וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת הֵ֥נָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃
Then the maids, with their children, came forward and bowed low;
וַתִּגַּ֧שׁ גַּם־לֵאָ֛ה וִילָדֶ֖יהָ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֑וּ וְאַחַ֗ר נִגַּ֥שׁ יוֹסֵ֛ף וְרָחֵ֖ל וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ׃
next Leah, with her children, came forward and bowed low; and last, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed low.
Genesis 33:6-7 (Revised JPS, 2023)
The order of things is always a clue about the meaning of the text. Something is hidden here: it’s the maidservants and THEN their children; it’s Leah and THEN her children. But it’s Joseph, the child FIRST, and then his mother Rachel.
The rabbis suggest that this continues to tell us that Esau is wicked, and even Joseph is aware of it and seeks to protect his mother from Esau’s hungry gaze.