Genesis 33
Big idea: The reunion Jacob has dreaded for twenty years lasts about one verse. He arranges his family defensively, in ascending order of how much he wants to protect them, and goes ahead bowing seven times — and Esau runs, embraces him, falls on his neck, kisses him, and they weep. Esau does not want the gift; Jacob presses it on him with a startling sentence: seeing your face is like seeing the face of God, and you were pleased with me. He accepts. But then Jacob declines Esau's offers of escort and company, promising to follow him to Seir — and goes the other way, to Succoth, and then buys land at Shechem. He is safe, wealthy, and settled short of where God told him to go.
Chapter 33 leaves Jacob settled at Shechem instead of Bethel, with an altar and a field. Chapter 34 shows what happens to his household in that city.
33:1–7 — Bowing seven times
Jacob sees Esau coming with the four hundred and arranges his family by risk — the servants and their children first, Leah and hers next, Rachel and Joseph last. He goes ahead of them all and bows to the ground seven times as he approaches. Esau runs, embraces him, falls on his neck, kisses him, and they weep. Then the households come forward in order and bow.
1 Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two servants. 2 He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. 3 He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept. 5 He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, “Who are these with you?” He said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the servants came near with their children, and they bowed themselves. 7 Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
33:8–17 — Take my blessing — and I'll follow you later
Esau asks about the droves and refuses them: I have enough, my brother; keep what is yours. Jacob presses, and his reason is remarkable — seeing your face is like seeing the face of God, since you were pleased with me. Take my blessing, because God has dealt graciously with me and I have enough. Esau accepts. He offers to travel with him, then to leave some of his men; Jacob declines both, citing tender children and nursing flocks, and says he will come on slowly to Seir. Esau returns to Seir; Jacob goes to Succoth and builds a house.
8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.” 10 Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me. 11 Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it. 12 Esau said, “Let’s take our journey, and let’s go, and I will go before you.” 13 Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.” 15 Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
33:18–20 — A field at Shechem
Jacob comes in peace to the city of Shechem in Canaan and camps before it. He buys the parcel of ground where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor for a hundred pieces of money, and builds an altar there, calling it El Elohe Israel — God, the God of Israel.
18 Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city. 19 He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. 20 He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).