Génesis 32:8-18

8 pues pensó: «Si Esaú encuentra a uno de los grupos y lo ataca, quizá el otro grupo pueda escapar».

9 Entonces Jacob oró: «Oh Dios de mi abuelo Abraham y Dios de mi padre Isaac; oh Señor
, tú me dijiste: “Regresa a tu tierra y a tus parientes”. Y me prometiste: “Te trataré con bondad”.

10 No soy digno de todo el amor inagotable y de la fidelidad que has mostrado a mí, tu siervo. Cuando salí de mi hogar y crucé el río Jordán, no poseía más que mi bastón, ¡pero ahora todos los de mi casa ocupan dos grandes campamentos!

11 Oh Señor
, te ruego que me rescates de la mano de mi hermano Esaú. Tengo miedo de que venga para atacarme a mí y también a mis esposas y a mis hijos.

12 Pero tú me prometiste: “Ciertamente te trataré con bondad y multiplicaré tus descendientes hasta que lleguen a ser tan numerosos como la arena a la orilla del mar, imposibles de contar”».

13 Así que Jacob pasó la noche en aquel lugar. Luego escogió de sus pertenencias los siguientes regalos para entregar a su hermano Esaú:

14 doscientas cabras, veinte chivos, doscientas ovejas, veinte carneros,

15 treinta camellas con sus crías, cuarenta vacas, diez toros, veinte burras y diez burros.

16 Separó esos animales en manadas y asignó cada manada a un siervo distinto. Luego dijo a estos siervos: «Vayan delante de mí con los animales, pero guarden una buena distancia entre las manadas».

17 A los hombres que dirigían el primer grupo les dio las siguientes instrucciones: «Cuando mi hermano Esaú se encuentre con ustedes, él les preguntará: “¿De quién son siervos? ¿Adónde van? ¿Quién es el dueño de estos animales?”.

18 Entonces deben contestar: “Pertenecen a su servidor Jacob, pero son un regalo para su señor Esaú. Mire, él viene detrás de nosotros”».

Génesis 32:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 32

This chapter informs us of Jacob's proceeding on in his journey, and of his being met and guarded by an host of angels, Ge 32:1,2; of his sending messengers to his brother Esau, acquainting him with his increase, and desiring his favour and good will, Ge 32:3-5, who return and report to him, that Esau was coming to him with four hundred men, which put him into a panic, and after devising ways and means for the security of himself; and those with him, at least a part, if not the whole, Ge 32:6-8; then follows a prayer of his to God, pressing his unworthiness of mercies, and his sense of them, imploring deliverance from his brother, and putting the Lord in mind of his promises, Ge 32:9-12; after which we have an account of the wise methods he took for the safety of himself and family, by sending a present to his brother, dividing those who had the charge of it into separate companies, and directing them to move at a proper distance from each other, he, his wives and children, following after, Ge 32:13-23; when they were over the brook Jabbok, he stopped, and being alone, the Son of God in an human form appeared to him, and wrestled with him, with whom Jacob prevailed, and got the blessing, and hence had the name of Israel, Ge 32:24-28; and though he could not get his name, he perceived it was a divine Person he had wrestled with, and therefore called the name of the place Penuel, Ge 32:29-31; the hollow of his thigh being touched by him with whom he wrestled, which put it out of joint, he halted as he went over Penuel, in commemoration of which the children of Israel eat not of that part of the thigh, Ge 32:31,32.