Hello! Welcome to today’s bible study on Genesis 33 where Jacob meets Esau. According to Bible scholars, the events of Genesis 33 took place in 1906 B.C. approximately.
I encourage you to turn to Genesis 33 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Genesis 33. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
In the Bible Study on Genesis 32, we read about Jacob and Esau preparing to meet each other and Jacob wrestling with God Himself who took the form of a man. In today’s Bible study on Genesis 33, we will read about Jacob and Esau meeting face-to-face after 20 years and the events that ensued.
Backstory on Genesis 32: Jacob arrived at Mahanaim with his family and servants. He received news that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob prepared a gift of various animals from his livestock to appease Esau, after their previous fallout over Jacob stealing Esau’s blessings from Isaac. While Jacob was sleeping alone at night, God took the form of a man and wrestled with him. During the wrestling, God touched Jacob’s hip socket, causing it to go out of joint. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. From that day, Jacob walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
Without any further delay, let us study together Genesis Chapter 33, shall we?
Genesis 33 Summary
Jacob looked up and saw his brother Esau approaching with four hundred men. He decided to divide his people into three groups to prepare for any potential attack. The first group consisted of his maidservants and their children, followed by Leah and her children. He placed Rachel and her children in the last group, as she was the love of his life and he wanted to ensure her safety in case of an attack.
Afterward, Jacob walked past his entire group and bowed down to the ground seven times as a way of humbling himself and as a sign of respect to Esau until he reached him. Esau, on the other hand, ran to meet Jacob and embraced him, fell on his shoulders, and kissed him. They both wept.
Esau asked Jacob about the women and children with him. Jacob replied that they were his maidservants, wives, and children, and they all approached Esau and bowed. Jacob explained that he presented them to Esau to gain favor in his eyes. Esau declined, stating that he had enough and urged Jacob to keep his presents for himself. But when Jacob insisted, Esau accepted the gifts that Jacob had previously prepared from his livestock.
Esau suggested that he and Jacob should start their journey together, with him leading the way. However, Jacob expressed his concern for the children and the young livestock that were with them. He feared that if they were driven too hard, they might not survive the journey. So, he requested Esau to go ahead of them and he would follow at a slower pace, taking care of the young ones and ensuring their safety. Esau then offered to leave some of his people to assist Jacob, but he politely refused Esau’s offer.
Esau then continued his journey to Seir while Jacob went to Succoth, where he built a house and made booths for his livestock. The place was named Succoth (meaning booths) because of the booths that Jacob built for his flocks.
Jacob arrived in Shechem, which is located in Canaan. He bought a field from the children of Hamor, who was Shechem’s father, for 100 pieces of money. After purchasing the land, he pitched his tent on it and erected an altar to the Lord. Jacob named the altar El Elohe Israel, which means “God, The God of Israel.”
Genesis 33 Commentary
1. Genesis 33:4
In Genesis 32, we see that Jacob was afraid of his brother Esau, fearing that he wanted to take revenge on him. However, the Lord intervened and delivered Jacob when he met him face-to-face as a man and wrestled with him, changing his name to Israel. I believe that it was the Lord’s deliverance of Jacob that caused Esau to reconcile with him, which led to Esau running towards Jacob, hugging him, and kissing him.
2. Genesis 33:12-15
Despite Esau’s desire to travel with Jacob to Seir, Jacob couldn’t do so because he had nursing flocks and young children with him. As prophesied by God to Rebekkah when they were in her womb, Esau and Jacob were two different nations and they didn’t become one. Therefore, they remained as two separate nations and journeyed separately.
3. Genesis 33:17
Jacob built a house and temporary shelters for his livestock. He named the place Succoth, which means booths. This act of building booths for his livestock reminds us of God’s people build booths during their time in the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt. They lived in booths as they travelled to God’s chosen land. We will learn more about this during our bible study of Exodus.
The place Succoth and the Jewish festival of Sukkot also have something in common. Interestingly enough, during the festival of Sukkot, Jewish people build booths to commemorate the Jews who lived in booths for 40 years while traveling through the wilderness, after God delivered them from Egypt.
4. Genesis 33:18-20
Jacob arrived and settled in Canaan, which was part of God’s intended plan. Canaan was the land that God had promised to Abraham and his descendants (Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather). Jacob honoured the Lord by building an altar in Canaan and named it as El Elohe Israel (God of Israel), thus officially claiming it as his inheritance. Jacob was referring to God as his God – ‘God of Israel’, here, because Jacob’s name is Israel. The Lord renamed him as Israel after He wrestled with him. It was not yet a nation as it is today.
Genesis 33 Lessons
1. God is faithful
God fulfills His promise to Jacob and protects him from Esau, who greets him warmly. The Lord also blessed Jacob’s journey to Canaan.
2. Don’t forget the Lord when He blesses you
After arriving safely in Canaan, Jacob built an altar to express his gratitude to God. He named it El Elohe Israel, to honor the Lord in the land promised to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. God had made a covenant to give Jacob the land of Canaan as an inheritance, and he never forgot that it was God who had blessed and protected him and his family. Jacob understood the importance of giving thanks and honoring God, especially when He fulfilled His promise, as many people tend to forget God after receiving His blessings.
3. When the Lord is with you, you will find favour also with your enemy
Jacob was able to gain favor with Esau. Esau did not object when Jacob asked to travel to Seir separately. Jacob insisted that Esau accept his gifts, which he did, and Esau even offered to leave behind his men to help Jacob. Throughout this entire situation, we can see the hand of God with Jacob, as everything turned out in his favor.
Genesis 33: Common questions and answers
1. What is the meaning of Genesis 33?
The meaning of Genesis 33 is about Jacob reconciling with his twin brother Esau and arriving safely in Canaan as per God’s promise.
2. Why did Jacob not go to Seir with Esau?
Even though Jacob and Esau reconciled, they did not travel together because of the state of Jacob’s nursing flocks and children. Additionally, we must keep in mind that according to what God had told Rebekah, their mother, when the twins were in her womb, Jacob and Esau were two different nations. Therefore, they each journeyed separately to their destination, fulfilling their respective destinies as determined by God Himself.
3. What did Jacob say to Esau in Genesis 33?
Jacob tried to make peace with Esau and win his approval by offering him gifts. He insisted that Esau accepted his gifts. With God’s help, he was successful in doing so. Although Esau suggested that they travel to Seir together, Jacob declined because his nursing livestock and children were in a vulnerable condition. These were the recorded conversations in Genesis 33 between Jacob and Esau.
4. What country is Mount Seir in today?
Mount Seir, located in the geographical region of Seir south of the Dead Sea, was named after a Horite. It is not a single mountain but a range of mountains that stretches from the Dead Sea, lying between Jordan and Israel, to the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern tip of the Red Sea. Although it still exists, it is no longer called Mount Seir but is known in Arabic as Jibāl ash-Sharāh.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study lesson on Genesis 33. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with others. Also, share your thoughts about it and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Genesis 33. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
What are your takeaways from Genesis 33?