Genesis Chapter 33
A. Esau’s Warm Welcome
(Genesis 33:1–2) — “Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.”
When Jacob lifted his eyes and saw Esau approaching with four hundred men, he immediately made careful arrangements for his family. This division among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants was not necessarily an act of unbelief or manipulation, but it revealed Jacob’s natural instinct to protect those dearest to him. The order in which he placed them showed clear favoritism toward Rachel and her son Joseph, as Rachel and Joseph were positioned last, where they would be safest if Esau attacked. The maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah, along with their children, were placed in front, followed by Leah and her children. Jacob’s favoritism, though understandable on a human level, would later create tension among his sons and serve as a foreshadowing of future conflict within the family line.
Jacob’s actions here demonstrated both wisdom and partiality. He took precautionary measures, yet his arrangements revealed that his heart was not completely free from the patterns of favoritism that characterized his family. Isaac had favored Esau, while Rebekah had favored Jacob, and now Jacob showed the same tendency toward Rachel and Joseph. Even when acting in faith, believers must guard against repeating generational sins or biases that hinder godly unity.
(Genesis 33:3) — “Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.”
Jacob, now a changed man after wrestling with God, no longer relied on schemes or deception. Instead of hiding behind his family or sending others ahead, he crossed over before them and personally approached Esau. This was a powerful demonstration of humility and courage. Jacob’s encounter with the Lord at Peniel transformed him from a man who once manipulated his way through life into one who now faced his greatest fear with faith and submission.
By bowing to the ground seven times, Jacob showed respect and deference toward Esau. This repeated act of humility symbolized complete submission and reconciliation. Although Jacob had already sent lavish gifts ahead to appease his brother, his physical act of bowing showed that he sought peace from the heart, not merely through material offerings. It was not an attempt to buy Esau’s favor, but an acknowledgment that reconciliation required humility and repentance.
If Jacob had trusted God twenty years earlier instead of scheming to obtain Isaac’s blessing by deceit, none of this would have been necessary. The promise Isaac gave—“Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren” (Genesis 27:29, NKJV)—would have been fulfilled in God’s timing and without human manipulation. Many believers still experience unnecessary conflict because they attempt to accomplish God’s will through their own understanding and energy.
God’s purposes never require sin or deceit. When believers take matters into their own hands, they often create complications that must later be resolved through humility and repentance. Jacob’s submission here demonstrates the proper response when God corrects and restores a believer. After his wrestling with the Angel of the LORD, Jacob learned that victory comes through surrender to God’s will, not through cleverness or control.
B. Esau’s Warm Welcome and Reconciliation
(Genesis 33:4–7) — “But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, ‘Who are these with you?’ So he said, ‘The children whom God has graciously given your servant.’ Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and bowed down. And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down.”
When Esau saw Jacob, he ran to meet him, which must have terrified Jacob at first. For two decades, Jacob had dreaded this encounter, expecting Esau to avenge himself for the stolen blessing. Yet instead of vengeance, Esau ran, embraced him, and fell upon his neck weeping. This act of grace showed that God had already been working in Esau’s heart, softening it toward his brother. Jacob, who had once feared for his life, now experienced mercy and restoration instead of judgment. The Lord had gone before him, just as He promised in Genesis 32:12, “For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”
Their mutual embrace and tears marked a complete reconciliation. Neither brother sought to relive or debate the painful past. After years of separation, the Spirit of God had removed bitterness and replaced it with peace. True reconciliation does not depend on rehashing every detail of past wrongs, but on the humility, forgiveness, and grace that flow from hearts changed by God. This was no superficial meeting; both men wept, signifying deep emotional release and healing.
When Esau saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” Jacob responded, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Jacob’s answer revealed his transformation from self-reliance to gratitude. He recognized that all his blessings—his wives, children, and flocks—were gifts of divine grace, not the result of his own schemes. Each member of his household came forward in proper order, bowing before Esau, symbolizing humility and respect. Rachel and Joseph, his dearest, bowed last, showing both the lingering mark of Jacob’s favoritism and the reverence of the family toward Esau.
(Genesis 33:8–11) — “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.’ But Esau said, ‘I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.’ And Jacob said, ‘No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.’ So he urged him, and he took it.”
Esau was puzzled by Jacob’s large procession of gifts. “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” he asked, showing that he had neither expected restitution nor felt any superiority over Jacob. The gifts were Jacob’s attempt to make peace and show humility, but Esau—content and prosperous—declined, saying, “I have enough, my brother.” These words revealed a heart free of greed and revenge. Although Esau had not received the covenantal blessing, God had richly blessed him in material things. He had what he wanted most: temporal prosperity, power, and peace.
Jacob, however, insisted, saying, “Please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand.” His insistence showed genuine repentance. He was not merely giving to appease Esau but acknowledging wrongs of the past. When he said, “I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God,” Jacob referred back to his encounter at Peniel, where he said, “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30). Just as he had survived his wrestling with God, so now he saw divine mercy reflected in Esau’s forgiveness.
Jacob’s statement, “Please, take my blessing,” is especially significant. The Hebrew term for “present” here is berakah, meaning “blessing.” It is as though Jacob was returning the blessing he had deceitfully stolen twenty years before, not in substance but in spirit. He no longer grasped for what God had already promised to give. Instead, he now acted as a man who had learned grace through discipline. His acknowledgment that “God has dealt graciously with me” testified that he had come to depend on divine favor rather than his own craftiness.
Esau’s eventual acceptance of the gift sealed their reconciliation. In ancient culture, accepting a gift from another signified friendship and peace. One would never accept a gift from an enemy. Therefore, Esau’s acceptance was his way of saying, “I forgive you; we are brothers again.” Both brothers could now honestly say, “I have enough,” reflecting the truth of 1 Timothy 6:6: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”
This passage illustrates that reconciliation among believers requires both humility and grace. God had worked in both men—humbling Jacob through years of hardship and softening Esau’s heart through time and providence. What began as rivalry ended in reconciliation, showing that when God changes hearts, even the deepest wounds can be healed.
B. Jacob’s Travels in the Promised Land
(Genesis 33:12–17)
Then Esau said, “Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you.” But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.” And Esau said, “Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
Jacob was willing to reconcile with Esau, but he did not want to travel with him. When Esau offered to journey together, Jacob respectfully declined, saying that the children and livestock could not endure a hard pace. This was a wise and diplomatic answer, yet beneath it lay Jacob’s lingering fear of Esau. Even though God had changed his name to Israel, Jacob still acted like the old Jacob at times. The hesitation revealed a heart still learning to trust fully in God’s protection.
When Jacob said, “Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant,” he demonstrated humility, calling Esau “my lord” and himself “your servant.” The reconciliation between them was genuine, yet cautious. Jacob wanted peace but not proximity. This episode illustrates how even after spiritual renewal, old habits and fears can still influence behavior.
Jacob then journeyed to Succoth instead of accompanying Esau south to Mount Seir as he had indicated. He allowed Esau to continue his journey and then quietly turned north. This subtle act of deception reflected his divided nature—struggling to live up to the new identity of “Israel” while still thinking like “Jacob.” As one commentator observed, it is difficult to be both Jacob and Israel at the same time. The spiritual lesson is that we cannot live in compromise between flesh and faith.
Jacob built himself a house and made booths for his livestock at Succoth, which means “booths.” This was a clear act of disobedience, for God had appointed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to live as sojourners in tents throughout the land (Hebrews 11:9–10). They were not to settle permanently but to remain pilgrims dependent upon the Lord. Here Jacob chose comfort over obedience. Charles Spurgeon once remarked, “Yet at Succoth we read that he built booths—scarcely houses, I suppose, but more than tents. It was a compromise, and a compromise is often worse than a direct and overt disobedience of command. He dares not erect a house, but he builds a booth and thus shows his desire for a settled life.” Jacob’s compromise at Succoth foreshadowed the troubles that would soon follow in Shechem.
(Genesis 33:18–20)
Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.
Jacob eventually came safely into the land of Canaan and stopped at Shechem. It was a moment of fulfillment, for God had indeed brought him back to the Promised Land as He said He would (Genesis 28:15). Yet Jacob still fell short of full obedience. God had directed him to return to Bethel, as stated earlier in Genesis 31:13: “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.” Jacob, however, stopped short and settled near Shechem.
The phrase “he pitched his tent before the city” implies a dangerous proximity. Though he did not live inside Shechem, he was close enough to be influenced by it. This choice would later bring tragedy upon his family, as his daughter Dinah was violated in that city (Genesis 34). The decision to dwell near Shechem instead of going to Bethel illustrates the danger of half-obedience. It is better to follow God’s direction completely than to stop at a place of convenience or compromise.
Jacob bought land from the sons of Hamor and built an altar, naming it El Elohe Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel.” The altar signified worship and gratitude, acknowledging that the God who had protected him was now his God personally. However, while the altar was good, obedience would have been better. God desires the obedience of His children more than sacrifice or religious display. As 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “So Samuel said: ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’”
Jacob’s disobedient delay in Shechem would cost him dearly. The chapter ends with him building an altar, but the next chapter begins with violence, deceit, and sorrow. The lesson is clear: delayed obedience is disobedience. God had called Jacob to Bethel, the “House of God,” but he settled for Shechem, a place of compromise. The believer must not stop short of God’s command, for peace and blessing are found only in full obedience.
