2
He putוַיָּשֶׂםthe slave womenאֶת הַשְּׁפָחוֹתand their childrenוְאֶת יַלְדֵיהֶןfirst,רִאשֹׁנָהLeahוְאֶת לֵאָהand her childrenוִילָדֶיהָafter them,אַחֲרֹנִיםand Rachelוְאֶת רָחֵלand Josephוְאֶת יוֹסֵףlast.אַחֲרֹנִים
Genesis 33:2
Study it in the app“He put the slave women and their children first, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph last.”
Jacob bows before Esau, and Esau runs to embrace himConflict and Reconciliation
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 33:2, word by word
- He putיָּשֶׂםyasem
put
To put something somewhere.
Where else “yasem” appears- the slave womenשְּׁפָחוֹתshefachot
female slave, servant
Female slave, maidservant in the service of the lady of the house.
Where else “shefachot” appears- and their childrenיַלְדֵיyalde
son
A son or daughter of someone; his direct offspring.
Where else “yalde” appears- firstרִאשֹׁנָהrishona
first
What comes ahead in order or in time; the first.
Where else “rishona” appears- Leahלֵאָהlea
Leah
Leah, elder daughter of Laban and Jacob's first wife; mother of six of his sons and of Dinah.
Where else “lea” appears- after themאַחֲרֹנִיםacharonim
last
What comes at the end or goes behind something else.
Where else “acharonim” appears- and Rachelרָחֵלrachel
Rachel
Rachel, younger daughter of Laban, Jacob's beloved wife; mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Her name means "ewe".
Where else “rachel” appears- and Josephיוֹסֵףyosef
Joseph
Joseph, a name borne by several Israelites, above all the son of Jacob and Rachel, sold into Egypt, who became ruler there and saved his family; his sons Ephraim and Manasseh became tribes. The name means "may he add".
Where else “yosef” appears
The context
1Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and look, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two slave women.
2 · This verse (above)
3He himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
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?