In this chapter we find Esau meeting Jacob in a friendly manner, contrary to his fears and expectation, having set his family in order in case of the worst, Gen.

And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked After he had passed over the brook, and was come to his wives and children; which was done either accidentally or on purpose, to see if he could espy his brother coming: some think this denotes his cheerfulness and courage, and that he was now not distressed…

And he put the handmaids and their children foremost In the first division, as being less honourable and less beloved by him: and Leah and her children after; still according to the degree of honour and affection due unto them; Leah being a wife that was imposed and forced upon him: and Rachel and…

And he passed over before them At the head of them, as the master of the family, exposing himself to the greatest danger for them, and in order to protect and defend them in the best manner he could, or to endeavour to soften the mind of his brother by an address, should there be any occasion for…

And Esau ran to meet him If he rode on any creature, which is likely, he alighted from it on sight of his brother Jacob, and to express his joy on that occasion, and affection for him, made all the haste he could to meet him, as did the father of the prodigal, , and embraced him; in his arms, with…

And he lift up his eyes, and saw the women and children After the salutation had passed between him and his brother Jacob, he looked, and saw behind him women and children, Jacob’s two wives and his two handmaids, and twelve children he had by them, and said, who are those with thee? who do those…

Then the handmaids came near, they and their children Being foremost, and next to, Jacob, as Bilhah and her two sons, Dan and Naphtali, and Zilpah and her two sons, Gad and Asher: and they bowed themselves; in token of respect to Esau, as Jacob had done before them, and set them an example, and no…

And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves Who were in the next division or company; their children were seven, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah, six sons and one daughter: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves; it is observed…

And he said, what meanest thou by all this drove which I met? &c.] Not as being ignorant of the design of it; for no doubt the several drovers, according to their instructions from Jacob, had acquainted him with it; but he chose not to take the present on what they said, but was willing to have it…

And Esau said, I have enough, my brother Or “I have much” [[13]], and stand in no need of this present, or have much more than thou hast: keep that thou hast unto thyself; for the use of himself and family, which is large; in this Esau showed himself not only not a covetous man, but that he was…

And Jacob said, nay, I pray thee Do not say so, as the Targum of Jonathan supplies it, or do not refuse my present: if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; signifying, that the acceptance of his present would be a token to him, and give him full satisfaction that…

Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee The present he had sent him, now carrying home to his house, which was a part of what God had blessed Jacob with; and which he from a beneficent generous spirit gave his brother, wishing the blessing of God to go along with it; it was an…

And he said, let us take our journey, and let us go To Seir, where Esau lived, and whither he invited Jacob to stop a while, and refresh himself and his family: and I will go before thee; to show him the way to his palace, and to protect him on the road from all dangers; or “besides thee” [[15]],…

And he said unto him, my lord knoweth the children are tender The eldest being but thirteen years of age, and the youngest about six; and Esau might easily perceive by their stature that they were young and tender, and not able to bear either riding or walking very fast: and the flocks and herds…

Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant He desired in a very respectable manner that he would not keep his pace in complaisance to him, but proceed on in his journey, and go on with his men, and he with his family and flocks would follow after as fast as he could, and their…

And Esau said, let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me To show him the way, and guard him on the road, and he appear the more honourable when he entered into Seir: and he said, what needeth it? Jacob saw not the necessity of it; he knew the direct way very probably; he thought…

So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. ] Took his leave of Jacob the same day he met him, and proceeded on in his journey towards Seir; whether he arrived there the same day is not certain, probably it was more than a day’s journey.

And Jacob journeyed to Succoth Perhaps after he had been at Seir, and stayed there some little time. Succoth was on the other side of Jordan, so called by anticipation, for it had its name from what follows; as yet there was no city built here, or at least of this name; afterwards there was, it lay…

And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem Not Salem, of which Melchizedek was king, much less Jerusalem, for it was forty miles from it [[21]]; more likely Salim near Aenon, where John was baptizing, ; though it perhaps is the same with Shechem; for the words may be read, he “came to Shalem, the…

And he bought a parcel of a field Not the whole, but a part of it; this he did, though he was heir of the whole country, because, as yet, the time was not come for him or his to take possession of it: where he had spread his tent; the ground that it stood upon, and what was adjoining to it, for the…

And he erected there an altar To offer sacrifice upon to God, by way of thanksgiving, for the many mercies he had received since he went out of the land of Canaan, whither he was now returned; and especially for his safety in journeying hither from Padanaram, and for deliverance from Laban and…