Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
Parallel translations
- WEB Please 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.”
- BSB Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
- NKJV Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
- NASB Please let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will proceed at my leisure, at the pace of the cattle that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
- NLT Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at Seir.”
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 asks Esau to go ahead while he leads on gently at the pace of the children and flocks, promising to come to Seir. He proposes a courteous, considerate parting of ways.
Overview
Jacob requests to travel at a slower pace suited to his household, saying he will follow to Seir. Whether Jacob fully intended to go to Seir is debated, since he later settles elsewhere; some see prudent caution, others a polite excuse. Either way, his words reflect his desire to part on peaceful terms with his brother.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 40:11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
- Gen 32:3And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
- Rom 15:1We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
- Ezek 35:2–3Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
- Judg 5:4LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
- Deut 2:1Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.
- 2 Chr 20:10And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
- Mark 4:33And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
- Ezek 25:8Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;
- 1 Cor 9:19–22For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
- 1 Cor 3:2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
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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 33:14 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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