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.”
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.”
- KJV 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.
- 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.”
- 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 will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.
- Gen 32:3Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.
- Rom 15:1Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
- Ezek 35:2–3Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
- Judg 5:4“Yahweh, when you went out of Seir, when you marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the sky also dropped. Yes, the clouds dropped water.
- Deut 2:1Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as Yahweh spoke to me; and we encircled Mount Seir many days.
- 2 Chr 20:10Now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and didn’t destroy them;
- Mark 4:33With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
- Ezek 25:8Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because Moab and Seir say, Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations;
- 1 Cor 9:19–22For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
- 1 Cor 3:2I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready,
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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 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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