Then Jacob sent messengers ahead of himself to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.
- KJV And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
- BSB Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
- NKJV Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
- NLT Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom.
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 sends messengers ahead to Esau in Edom to prepare for their meeting. He takes initiative to seek reconciliation with the brother he wronged.
Overview
Knowing he must face Esau, from whom he had stolen the blessing, Jacob acts wisely and humbly to make peace. He sends envoys to Seir, the land Esau now inhabits, signaling his desire for goodwill. Jacob's effort at reconciliation reflects the peacemaking that Scripture commends to those at odds.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Josh 24:4I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau Mount Seir, to possess it. Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
- Gen 25:30Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
- Deut 2:5Don’t contend with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.
- Gen 14:6and the Horites in their Mount Seir, to El Paran, which is by the wilderness.
- Gen 33:14Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.”
- Luke 14:31–32Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
- Gen 27:41–42Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
- Gen 33:16So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
- Deut 2:22as he did for the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place even to this day:
- Gen 36:6–9Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
- Luke 9:52and sent messengers before his face. They went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him.
- Mal 3:1“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says Yahweh of Armies.
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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 32:3 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
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