And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
Parallel translations
- WEB He stayed there that night, and took from that which he had with him, a present for Esau, his brother:
- BSB Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau:
- NKJV So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother:
- NASB So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a gift for his brother Esau:
- NLT Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jacob spends the night and prepares a generous gift for Esau from his herds. He combines prayer with practical efforts toward reconciliation.
Overview
Having prayed, Jacob now acts, selecting a lavish present to soften Esau's heart. His pairing of prayer and prudent action shows faith working through diligence. The gift reflects Jacob's earnest desire to make peace with the brother he had wronged.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Prov 18:16A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
- Gen 43:11And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
- Gen 43:26And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
- Prov 19:6Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
- Prov 17:8A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
- Prov 21:14A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
- Gen 42:6And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
- Gen 32:20–21And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
- Gen 18:2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
- Gen 33:10And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
- 1 Sam 25:8Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
- 1 Sam 25:27And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 32:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.