20
He set upוַיַּצֶּבthereשָׁםan altarמִזְבֵּחַand calledוַיִּקְרָאitלוֹ“El,אֵלthe Elohimאֱלֹהֵיof Israel.”יִשְׂרָאֵל
Genesis 33:20
Study it in the app“He set up there an altar and called it “El, the Elohim of Israel.””
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 33:20, word by word
- He set upיַּצֶּבyatsev
set up
To set something up so that it stays firm, like a pillar or a wall of water.
Where else “yatsev” appears- an altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbeach
altar
Altar: a structure of stone or earth on which sacrifices are offered to God.
Where else “mizbeach” appears- and calledיִּקְרָאyikra
call
To raise the voice to someone so that he comes, or to invite him.
Where else “yikra” appears- “Elאֵלel
El, God, god
"El", an ancient Hebrew word for "God". Alone or with another title it is a name of the God of Israel: El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty). Neighboring peoples used the same word for their gods; then this translation writes "god" in lower case. It also means "mighty".
Where else “el” appears- the Elohimאֱלֹהֵיelohe
Elohim
The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.
Where else “elohe” appears- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyisrael
Israel
Israel, the new name Jacob received from God, explained as "you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:28); then the name of the people that came from him and, after the division, of the northern kingdom.
Where else “yisrael” appears
Translation note
In Hebrew the name of the altar is El Elohe Israel.
The context
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.
20 · This verse (above)
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?