Tag: Chapter 33

Genesis Annotated: Chapter 32

Genesis Annotated: Chapter 34

1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
   
2. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
   
3. And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
   
4. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
   
5. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
   
6. Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
   
7. And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
   
8. And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
   
9. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
   
10. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
    
11. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
    
12. And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
    
13. And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
    
14. Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
    
15. And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
    
16. So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
    
17. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
    
18. And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.
    
19. And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.
    
20. And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.

1. Oh look, the name change has been completely forgotten already. The authors of genesis are terrible at keeping their plot points relevant and together. Case in point, this entire chapter.
   
2. But why? Why go through all this trouble?
   
   
   
   
3. I thought Esau wanted to kill Jacob based on chapter 27? These authors suck.
   
   
4. But why? This doesn’t fit any of the narrative. The authors of this suck at resolving conflict.
   
5. I wonder if there was any trouble figuring out that Jacob has kids from 4 different women.
   
   
   
6. But why?
   
   
   
7. But why? They never explain why they do this.
   
   
   
8. AKA: Why did you think I was going to kill you, despite, ya know, the call to murder you in chapter 27.
   
9. Esau has really chilled out in the years Jacob was gone
   
10. Is this Jacob trying to make up for being such a dick so many years ago?
    
    
    
    
    
11. Looks like Esau gets a blessing afterall.
    
    
    
    
12. Who said this? Damn the authors and their lack of definite articles.
    
13. Overall a fairly reasonable request. I presume this is Jacob speaking.
    
    
    
    
14. Why so formal with your brother?
    
    
    
    
    
15. Esau leaves some of the 400 people that were with him here. How will they be fed? Jacob wasn’t planning for this.
    
    
16. Shows up and exists immediately, like any good character that we don’t care about.
    
17. I really don’t care about this place name… especially since Jacob leaves it in the next verse.
    
    
18. Cool story bruh.
    
    
    
    
19. Interestingly, we have no idea how valuable these pieces of money would have been. Was that a lot? Was it a paltry sum? No clue whatsoever.
    
20. Bah, stop naming everything. We really don’t care.

Genesis Annotated: Chapter 31

Genesis Annotated: Chapter 33

1. And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
   
2. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
   
3. And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
   
4. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
   
5. And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
   
6. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
   
7. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
   
8. And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
   
9. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
   
10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
    
11. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
    
12. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
    
13. And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
    
14. Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
    
15. Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
    
16. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
    
17. And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
    
18. Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
    
19. And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
    
20. And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
    
21. So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
    
22. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.
    
23. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
    
24. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
    
25. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
    
26. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
    
27. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
    
28. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
    
29. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
    
30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
    
31. And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
    
32. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

1. Gotta reaffirm that he’s the protagonist again?
   
2. Again, why do the authors seem so intent on naming everything? It’s getting old.
   
   
3. Probably a good thing to do. Esau was either wanting to kill or something depending on which chapter you believe.
   
4. Is Jacob preparing to send himself into some more slavery?
   
   
   
5. AKA: I have all these things, please don’t kill me?
   
   
   
6. Looks like Esau took it to be a challenge.
   
   
   
   
7. I suppose that could work if Esau is an idiot.
   
   
   
   
8. Sounds like a terrible bargain for whichever gets wiped out.
   
   
9. You’re the chosen one or something, stop your whining. You’re really not that important.
   
   
   
10. Blah blah blah so humble, blah blah blah mercy, blah blah blah save me.
    
    
    
    
11. I wish Jacob would stop being so damn melodramatic. First he though Laban would kill him, and he didn’t. Now Esau? Jacob is the main character. As if.
    
12. blah blah blah blah. Stop yammering on.
    
    
    
13. Apparently bribing someone who might be trying to kill you is a good thing to do now?
    
    
14. That’s a lot of animals. I still say Laban would have had none of this.
    
15. And the animal list continues.
    
    
    
16. Preparing to send forth servants now too… when did Jacob get servants?? I thought this was a journey of his wife and children.
    
    
    
17. AKA: “Hey, you know that potentially murdery brother of mine? Walk up with more wealth than most people in the area and say hi.”
    
    
18. Sounds like advertising his location to Esau, the opposite of what he was trying to do earlier.
    
19. This is nearly repetitious
    
    
    
    
20. Yeah, we get it. Stop repeating yourself.
    
    
    
    
    
21. Servants gotta travel all night while tired, but he doesn’t have to. Got it.
    
22. Are they trying to be sneaky or something?
    
    
    
    
23. Not nearly as dramatic as George Washington crossing the deleware.
    
24. Where did this man come from? Did his wife and children just sit by idly and watch?
    
    
25. That sounds painful… how much of an absolute badass would he have to be to keep on wrestling after that?
    
    
26. Who says what to who? There is nothing to indicate who says what.
    
    
27. This couldn’t have been asked earlier?
    
    
28. Guess what? Literally no one ever calls him this, nor does the bible ever refer to him as this. (In)consistency at it’s finest!
    
    
29. Well… asking the name of the guy you just spent the night with seems like a decent thing to do.
    
    
30. There is no indication that anything mystical happened here. Why does he think this?
    
31. How did it halt there? Sensually caressing it? Describe in excruciating detail now!
    
32. This… is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. Have you ever considered NOT eating other humans instead of making up a story to rationalize not eating a specific part of a human?