Genesis 32:13-21
New English Translation
13 Jacob[a] stayed there that night. Then he sent[b] as a gift[c] to his brother Esau 14 200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams, 15 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. 16 He entrusted them to[d] his servants, who divided them into herds.[e] He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd,[f] “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong?[g] Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’[h] 18 then you must say,[i] ‘They belong[j] to your servant Jacob.[k] They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau.[l] In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’”[m]
19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.[n] 20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’”[o] Jacob thought,[p] “I will first appease him[q] by sending a gift ahead of me.[r] After that I will meet him.[s] Perhaps he will accept me.”[t] 21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him[u] while he spent that night in the camp.[v]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 32:13 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 32:13 tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.
- Genesis 32:13 sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).
- Genesis 32:16 tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
- Genesis 32:16 tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
- Genesis 32:17 tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 32:17 tn Heb “to whom are you?”
- Genesis 32:17 tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
- Genesis 32:18 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
- Genesis 32:18 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 32:18 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
- Genesis 32:18 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
- Genesis 32:18 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 32:19 tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”
- Genesis 32:20 tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”
- Genesis 32:20 tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew verb אָמַר (ʾamar), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”
- Genesis 32:20 tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than 550 animals.
- Genesis 32:20 tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”
- Genesis 32:20 tn Heb “I will see his face.”
- Genesis 32:20 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.
- Genesis 32:21 tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”
- Genesis 32:21 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.
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