Genesis 32:17

Genesis 32:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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?
• English Standard Version (ESV)He instructed the first, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?'
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’
• New Living Translation (NLT)He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’

Context of Genesis 32:17

15thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.” He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’ ” 19He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.

Genesis 32:17 word by word

וַיְצַ֥ו אֶת־הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן לֵאמֹ֑ר כִּ֣י יִֽפְגָּשְׁךָ֞ עֵשָׂ֣ו אָחִ֗י וִשְׁאֵֽלְךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְמִי־אַ֙תָּה֙ וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֔ךְ וּלְמִ֖י אֵ֥לֶּה לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• the foremostרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · firstH7223
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• When Esauעֵשָׂו‛êώâv · EsauH6215
• my brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• meeteth theeפָּגַשׁpâgash · to meetH6298
• and asketh theeשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
• thou? and whither goestיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• these beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440

Cross-references for Genesis 32:17

• Genesis 33:3He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

Commentaries on Genesis 32:17

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-32Verses 1-32 - Jacob Wrestles in Prayer 3. מחנים machănāyı̂m Machanaim, “two camps.” 22. יבק yaboq Jabboq; related: בקק bāqaq “gush or gurgle out” or אבק 'ābaq in niphal, “wrestle.” Now Wady Zurka. 29. ישׂראל yı̂śrā'ēl Jisrael, “prince of God.” 31. פניאל penı̂y'ēl = פנוּאל penû'ēl Peniel, Penuel, “face of God.” After twenty years spent in Aram, Jacob now returns to Kenann. As his departure was marked by a great moment in his spiritual life, so he…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-23Verses 9-23 Times of fear should be times of prayer: whatever causes fear, should drive us to our knees, to our God. Jacob had lately seen his guards of angels, but in this distress he applied to God, not to them; he knew they were his fellow-servants, Re 22:9. There cannot be a better pattern for true prayer than this. Here is a thankful acknowledgement of former undeserved favours; a humble confession of unworthiness; a plain statement of his fears and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-21Taking a large portion of the wealth God had blessed him with (some 550 animals), Jacob prepared a gift to appease Esau’s anger and gain his favor.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-2313-23. took ... a present for Esau--Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted of five hundred fifty head of cattle, of different kinds, such…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 32:17

• Prayer
• Prudence

In the dictionaries

• Esau
• Ask
• Cast
• Deal
• Mercy
• Present
• Succoth
• Touch
• Worthy
• Archaeology; Archaeology and Criticism

Commentaries on Genesis 32

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings