Genesis 33:1

1 Iacob lyfte vp his eyes and sawe hys brother Esau come and with him .iiij. hundred men. And he deuyded the childern vnto Lea and vnto Rahel and vnto ye ij. maydens.

Genesis 33:1 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 33:1

And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked
After he had passed over the brook, and was come to his wives and children; which was done either accidentally or on purpose, to see if he could espy his brother coming: some think this denotes his cheerfulness and courage, and that he was now not distressed and dejected, as he had been before: and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men;
see ( Genesis 32:6 ) ; and he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the
two handmaids;
some think he made four divisions of them; Leah and her children, Rachel and her son, Bilhah and hers, and Zilpah and hers: but others are of opinion there were but three: the two handmaids and their children in one division, Leah and her children in another, and Rachel and her son in the third; which seems to be confirmed in ( Genesis 33:2 ) , though the word for "divide" signifies to halve or divide into two parts; according to which, the division then must be of the two wives and their children in one company, and of the two handmaids and theirs in the other: and this Jacob did partly for decency and partly for safety.

Genesis 33:1 In-Context

1 Iacob lyfte vp his eyes and sawe hys brother Esau come and with him .iiij. hundred men. And he deuyded the childern vnto Lea and vnto Rahel and vnto ye ij. maydens.

2 And he put the maydens ad their childern formest ad Lea and hir childern after and Rahel ad Ioseph hindermost.

3 And he went before them and fell on the grownde, vij. tymes vntill he came vnto his brother.

4 Esau ranne agaynst him and enbraced hym and fell on his necke and kyssed him and they wepte.

5 And he lifte vp his eyes and sawe the wyves and their childern and sayde: what are these which thou there hast? And he sayde: they are the childern which God hath geuen thy seruaunte.