Jacob and Esau's meeting; and Esau's departure, 1-16. Jacob comes to Succoth, 17. At Shalem he buys a field and builds an altar called El-elohe-Israel, 18-20.
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two women-servants. 2 And he put the women-servants and their children foremost, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindmost. 3 And he passed on before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept. 5 And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, "Who are those with you?" And he said, "The children which God has graciously given to your servant." 6 Then the women-servants came near—they and their children—and they bowed themselves. 7 And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed themselves. And afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed themselves. 8 And he said, "What do you mean by all this drove which I met?" And he said, "These are to find grace in the sight of my lord." 9 And Esau said, "I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have to yourself." 10 And Jacob said, "No, I pray you, if now I have found grace in your sight, then receive my present at my hand. For therefore I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you have been pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray you, my blessing that is brought to you because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have enough." And he urged him, and he took it.
12 And he said, "Let us take our journey and let us go, and I will go before you." 13 And he said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender and the flocks and herds with young are with me, and if men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. 14 Let my lord, I pray you, pass over before his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according as the cattle that go before me and the children are able to endure, until I come to my lord at Seir."
15 And Esau said, "Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me." And he said, "What need is there? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord." 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house and made booths for his cattle. Therefore, the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram, and pitched his tent before the city. 19 And he bought a part of a field where he had spread his tent at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for one hundred pieces of money. 20 And he erected an altar there and called it El-elohe-Israel.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Genesis, Chapter 33[➚]