And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which [is] in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city.
18 20. Jacob at Shechem
18. in peace ] R.V. marg. to Shalem, a city of. The rendering in the margin is possible. It is supported by LXX and Vulg. There is a village, Salim, still to be found near Shechem. On the other hand, the context speaks of Jacob “before the city” of Shechem; and the fact of his arrival there “in peace” is not without significance in view of the events narrated in ch. 34.
Canaan Paddan-aram ] The transition in this verse is abrupt. Jacob is suddenly transferred from the east to the west side of the Jordan. The clause, “when he came from Paddan-aram,” seems to ignore the previous chapters, and is clearly taken from a different source, viz. P.
before the city ] “In front of it,” lit. “in the presence of the city” of Shechem. It is the preposition rendered “before” in Gen 19:13.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 33:18
And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem,. . . and pitched his tent before the city
Jacobs mistake
God had not said, Go to Shechem; but, I am the God of Bethel.
Bethel, rather than Shechem, was his appointed goal. But alas! we are all too ready to fall short of Gods schemes for our elevation and blessedness. And so Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem. But he did worse; he pitched his tent before the city–as Lot did, when he pitched his tent before Sodom. What took him there? Was it that Rachel persuaded him that a little society would be a pleasant relief to the monotony and seclusion of the camp life? Was it that his children urged him to it against his better mind? Was it some idea of obtaining eligible alliances for his children among the children of the land? Whatever may have been his reason, there stands the sad and solemn fact that Jacob pitched his tent before the city. Are not many Christians doing so still? They live on the edge of the world, just on the borderland; far enough away to justify a religious profession, yet near enough to run into it for sweets. They send their children to fashionable schools, that they may acquire the false veneer of the world, and past muster in its drawing rooms. They remove into the fashionable quarters of a town; and adopt a certain style; and throw themselves into the swim of all manner of worldly engagements–that they may get in with society. They choose their church, their pastimes, their friendships, on the sole principle of doing as others do; and of forming good alliances for their children. What is all this but pitching their tents towards Shechem? But what are we to do? say they; our children must have society; they cannot be recluses, or be for ever shut up in our homes. But why need we cater for them by rushing into the world? Are there not plenty of innocent pastimes, on which worldliness has never breathed its withering breath? Are there not enough elements in the bright social intercourse of the family circle; in the play of imagination and wholesome merriment; in games of skill; in the charms of books; in the recital of travel and adventure; in the witchery of wholesome songs and music; and even in the revelations of modern popular science–to beguile the hours of long winter evenings, without calling in the aid of worldly society, whose brightest hours leave a sense of vacuity and thirst, to say nothing of a positive sting? The most earnest religion does not debar us from manly sports: the swift movement of the skater over the frozen lake; the evening row; the exhilarating climb: or from the culture of the faculties of art; and music; and imagination; of science and poesy. Surely, in all these there is enough to brighten Christian homes, without grieving the Holy Spirit, or lowering their tone. But if parents and guardians will insist on something more exciting and stimulating than these, they must reckon on being called upon to pay the price. They may have the dice-box, the theatre, the dance, if they will; but they must learn, by sad experience, the bitter cost. He needs a long spoon who sups with the devil. The fact is, it is much easier to give these things than to arouse oneself to provide something better. The something better needs time and thought; and staying at home from religious meetings, to give it effect: but the ultimate benefit will more than repay the self-denial. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
Shechem
I. RELIGIOUS REVIVAL.
II. FAMILY TRIALS. (T. S. Dickson.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem] The word shalem, in the Samaritan shalom, should be translated here in peace, or in safety. After resting some time at Succoth, which was necessary for the safety of his flocks and the comfort of his family, he got safely to a city of Shechem, in health of body, without any loss of his cattle or servants, his wives and children being also in safety. Coverdale and Matthews translate this word as above, and with them agree the Chaldee and the Arabic: it is not likely to have been the name of a city, as it is nowhere else to be found. Shechem is called in Ac 7:16, Sychem, and in Joh 4:5, Sychar; in the Arabic it is called Nablous, and to the present day Neapolis. It was near to Samaria; and the place where the wretched remains of the sect of the Samaritans were lately found, from whom Dr. Huntington received a perfect copy of the Samaritan Pentateuch.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Shalem; most take it for the proper name of a place belonging to
Shechem, as it here follows, called Salim, Joh 3:23, and Sichem or Sychar, Joh 4:5. But others take it for an appellative noun, and render the place thus, he came safe or whole to the city of Shechem; to note either that he was then cured of the lameness which the angel gave him; or rather, to note the good providence of God that had brought him safe in his person, family, and estate through all his dangers, first from Laban, then from Esau, till he came to this place, where it seems he intended to make his abode for a good while, had not the following miscarriages obliged him to remove.
Before the city, i.e. near to it, but not in it, for the conveniency of his cattle.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. Shalemthat is, “peace”;and the meaning may be that Jacob came into Canaan, arriving safe andsound at the city Shechema tribute to Him who had promised such areturn (compare Ge 28:15). Butmost writers take Shalem as a proper namea city of Shechem, andthe site is marked by one of the little villages about two miles tothe northeast. A little farther in the valley below Shechem “hebought a parcel of a field,” thus being the first of thepatriarchs who became a proprietor of land in Canaan.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem,…. Not Salem, of which Melchizedek was king, much less Jerusalem, for it was forty miles from it w; more likely Salim near Aenon, where John was baptizing, Joh 3:23; though it perhaps is the same with Shechem; for the words may be read, he “came to Shalem, the city Shechem”, a city which Hamor had built, and called by the name of his son Shechem, the same with Sychar, Joh 4:5; this was on this side Jordan, and therefore Jacob must have passed over that river, though no mention is made of it; it is said to be about eight miles from Succoth x: though some think Shalem is not the name of a place, but an appellative, and to be rendered “safe [and] sound”, or “whole”; and so the Jewish y writers generally understand it of his coming in peace, health, and safety:
which [is] in the land of Canaan; it belonged to that tribe of the Canaanites called Hivites; for Hamor, the father of Shechem, from whom it had its name, was an Hivite, Ge 34:2, so that Jacob was now got into the land of Canaan, his own country, and where his kindred dwelt:
when he came from Padanaram; from Mesopotamia, from Haran there; Shechem was the first place in the land of Canaan he came to, when he came from thence, and whither he came in the greatest safety, he himself, wives, children, and servants, in good health, without any loss of any of his cattle and substance; and without any ill thing befalling: him all the way thither, being delivered from Laban and Esau, and from every danger, and from every enemy: and to signify this is this clause added, which may seem otherwise superfluous:
and pitched his tent before the city; the city of Shechem, not in it, but near it.
w Bunting’s Travels, p. 75. x Ib. p. 72. y Targum Jon. Jarchi, Aben Ezra & Ben Gersom in loc.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
From Succoth, Jacob crossed a ford of the Jordan, and “ came in safety to the city of Sichem in the land of Canaan.” is not a proper name meaning “to Shalem,” as it is rendered by Luther (and Eng. Vers., Tr.) after the lxx, Vulg., etc.; but an adjective, safe, peaceful, equivalent to , “in peace,” in Gen 28:21, to which there is an evident allusion. What Jacob had asked for in his vow at Bethel, before his departure from Canaan, was now fulfilled. He had returned in safety “to the land of Canaan;” Succoth, therefore, did not belong to the land of Canaan, but must have been on the eastern side of the Jordan. , lit., city of Shechem; so called from Shechem the son of the Hivite prince Hamor
(Note: Mamortha, which according to Plin. ( h. n. v. 14) was the earlier name of Neapolis (Nablus), appears to have been a corruption of Chamor.)
(Gen 33:19, Gen 34:2.), who founded it and called it by the name of his son, since it was not in existence in Abraham’s time (vid., Gen 12:6). Jacob pitched his tent before the town, and then bought the piece of ground upon which he encamped from the sons of Hamor for 100 Kesita. is not a piece of silver of the value of a lamb (according to the ancient versions), but a quantity of silver weighed out, of considerable, though not exactly determinable value: cf. Ges. thes. s. v. This purchase showed that Jacob, in reliance upon the promise of God, regarded Canaan as his own home and the home of his seed. This piece of field, which fell to the lot of the sons of Joseph, and where Joseph’s bones were buried (Jos 24:32), was, according to tradition, the plain which stretches out at the south-eastern opening of the valley of Shechem, where Jacob’s well is still pointed out (Joh 4:6), also Joseph’s grave, a Mahometan wely (grave) two or three hundred paces to the north (Rob. Pal. iii. 95ff.). Jacob also erected an altar, as Abraham had previously done after his entrance into Canaan (Gen 12:7), and called it El-Elohe-Israel, “ God (the mighty) is the God of Israel, ” to set forth in this name the spiritual acquisition of his previous life, and according to his vow (Gen 28:21) to give glory to the “God of Israel” (as he called Jehovah, with reference to the name given to him at Gen 32:29), for having proved Himself to be El, a mighty God, during his long absence, and that it might serve as a memorial for his descendants.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 18-20:
For some undisclosed reason, Jacob left his house in Succoth, crossed the Jordan into Canaan, and set up camp in a field near a city of Shechem. Shalem signifies peace and safety. This is how Jacob felt when he was delivered from Esau and when the inhabitants of the land offered no opposition to his presence. Jacob purchased a portion of the field where he had set up camp, and later dug a well there (Joh 4:6). The amount of money in today’s currency is uncertain.
At the site of his camp, Jacob erected an altar as his grandfather had done before him (Ge 12:7). He named the altar “El-Elohe-Israel,” meaning “God, the God of Israel.”
Jacob’s obedience was still incomplete. He had promised to return to Bethel. God had affirmed this vow. But he delayed in keeping this vow, though the opportunity was at hand to do so. His delay brought tragedy to his home and family. So it is in every age: incomplete obedience entails a high price.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(18) Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem.The Sam. Pent. has shalom,safe; but shalem is right, and means whole, sound. Onkelos, however, followed by most modern commentators, renders it in peace, but this too would not mean peaceably, but that his troubles were now at an end, and his lameness cured. Philippsohns rendering, however, is more exact, namely, wohlbehalten, in good condition. Rashi also, no mean authority, sees in it an allusion to the cure of Jacobs lameness. As Shechem was a man, his city would not be Shalem, but that called after his own name. In Gen. 12:6 it is called Sichern, where see Note. Sichern was probably the old name, but after the cruel fate brought upon it by Shechems misconduct the spelling was modified to suit the history.
In the land of Canaan.Jacob therefore had now crossed the river Jordan, and so far completed his homeward journey. Probably as soon as he had recovered from his lameness he visited his father, but as his possessions were large, and Esau was the chief at Hebron, there was no room at present for him to dwell there, nor in fact was this possible until Isaacs death. But as we find Deborah with them soon afterwards, it is plain that he had gone to visit Isaac, and, finding his mother dead, had brought away with him her beloved nurse.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. Came to Shalem, a city of Shechem So the Sept . , Vulg . , and Syr . But it is better to render Shalem adverbially, in peace . Jacob came in peace to a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan . It was doubtless at or near “the place of Sichem,” mentioned Gen 12:6, and the city had probably been built here since the time of Abraham’s first arrival. The city may have taken its name from the shoulder of land on which it was built, (Gen 12:6, note,) or from Shechem, the son of Hamor, or, possibly, from one of his ancestors of the same name.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jacob Moves Into the Land of Promise – Revenge for Dinah ( Gen 33:18 to Gen 34:31 )
Some years have passed and now Jacob feels the time has come to return to the land of the covenant. This particular record was made as a permanent record of the covenant between Hamor and Jacob which resulted in the establishment of a permanent altar to God and ownership of the land on which it was built. The episode that follows was seen as permanently connected with this arrangement. Alternately the central covenant may have been seen as the one between Hamor and Jacob in respect of Dinah (34:8-12). This may have been seen as necessary to establish Dinah’s innocence. The ancients would view the central theme of the passage as totally justified, and indeed required to purify the tribe. This was what Hamor and Shechem, as Canaanites, failed to realise to their cost.
Gen 33:18-20
‘And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and encamped by the city. And he bought the parcel of land where he had pitched his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. And he erected there an altar and called it El-elohe-Israel (God the God of Israel).’
“The city of Shechem”. This may mean the city Shechem lived in, the city remaining unnamed, but Shechem was well known as a city elsewhere and it is therefore probable that the man Shechem was named after the city in which he dwelt as its potential ruler.
The stress that Jacob came in peace is never made elsewhere. The writer is preparing for what follows and stressing that in it all Jacob was guiltless. He had no intentions of belligerence. (The translation could, however, alternatively be ‘to Salem, a city of Shechem’).
“When he came from Paddan-aram.” This is a general note referring to the fact that this is Jacob’s first contact with the Promised Land after leaving Paddan-aram. It does not necessarily signify immediacy.
Jacob sets up camp by the city. He is so moved by the fact that he is now back in the land of God’s covenant that he determines to set up a permanent shrine there. Thus he buys a piece of land so that he can build a permanent memorial. The fact that Hamor is willing to sell him land is a sign of the good relations between the two, although the purpose for which it was bought would influence the situation. This may well have brought Jacob into a position of indebtedness to Hamor for land did not usually pass in this way without feudal obligations.
“A hundred pieces of silver.” Strictly ‘money’ is not correct as payment was made in quantities of silver. The uncommon Hebrew word probably indicates a weight measure.
“He built there an altar to El-elohe-Israel.” From this time on Shechem is a sacred place to the family tribe and later to Israel. It was in the neighbourhood of Mount Gerizim (Jdg 9:7) in the hill country of Ephraim (Jos 20:7). It was the place where God first revealed Himself to Abraham when he initially entered the land, and where he built his first altar to Yahweh (Gen 12:6). That indeed may be why Jacob came there and why he was determined to establish a permanent altar to God. It was where Joshua would later renew the covenant and where the bones of Joseph would be buried (Joshua 24). By establishing this altar in the name of God the God of Israel Jacob is confirming his new name and applying it to the family tribe. From now on they will proudly call themselves ‘Israel’ (Gen 34:7)
In order to put the following story in context it is necessary to appreciate the strong feelings aroused by the sexual misuse of a prominent member of a tribe. Such an act was looked on as a raping of the tribe itself. Probably the people of Shechem, more used to sexual misbehaviour (the Canaanite religion was sexually debased) and to the behaviour of petty princes, did not appreciate the intense feeling that Shechem’s act would arouse in a family tribe such as Jacob’s. But to Dinah’s two blood brothers, Simeon and Levi, there could be only one reply, justice and vengeance. Blood was required. By his cavalier behaviour Shechem brought deep shame on them, indeed sacrilege had been committed, and only his death could wipe it out.
We have already seen how careful the patriarchs were in finding wives for their sons. We need not doubt that they were as careful about their daughters. Thus what happened to Dinah was a dreadful blow to the family. Had it been a member of the covenant community some lesser penalty might have been possible as long as she was not betrothed to another (Deu 22:25-29). But they saw marriage to a Canaanite prince as out of the question. The only other possible penalty was death.
From the point of view of the story of the covenant, however, this was a moment of crisis. Absorption into the community at Shechem would have signalled the end of the covenant. The covenant people would have been absorbed into a community whose religious practises were debased. Thus the determination of the brothers to have justice done, and sacrilege dealt with, preserved the covenant community.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 33:18. Came to Shalem, &c. Onkelos and the Arabic version render this, He came in peace and safety to the city Shalem, &c. Mr. Chais has it, sain et sauf; and this, perhaps, is the best translation; informing us, that after Jacob had left Padan-aram, he arrived in health and peace, and without accidents through his journey, at the city of Shalem, &c. The sacred writer does not inform us when he arrived there, or whither he went during the time his family stayed at Succoth; he mentions the present fact only to introduce what follows in the next chapter, which properly should have been connected with this.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
See the account of this place, called Sychem, Joh 4:5 ; Act 7:16 , where Hamor is also called Emmor.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 33:18 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.
Ver. 18. Came to Shalem. ] Or, Came safe and sound to Shechem, as the Chaldee interprets it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 33:18-20
18Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. 19He bought the piece of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. 20Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
Gen 33:18 “Shechem” The name can refer to
1. a person’s name, Gen 33:18-19; Gen 34:2; Num 26:31; Jos 17:2; Jos 24:32; Jdg 9:28
2. a topological region between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim. The same root (BDB 1014 I) means “shoulder” or “shoulder-blade.”
3. a city, Jos 20:7; Jos 21:21; Jos 24:1; Jdg 8:31
It is first mentioned in Gen 12:6 in connection with Abram and now with Jacob (cf. Gen 37:14).
There is no apparent connection between Gen 33:17 and Gen 33:18. How long Jacob stayed at Succoth is not recorded. They seem to be two separate events and times recorded with no clear connection. From building a house to buying land may imply temporary to permanent residence. The only problem is that Gen 33:18 seems to imply soon after Jacob arrived from Paddan-aram (area around Haran) he bought the land.
He was told to return to Bethel, but he stopped short and remained. Why is not stated in the text!
Gen 33:19 “And he bought the piece of land where he had pitched his tent” The act of buying a field implied residency or at least shows legal residency.
“Hamor” This name means “ass” (BDB 331 II). In the ancient world donkeys were considered sacred animals. We know this, not only from the Mari Tablets, but also from the fact that (1) the wealthy rode donkeys (cf. Jdg 5:10) and (2) Israel’s kings rode on a special donkey for their royal mount (i.e., 1Ki 1:33).
“for one hundred pieces of money” This is a rare Hebrew term, , qesitah (BDB 903). It is an unknown weight of metal (cf. Jos 24:32; Job 42:11), possibly (1) the price of a lamb (LXX) or (2) a weight (mina) of metal in the shape (or imprint) of a lamb.
Gen 33:20 “he erected there an altar” This designated a place, time, and manner of worshiping. It allowed prayer and sacrifice to be offered to YHWH (cf. Gen 8:20; Gen 12:7-8; Gen 13:18; Gen 22:9; Gen 26:25). This is a fulfillment of YHWH’s promise of Gen 28:15!
“El-Elohe-Israel” This CONSTRUCT is made up of
1. El, BDB 42, cf. Exo 34:6; see Special Topic at Gen 12:1
2. Elohe, BDB 43, cf. Deu 32:15; Deu 32:17; Psa 18:32
3. Israel, see Special Topic at Gen 32:28
The Septuagint translates it as “the God of Israel.” The Jewish Study Bible, using the JPSOA translation in its textual footnote, has “El, God of Israel” (p. 69).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
came to Shalem, a city of Shechem; read, came in peace to the city of Shechem; the Hebrew Shalem means peace.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jacob with the Shechemites
Gen 33:18-20; Gen 34:1-17
Jacob was tempted by the fat pastures of Shechem, without thought or care of the character of its people, and he lived to bitterly rue his choice. How many religious parents have made the same mistake! They first encamp near the world, pitching their tent doors in that direction; then they buy a parcel of land, and finally their children contract alliances that end in shame and disaster. He who came of a pilgrim race, and to whom the whole land had been given by promise, bought real estate right against Shechem, one of the worst cities in the country. Like Lot, Jacob bid high for wealth and worldly advancement, risked the highest for the lowest, and was saved as by fire. Poor Dinah! Yet she was more sinned against than sinning. Jacob had put her in jeopardy by his selfish policy; and Leah was not blameless, for she had let her go unwarned and unaccompanied into the middle of that furnace of trial.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Shalem: The word Shalem in the Samaritan Shalom, should probably be rendered “in peace,” or “in safety;” as it is translated by the Chaldee, Arabic, Coverdale, and Matthewes. Joh 3:23, Joh 4:5, Act 7:16
a city of Shechem: Or, rather, “the city Shechem,” which was situated in a narrow valley, abounding with springs, between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, having the former on the north, and the latter on the south; 10 miles from Shiloh, and 34 from Jerusalem. It became the capital of Samaria, after the ruin of the city of that name. Jos 24:1, Jdg 9:1, Joh 4:5, Sychar, Act 7:16, Sychem, Padan-aram, Gen 25:20, Gen 28:6, Gen 28:7, Gen 35:9, Gen 46:15
Reciprocal: Gen 12:6 – Sichem Gen 31:25 – General Gen 37:12 – in Shechem Jos 20:7 – Shechem 1Sa 9:4 – Shalim 1Ki 12:1 – Shechem 1Ch 6:67 – Shechem Jer 41:5 – Shechem Joh 4:20 – fathers
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jacob then crossed the Jordan River and moved his family into the land of Canaan. He chose Shechem ("peaceful") as his home. By purchasing land there he showed that he regarded Canaan as his permanent home and the home of his seed. The Israelites eventually buried Joseph at Shechem (Jos 24:32). Shechem was only about a mile from the Sychar of Jesus’ day (cf. Joh 4:5; Joh 4:12).
God had granted Jacob’s request by bringing him safely back into the Promised Land (cf. Gen 28:20-21). As he had vowed, Jacob worshipped the God of his father as his God. He called Yahweh "El-Elohe-Israel" meaning, "The mighty God is the God of Israel." Jacob used his own new name, Israel (Gen 32:29). He built an altar, Jacob’s first, to worship God as Abraham had done at Shechem when he had first entered Canaan (Gen 12:6-7). The altar would have served the double purpose of providing a table for Jacob’s sacrifice and serving as a memorial for Jacob’s descendants in the years to come.
What were Jacob’s motivation and relationship to God when he met Esau? This question rises often in the study of this chapter. The answer is not obvious. Some commentators have felt that Jacob completely backslid and returned to his former lifestyle of self-reliance and deceit. [Note: E.g., Thomas, pp. 309-16.] Most interpreters attribute good motives to Jacob. [Note: E.g., Keil and Delitzsch, 1:307-11; Aalders, pp. 148-53.] I believe the truth probably lies somewhere between these extremes. It seems to me that Jacob’s experience at Peniel had a life-changing impact on him. Jacob seems to be referring to it in Gen 33:10. Nevertheless his former lifestyle had become so ingrained-Jacob was over 90 years old at this time-that he easily slipped back into his former habits. I believe we have a clue to this in the use of his name "Jacob" in the text rather than "Israel." In short, Jacob seems to have had a genuine experience of coming to grips with himself and yielding his life to God at Peniel. Nevertheless from then on, his motives and attitudes vacillated. At times he trusted God as he should have, but at others, many others, he failed to trust God.
The divine Author’s main concern in this section was not Jacob’s motivation, however; He could have clarified that for us. Rather it seems to have been the faithfulness of God in sparing Jacob’s life and returning him to the Promised Land as He had promised (Gen 28:13-15). The Jacob narrative also contains evidence that God was faithful to bless others through Abraham’s descendants (Gen 12:3), including Laban (cf. Gen 30:27) and Esau (cf. Gen 33:11).
A major lesson of this chapter is that those who have received God’s grace may trust in God’s promise of protection when they seek reconciliation with others.