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.
14. softly ] Lit. “according to my gentleness,” i.e. at a quiet and leisurely rate.
according to the pace of the cattle ] Lit. “of the property” in herds and flocks ( m’l’cah, as in Exo 22:7; Exo 22:10; 1Sa 15:9).
unto Seir ] Jacob here implies that he was intending to visit his brother in Seir. He has no intention of settling there, and at the most he expresses a courteous hope of a temporary sojourn.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 14. Until I come unto my lord unto Seir.] It is very likely that Jacob was perfectly sincere in his expressed purpose of visiting Esau at Seir, but it is as likely that circumstances afterwards occurred that rendered it either improper or impracticable; and we find that Esau afterwards removed to Canaan, and he and Jacob dwelt there together for several years. See Ge 36:6.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
We do not read that Jacob did according to this promise or insinuation go to Seir; either therefore he changed his first intentions for some weighty reasons, or upon warning from God; or he used this only as a pretence, which we should not too easily believe of so good a man, especially after such dangers and deliverances; or rather he did perform this promise, though the Scripture be silent of it, as it is of many other historical passages, and as it is here concerning Jacobs visiting of his father Isaac, which is not mentioned till ten years after this time; and yet it is utterly incredible that Jacob should be so near to his dear and worthy father for so long a time together, and not once give him a visit.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. until I come unto my lordItseems to have been Jacob’s intention, passing round the Dead Sea, tovisit his brother in Seir, and thus, without crossing the Jordan, goto Beer-sheba to Isaac; but he changed his plan, and whether theintention was carried out then or at a future period has not beenrecorded.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant,…. He desired in a very respectable manner that he would not keep his pace in complaisance to him, but proceed on in his journey, and go on with his men, and he with his family and flocks would follow after as fast as he could, and their circumstances would admit of:
and I will lead on softly; slowly, gently, easily, step by step:
according as the cattle that goeth before me, and the children be able to endure; or “according to the foot” s of them; of the cattle, whom he calls the “work” t, because his business lay in the care of them, and these were the chief of his substance; and of the children, as the feet of each of them were able to travel; or because of them, for the sake of them, as Aben Ezra, consulting their strength, he proposed to move on gently, like both a wise, careful, and tender father of his family, and shepherd of his flock:
until I come unto my lord unto Seir; whither, no doubt, he intended to come when he parted with Esau; but for reasons which after appeared to him he declined it: or more probably he did go thither then, or quickly after; though the Scripture makes no mention of it, he might go with some of his servants directly, and send his family, flocks, and herds, under the care of other servants, forward on their journey, and quickly come up to them again; for that he should tell a lie is not likely, nor does he seem to be under any temptation to it: and besides, it would have been dangerous to have disobliged his brother when on his borders, who could easily have come upon him again with four hundred men, and picked a quarrel with him for breach of promise, and destroyed him and his at once.
s “ad pedem”, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Cartwright. t “operis”, Montanus, Munster, Fagius, Drusius, Cartwright, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(14) According as the cattle . . . Rather, according to the paceHeb., footof the cattle that is before me, and according to the pace of the children. Joseph was only six or seven years old; and Leahs two younger sons, and probably Zilpahs, were too tender to endure much fatigue.
Unto Seir.This implies a purpose of visiting Esau in his new acquisition, not carried out probably because Esau did not as yet settle there, but returned to Hebron to his father.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. I will lead on softly That is, I will proceed gently .
According as the cattle Hebrews, according to the foot of the work; that is, the possessions acquired by my work . The English version, though not literal, gives the real meaning .
Until I come unto Seir These words naturally give the impression that Jacob promises to move steadily along until he should reach Mt. Seir; but as soon as Esau departs, he proceeds to Shechem, and never went to Seir at all. But a little reflection will show the impropriety of construing his action thus. Esau was probably not yet settled in Mount Seir, (see note on Gen 32:3,) but, during this interview, had told Jacob of his acquisitions and of his purpose to remove thither; and Jacob’s promise to visit him there was necessarily indefinite as to time . The brothers met again at the burial of their father Isaac . Gen 35:29.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 33:14. Until I come unto my lord, &c. Jacob declines the offer of Esau’s or his servants’ attendance, as his large train could move but slow, especially the cattle and younger children, and promises a visit to Esau in convenient time; but as the Scripture mentions not this visit, some have supposed that Jacob never made or designed to make it, treating his brother in this insincere manner, in order to get rid of him. But there are no reasonable grounds for this ungenerous supposition: the Scripture relates not all the actions of the persons whose main history it gives; and Jacob might have visited Esau, and most probably did, though it be not related, any more than his visit to his father, which we can never doubt but that he made as soon as he had an opportunity. Some have imagined that Jacob, fixing his family at Succoth, Gen 33:17 went thence himself to Esau at Seir, as well as to his father Isaac at Gerar, it not being probable that he would drive all his cattle, and take all his family with him.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 33:14 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.
Ver. 14. Until I come unto my lord, unto Seir. ] Which yet he never meant, say some: it was but an officious lie, saith Tostatus. Others think that he did go to Seir, though it he not recorded. It is like he purposed to go, but was otherwise warned by God; as the wise men were, Mat 2:12 or necessarily hindered, as St Paul was in many of his intended journeys.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
according as: etc. Heb. according to the foot of the work, etc.; and according to the foot of the children.
be able: Isa 40:11, Mar 4:33, Rom 15:1, 1Co 3:2, 1Co 9:19-22
unto Seir: Gen 32:3, Deu 2:1, Jdg 5:4, 2Ch 20:10, Eze 25:8, Eze 35:2, Eze 35:3
Reciprocal: Gen 24:11 – kneel Pro 12:10 – righteous Mat 9:16 – for 1Th 2:7 – we
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 33:14. Until I come unto my lord, to mount Seir As no mention is made of it, many writers think, that, for some reasons, Jacob never went to mount Seir to see Esau. Certainly it is very doubtful whether he ever did. It cannot be supposed however, that he would delay so long as the time mentioned in the twenty-fifth chapter before he went to see his father.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
33:14 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 {f} I come unto my lord unto Seir.
(f) He promised that which
(as it would seem) he did not plan to do.