18
Jacobיַעֲקֹבcameוַיָּבֹאsafelyשָׁלֵםto the cityעִירof Shechem,שְׁכֶםwhichאֲשֶׁרis in the landבְּאֶרֶץof Canaan,כְּנַעַןwhen he cameבְּבֹאוֹfrom Paddan-aram,מִפַּדַּן אֲרָםand he campedוַיִּחַןin front ofאֶת פְּנֵיthe city.הָעִיר
Genesis 33:18
Study it in the app“Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and he camped in front of the city.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 33:18, word by word
- Jacobיַעֲקֹבyaakov
Jacob
Jacob, the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau and father of the twelve tribes. In Hebrew "Yaakov" sounds like "heel" and "supplant" (Genesis 25:26; 27:36). God later gave him the name Israel; the name also stands for his descendants, the people of Israel.
Where else “yaakov” appears- cameיָּבֹאyavo
come
To come, arrive: "days are coming".
Where else “yavo” appears- safelyשָׁלֵםshalem
safe
In good order, without harm or danger.
Where else “shalem” appears- to the cityעִירir
city
A settled place protected by a wall, with a gate and houses.
Where else “ir” appears- of Shechemשְׁכֶםshechem
Shechem
See it on the mapWhere else “shechem” appears- is in the landאֶרֶץerets
land
A region or nation, above all Israel's.
Where else “erets” appears- of Canaanכְּנַעַןkenaan
Canaan
See it on the mapWhere else “kenaan” appears- from Paddan-aramפַּדַּןpadan
Paddan-aram
Paddan-aram, the plain of Aram in northern Mesopotamia, where Rebekah's family lived.
Where else “padan” appears- and he campedיִּחַןyichan
encamp
To pitch tents and stay, or besiege a city.
Where else “yichan” appears- in front ofפְּנֵיpene
before
Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.
Where else “pene” appears
Places in this verse
1Shechem
Today: Tell Balata ruins, near Nablus, West Bank
A city in the hills of central Israel, between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Jerusalem.
Abram came there when he entered Canaan, and God promised him the land (Gen 12:6-7). Joshua gathered all Israel there to renew the covenant (Josh 24:1).
2Canaan
Today: Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, western Syria
The land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, today Israel, Palestine and parts of Lebanon.
God promised this land to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17:8). Israel entered it after forty years in the wilderness (Josh 5:12).
The context
17But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 · This verse (above)
19He bought the piece of the field where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred qesitah.
To study Genesis 33 in a group
1. What it says
How did Esau receive Jacob when they met (v. 4)?
2. What it means
What does this meeting show compared with what Jacob had feared (vv. 4, 10)?
3. How I live it
With whom could you take a step toward reconciliation today?