“And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked. Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
- KJV And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
- BSB “What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.
- NKJV Then Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” And he said, “These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.”
- NASB And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
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
Esau asks about the droves he met, and Jacob explains they were sent to find favor. Jacob presents the gift as a gesture of goodwill.
Overview
Esau questions the purpose of the herds Jacob had sent ahead. Jacob answers that they were meant to find favor in his brother's sight. The exchange shows the gift's role in Jacob's careful, humble bid for reconciliation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 32:5I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’”
- Gen 39:5From the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake. Yahweh’s blessing was on all that he had, in the house and in the field.
- Gen 32:13–20He stayed there that night, and took from that which he had with him, a present for Esau, his brother:
- Esth 2:17The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
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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 33:8 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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