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham--**In this great emergency, he had recourse to prayer. This is the first recorded example of prayer in the Bible. It is short, earnest, and bearing directly on the occasion. The appeal is made to God, as standing in a covenant relation to his family, just as we ought to put our hopes of acceptance with God in Christ. It pleads the special promise made...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. according: Heb. according to the foot of the work, etc., and according to the foot of the children
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **According as the cattle . . . —**Rather, *according to the pace*—Heb., *foot*—*of the cattle that is before me, and according to the pace of the children. *Joseph was only six or seven years old; and Leah’s two younger sons, and probably Zilpah’s, were too tender to endure much fatigue.
**Unto Seir.**—This implies a purpose of visiting Esau in his new acquisition, not carried out probably b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-12. Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham--**In this great emergency, he had recourse to prayer. This is the first recorded example of prayer in the Bible. It is short, earnest, and bearing directly on the occasion. The appeal is made to God, as standing in a covenant relation to his family, just as we ought to put our hopes of acceptance with God in Christ. It pleads the special promise made...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. leave: Heb. set, or, place What: Heb. Wherefore is this?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What neede...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-12. Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham--**In this great emergency, he had recourse to prayer. This is the first recorded example of prayer in the Bible. It is short, earnest, and bearing directly on the occasion. The appeal is made to God, as standing in a covenant relation to his family, just as we ought to put our hopes of acceptance with God in Christ. It pleads the special promise made...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key themes include God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 33
Chapter Outline
The friendly meeting of Jacob and Esau.(1-16)
Jacob comes to Succoth and Shalem, He builds an altar.(17-20)
**Verses 1-16**
Jacob, having by prayer committed his case to God, went on his way. Come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob bowed to Esau. A humble, submissive behaviour goes far towards turning a...
Read full commentary →And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. Succoth: that is, Booths
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore th...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**JACOB’S SETTLEMENT IN CANAAN.—DINAH’S WRONG, AND THE FIERCE VENGEANCE OF SIMEON AND LEVI** (Genesis 33:17 to Genesis 34:31.).
(17) **Succoth.**—That is, *booths. *There are two claimants for identification with Jacob’s Succoth, of which the one is in the tribe of Gad, on the east of the Jordan, in the corner formed by that river and the Jabbok; the other is the place still called Sakût, on the w...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-20**
Jacob did not content himself with words of thanks for God's favour to him, but gave real thanks. Also he kept up religion, and the worship of God in his family. Where we have a tent, God must have an altar. Jacob dedicated this altar to the honour of El-elohe-Israel, God, the God of Israel; to the honour of God, the only living and true God; and to the honour of the God of Is...
Read full commentary →And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city. Shechem: Gr. Sychem
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem.**—The Sam. Pent. has *shalom,”*safe”; but *shalem *is right, and means *whole, sound. *Onkelos, however, followed by most modern commentators, renders it *in peace, *but this too would not mean *peaceably, *but that his troubles were now at an end, and his lameness cured. Philippsohn’s rendering, however, is more exact, namely, *wohlbehalten, *in goo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-20**
Jacob did not content himself with words of thanks for God's favour to him, but gave real thanks. Also he kept up religion, and the worship of God in his family. Where we have a tent, God must have an altar. Jacob dedicated this altar to the honour of El-elohe-Israel, God, the God of Israel; to the honour of God, the only living and true God; and to the honour of the God of Is...
Read full commentary →And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money. Hamor: Gr. Emmor pieces: or, lambs
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamo...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **He bought . . . —**Abraham had been obliged to buy land for a burial-place, and we find even then that the field he wanted had an owner who could give him a title to its possession. Jacob a century later finds it necessary to buy even the ground on which to pitch his tent, though his cattle might still roam freely about for pasture. This, however, would certainly not have been required exce...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-20**
Jacob did not content himself with words of thanks for God's favour to him, but gave real thanks. Also he kept up religion, and the worship of God in his family. Where we have a tent, God must have an altar. Jacob dedicated this altar to the honour of El-elohe-Israel, God, the God of Israel; to the honour of God, the only living and true God; and to the honour of the God of Is...
Read full commentary →And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel. Elelohe-Israel: that is God the God of Israel
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key them...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **He erected there an altar.**—Abraham had already built an altar in this neighbourhood (Genesis 12:7), and Jacob now followed his example—partly as a thanksoffering for his safe return, partly also as taking possession of the country; but chiefly as a profession of faith, and public recognition of the new relation in which he stood to God. This especially appears in his calling the altar “El...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-20**
Jacob did not content himself with words of thanks for God's favour to him, but gave real thanks. Also he kept up religion, and the worship of God in his family. Where we have a tent, God must have an altar. Jacob dedicated this altar to the honour of El-elohe-Israel, God, the God of Israel; to the honour of God, the only living and true God; and to the honour of the God of Is...
Read full commentary →