Tag: Genesis 33

The Ones who Bowed

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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)

This is impossible to catch in the English, but in the Hebrew, there’s something that happens here that seems rather important.

In English:
the maidservants and their children bowed low
Leah and her children bowed low
Joseph and Rachel bowed low

It looks like everyone bowed low. But this is not the case.

With the maidservants, “they bowed” is a feminine plural (וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶיןָ). Grammatically, this CANNOT include males.

With Rachel and Leah, “they bowed” is a masculine plural (וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ) , which can include males and females.

Therefore, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher) did not bow in this text.

At least one commentator suggests that being children of a maidservant made them… lesser, and not worth bowing. Whatever the reason, the text seems very keen to point this out.

Esau’s Wandering Eye

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וַיִּשָּׂ֣א אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּ֤רְא אֶת־הַנָּשִׁים֙ וְאֶת־הַיְלָדִ֔ים וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אֵ֣לֶּה לָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּאמַ֕ר הַיְלָדִ֕ים אֲשֶׁר־חָנַ֥ן אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃
Looking about, he saw the women and the children. “Who,” he asked, “are these with you?” He answered, “The children with whom God has favored your servant.”
Genesis 33:5 (Revised JPS, 2023)

There are so many little hints regarding how Jacob feels about Esau regarding women. It appears that Jacob believes Esau is unsafe around them. First, the text hides Dinah back in the previous chapter. Here, Jacob evades Esau’s question about the women and only answers regarding the children.

It’s fascinating.

Joseph Protecting Rachel

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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.

Mystery of the Kiss

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וַיָּ֨רׇץ עֵשָׂ֤ו לִקְרָאתוֹ֙ וַֽיְחַבְּקֵ֔הוּ וַיִּפֹּ֥ל עַל־צַוָּארָ֖ו וַׄיִּׄשָּׁׄקֵ֑ׄהׄוּׄ וַיִּבְכּֽוּ׃
Esau ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept.
Genesis 33:4 (Revised JPS, 2023)

The Masoretic text of the Hebrew Scriptures include a very strange set of dots above the word “kissed” in Genesis 33:4. The dots are not part of the word, and nearly every rabbinical commentary calls this out. It’s like an underline or a highlight. They debate about the meaning.

One group believes that the dots tell us that the kiss is genuine. Like, “see this moment of a changed heart for an otherwise wicked man.”

But Rabbeinu Bahya points us to Amos 1:1 and suggests otherwise. This is not a whole-hearted kiss. There is betrayal on the lips. (Edom and Esau are the same person)

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Edom, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he pursued his brother with the sword,
And cast off all pity;
His anger tore perpetually,
And he kept his wrath forever.
Amos 1:11 (NKJV)

If Edom is linked to the wicked authority of Empire, they are never to be trusted. As in international relations, “Empire has no friends. Only interests.”

Others have more… esoteric views:

We therefore must interpret that originally Esau had intended to bite Yaakov’s neck feigning an embrace. G’d made his teeth as soft as wax and Yaakov’s neck as hard as ivory. ויבכו, one on account of his neck, the other on account of his teeth.
Radak on Genesis 33:4

Jacob and Authority

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וְה֖וּא עָבַ֣ר לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּשְׁתַּ֤חוּ אַ֙רְצָה֙ שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֔ים עַד־גִּשְׁתּ֖וֹ עַד־אָחִֽיו׃
He himself went on ahead and bowed low to the ground seven times until he was near his brother.
וַיָּ֨רׇץ עֵשָׂ֤ו לִקְרָאתוֹ֙ וַֽיְחַבְּקֵ֔הוּ וַיִּפֹּ֥ל עַל־צַוָּארָ֖ו וַׄיִּׄשָּׁׄקֵ֑ׄהׄוּׄ וַיִּבְכּֽוּ׃
Esau ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept.
Genesis 33:3-4 (Revised JPS, 2023)

There’s a hard teaching that comes out of Genesis 33 regarding wicked authority figures, and it helps to frame some of the Christian teachings on “obey the governing authority because they carry the sword.”

The context of these verses is that the governing authority is BAD. Esau is the older brother and more powerful. He is the authority figure, and he hates Jacob.

Yet Jacob bows to him. Seven times. And Esau embraces him.

This isn’t “boot licking.” This is humility to save human life.

The rabbinical commentary on the passage points to the wisdom of restraint, and outlines a consequence of rising up against the governing authorities.

If the Jewish people during the period of the second Temple had taken his advice to heart, the Temple would not have been destroyed. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai testified to this when he said “if not for the militant extremists the Romans would not have destroyed the Temple.”
Sfnorno on Genesis 33:4

The teaching is difficult. I hate it. But there is wisdom in it that should be considered.

Jacob in Front

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The rabbis point out that Jacob organized the women in children based on his person attachments: the maidservants and children first, Leah and kids next, and finally Rachel and Joseph.
While the “who should be allowed to die first at the hands of Esau” ordering of the women and children appears quite terrible, there’s something important that should not be missed in verse 3: Jacob places himself at the very front.

Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
Genesis 33:1-3 (NKJV)

Bowing to Esau

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

There’s a note in the teachings of Rabbeinu Bahya that say that Jacob bowing to the ground seven times is a nod to a teaching found in Proverbs.

for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)

Favoritism

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וַיִּשָּׂ֨א יַעֲקֹ֜ב עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּ֣ה עֵשָׂ֣ו בָּ֔א וְעִמּ֕וֹ אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת אִ֑ישׁ וַיַּ֣חַץ אֶת־הַיְלָדִ֗ים עַל־לֵאָה֙ וְעַל־רָחֵ֔ל וְעַ֖ל שְׁתֵּ֥י הַשְּׁפָחֽוֹת׃
Looking up, Jacob saw Esau coming, accompanied by four hundred men. He divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maids,
וַיָּ֧שֶׂם אֶת־הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת וְאֶת־יַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן רִֽאשֹׁנָ֑ה וְאֶת־לֵאָ֤ה וִֽילָדֶ֙יהָ֙ אַחֲרֹנִ֔ים וְאֶת־רָחֵ֥ל וְאֶת־יוֹסֵ֖ף אַחֲרֹנִֽים׃
putting the maids and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.
Genesis 33:1-2 (Revised JPS, 2023)

Genesis 33 starts with a looming confrontation between Jacob and Esau. In this meeting, Jacob divides his family based on Jacob’s relationship with the women, and not based on birth order: The maids, Leah, and then Rachel.

Also notable: Joseph is the only son that is mentioned.

This sets up the story of Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. But it should also cause the reader to wonder about the implications.

Back in Genesis 25, we read that Jacob’s father did not favor him. The text plainly states that Isaac loved Esau. The consequence of favoritism lead to very obvious family division.

Now Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Genesis 25:28 (NKJV)

Here, starting in Genesis 33, we have the beginnings of another story with favoritism as a theme.