64 | Genesis 32:1
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
Ja cob also went on his way , and the an gels of God met him . 2 When Ja cob saw them ,
32 a he said , “ This is the camp of God !” So he named that place Ma ha na im . b
3
Ja cob sent mes sen gers ahead of him to his broth er Esau in the land of Seir , the coun try of Edom . 4 He in struct ed them : “ This is what you are to say to my lord Esau : ‘ Your ser vant Ja cob says , I have been stay ing with La ban and have re mained there till now . 5 I have cat tle and don keys , sheep and goats , male and fe male ser vants . Now I am send ing this mes sage to my lord , that I may find fa vor in your eyes .’ ”
6
When the mes sen gers re turned to Ja cob , they said , “ We went to your broth er Esau , and now he is com ing to meet you , and four hun dred men are with him .”
7
In great fear and dis tress Ja cob di vid ed the people who were with him into two groups , c and the flocks and herds and cam els as well . 8 He thought , “ If Esau comes and at tacks one group , d the group d that is left may es cape .”
9
Then Ja cob prayed , “ O God of my fa ther Abraham , God of my fa ther Isaac , Lord , you who said to me , ‘ Go back to your coun try and your rel a tives , and I will make you pros per ,’ 10 I am un wor thy of all the kind ness and faith ful ness you have shown your ser vant . I had only my staff when I crossed this Jor dan , but now I have be come two camps .
11
Save me , I pray , from the hand of my broth er Esau , for I am afraid he will come and at tack me , and also the moth ers with their chil dren . 12 But you have said , ‘ I will sure ly make you pros per and will make your de scen dants like the sand of the sea , which can not be count ed .’ ”
13
He spent the night there , and from what he had with him he se lect ed a gift for his broth er Esau : 14 two hun dred fe male goats and twen ty male goats , two hun dred ewes and twen ty rams ,
15 thir ty fe male cam els with their young , for ty cows and ten bulls , and twen ty fe male don keys and ten male don keys . 16 He put them in the care of his ser vants , each herd by it self , and said to his ser vants , “ Go ahead of me , and keep some space be tween the herds .”
17
He in struct ed the one in the lead : “ When my broth er Esau meets you and asks , ‘ Who do you be long to , and where are you go ing , and who owns all these an i mals in front of you ?’ 18 then you are to say , ‘ They be long to your ser vant Ja cob . They are a gift sent to my lord Esau , and he is com ing be hind us .’ ”
19
He also in struct ed the sec ond , the third and all the oth ers who fol lowed the herds : “ You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him .
20
And be sure to say , ‘ Your ser vant Ja cob is com ing be hind us .’ ” For he thought , “ I will pac i fy him with these gifts I am send ing on ahead ; lat er , when I see him , per haps he will re ceive me .” 21 So Ja cob ’ s gifts went on ahead of him , but he him self spent the night in the camp .
Jacob Wrestles With God
22
That night Ja cob got up and took his two wives , his two fe male ser vants and his elev en sons and crossed the ford of the Jab bok . 23 Af ter he had sent them across the stream , he sent over all his pos ses sions . 24 So Ja cob was left alone , and
a
In Hebrew texts 32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33 . b
2 Mahanaim means two camps . c
7 Or camps d
8 Or camp
32:1 – 21 After making a covenant of peace with Laban , Jacob must confront the problem he left to escape : Esau . He sends a message to his brother and learns that Esau is coming with 400 men ( 32:1 – 6 ). Assuming Esau is a threat , Jacob divides his camp so that Esau cannot attack the entire group ( vv . 7 – 8 ). He prays that God will deliver him and prepares a gift for Esau , hoping to appease him ( vv . 13 – 21 ).
32:1 angels of God This exact phrase occurs elsewhere only in 28:12 — also in connection with Jacob . Spiritual messengers from God , like those Jacob earlier witnessed , now meet him in a tumultuous time . Compare 35:7 . 32:2 This is the camp of God This phrase seems to have both military and residential connotations ( 1Ch 12:22 ; compare Jdg 18:12 ). Mahanaim The Hebrew word used here , machanayim , is plural and means “ two camps .” It is unclear why Jacob did not choose to use a singular form when naming this place ; Jacob uses a singular form of the same word ( machaneh in Hebrew , meaning “ camp ”) in his explanation of the name . The plural form could indicate that Jacob is referencing the meeting of his camp and God ’ s camp ( where the angels of God are ), or even referencing three different camps : his own , God ’ s and Esau ’ s . Jacob could have seen Esau ’ s camp by this point or knew it was nearby . The specific site of this location is unknown . 32:3 in the land of Seir , the country of Edom The land of Esau ’ s descendants ( see Ge 25:30 ). 32:5 cattle and donkeys , sheep and goats , male and female servants This listing is probably intended as a hint to Esau that Jacob has wealth to share . This is likely Jacob ’ s way of saying he intends to compensate for Esau ’ s loss of wealth many years ago when he took Esau ’ s birthright ( 25:31 – 34 ; 27:36 ; compare 32:20 ). 32:6 four hundred men If other references to this number of men are analogous ( 1Sa 22:2 ; 25:13 ; 30:10,17 ), 400 appears to have been the normal size of a militia .
32:9 – 12 Jacob does not pray for Esau ’ s demise , as though Esau were his enemy . Rather , Jacob knows he wronged his brother and is undeserving of God ’ s protection for this reason ( Ge 32:10 ).
32:20 I will pacify The Hebrew word used here , kaphar — which may be literally rendered as “ to cover over ” ( 6:14 ) — is often used in the OT to describe atonement — the covering over of sin ( see Lev 4:20 and note ; Isa 6:7 and note ).
32:22 – 32 As Jacob anticipates his brother ’ s arrival , God appears as a man ( see Ge 32:24 and note ) and wrestles