Genesis 32:13-23

13 He stayed there that night. Then he prepared a gift for his brother Esau from what he had brought with him:

14 200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep,

15 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys.

16 He placed servants in charge of each herd. Then he said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep a distance between the herds."

17 He commanded the first servant, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and whose animals are these ahead of you?'

18 then say, 'Sir, they belong to your servant Jacob. This is a gift sent to you. Jacob is right behind us.'"

19 He also commanded the second servant, the third, and all the others who followed the herds. He said, "Say the same thing to Esau when you find him.

20 And be sure to add, 'Jacob is right behind us, sir.'" He thought, "I'll make peace with him by giving him this gift that I'm sending ahead of me. After that I will see him, and he'll welcome me back."

21 So Jacob sent the gift ahead of him while he stayed in the camp that night.

22 During that night he got up and gathered his two wives, his two slaves and his eleven children and crossed at the shallow part of the Jabbok River.

23 After he sent them across the stream, he sent everything else across.

Genesis 32:13-23 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.