Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 33:8

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.

8. all this company ] Lit. “all this camp.” Esau refers to the droves sent on ahead as a present by Jacob (Gen 32:13-22). The word “camp” ( mahaneh) is an additional reference to Mahanaim.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

He knew his meaning before from the servants mouths; but he asks, that he might both be more certainly informed of the truth, and have an occasion for a civil refusal of the gift.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And he said, what [meanest] thou by all this drove which I met?…. Not as being ignorant of the design of it; for no doubt the several drovers, according to their instructions from Jacob, had acquainted him with it; but he chose not to take the present on what they said, but was willing to have it from Jacob’s own mouth, and that he might have the opportunity of refusing it:

and he said, [these are] to find grace in the sight of my lord; to gain his favour and good will; and which, as it was a token of Jacob’s good will to him, so, by his acceptance of it, he would know that he bore the same to him also. It was usual in the eastern countries to carry presents to friends, and especially to great men, whenever visits were paid, as all travellers in general testify to be still the usage in those parts, to this day.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

Esau then inquired about the camp that had met him, i.e., the presents of cattle that were sent to meet him, and refused to accept them, until Jacob’s urgent persuasion eventually induced him to do so.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

8. What meanest thou by all this drove ? He does not inquire as if he were altogether ignorant; seeing he had heard from the servants, that oxen and camels and asses and other cattle were sent him as a present; but for the purpose of refusing the gift offered to him: for when anything does not please us, we are wont to make inquiry as concerning a thing unknown to us. Jacob, however; is urgent; nor does he cease to ask, till he induces his brother to receive the gift: for this was as a pledge of reconciliation. Besides, for the purpose of persuading his brother, he declares, that it would be taken as a great kindness not to refuse what was given. For we do not willingly receive anything but what we certainly know to be offered to us freely and with a ready mind. And because it is not possible that we should willingly honor any but those we love, Jacob says that he rejoiced in the sigh of his brother as if he had seen God or an angel: by which words he means, not only that he truly loved his brother, but also that he held him in esteem. But it may seem, that he does wrong to God, in comparing Him with a reprobate man; and that he speaks falsely, because had the choice been given him, he would have desired nothing more earnestly than to avoid this meeting with his brother. Both these knots are easily untied. It is an accustomed form of speaking among the Hebrews, to call whatever is excellent, divine. And certainly Esau being thus changed, was no obscure figure of the favor of God: so that Jacob might properly say, that he had been exhilarated by that friendly and fraternal reception, as if he had seen God or an angel; that is, as if God had given some sign of his presence. And, indeed, he does not speak feignedly, nor pretend something different from what he has in his mind. For, being himself perfectly free from all hatred, it was his chief wish, to discharge whatever duty he could towards his brother; provided that Esau, in return, would show himself a brother to him.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(8) What meanest thou by all this drove . . .? Heb., What is all this camp of thine that I met? From the time of Jacobs coming to Mahanaim, the word mahaneh, camp, is used in a very remarkable way. It is the word translated bands in Gen. 32:7, and company in Gen. 32:8; Gen. 32:21. It is the proper word for an encampment of pastoral people with their flocks, and might be used not unnaturally of the five droves; for they would remind Esau of the cattle driven in at evening to the place where they were to pass the night.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

‘And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” And he said, “To find favour in the sight of my lord.” ’

Esau here refers to the droves which had been sent in front (Gen 32:13-21), some of which at least he had come across. Jacob makes no pretence. They were as gifts to an important person in order to ensure favourable treatment. Note the use of ‘my lord.’ The watchful subservience is still there. Outwardly all is well but Jacob is well aware that what is on the surface is not necessarily the reality. He judges the straightforward Esau by his own standards.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Jacob presses his gifts upon Esau

v. 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. Jacob’s answer to Esau’s question as to the meaning of the train of small caravans which he had met is not an act of fawning servility, of cringing humility, but rather an expression by which he hoped to be restored fully to the favor of his brother, somewhat strongly accented, perhaps, after the Oriental manner.

v. 9. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. The kindness and courtesy of Esau are now apparent throughout: he addresses Jacob with the tender “my brother,” he gently urges him to keep his unusually large gift, he states that he is provided with all that he needs.

v. 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. Although colored by Oriental courtesy, the words of Jacob were altogether sincere. He had found favor in the sight of Esau, in the friendly face of his brother he saw again the evidence of God’s friendly watching over his life’s path, all of which filled him with an intense joy.

v. 11. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. God’s favor and goodness had blessed Jacob so richly that he had all he needed and to spare. And he urged him, and he took it. Thus the new bond of friendliness and brotherliness was strengthened.

v. 12. And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. Here Esau offered to accompany Jacob’s caravan in the role of protector. This offer was a proof of the genuineness of his reconciliation; he was anxious to have the relation between himself and Jacob restored to the intimacy of their youth and early manhood.

v. 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.

v. 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, which he hoped to visit some day. The objections of Jacob to his brother’s plan were well founded and backed up by his experience in handling cattle for many years. His intention to travel only as fast as the feet of the cattle were able to progress was based upon the fact that a single day’s overdriving, with the attendant total exhaustion, would result in an entire loss.

v. 15. And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee, set at thy disposal, some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord. So Jacob courteously, but firmly, refused even a small company of protecting Bedouins. There was no need of it, and therefore Jacob did not want to bother Esau nor put himself under heavy obligations to him. Jacob knew, for one thing, that the host of the Lord’s angels was with him. But he also did not want to become too intimate with the people of Esau, who undoubtedly did not all share their leader’s sentiments. Christians will try to live peaceably with all men, but they will always avoid an intimate union with such as are distinct from them in spiritual matters.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

It is one thing to have enough of this world’s goods, and it is another to have the Lord himself for our portion. Gen 27:39 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Gen 33:8 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.

Ver. 9. I have enough, my brother. ] Here is no mention of God: God is not in all the wicked man’s thoughts: he contents himself with a natural use of the creature, as brute beasts do. The godly taketh all as from God, and findeth no such sweetness, as in tasting how good the Lord is, in the creature. Tam Dei meminisse, opus est, quam respirare, saith one. But profane Esaus will neither have God in their heads, Psa 10:4 nor hearts, Psa 14:1 nor ways, Tit 1:16 nor words. Psa 12:4 They stand in a posture of distance, nay, of defiance to God.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

What meanest thou by all this drove: Heb. What is all this band to thee, Gen 32:13-20

to find: Gen 32:5, Gen 39:5, Est 2:17

Reciprocal: Gen 21:29 – General Gen 32:4 – my lord Gen 32:16 – space Gen 39:4 – Joseph Rth 2:13 – Let me find 1Sa 1:18 – Let thine 2Sa 16:2 – What meanest