וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו אֲדֹנִ֤י יֹדֵ֙עַ֙ כִּֽי־הַיְלָדִ֣ים רַכִּ֔ים וְהַצֹּ֥אן וְהַבָּקָ֖ר עָל֣וֹת עָלָ֑י וּדְפָקוּם֙ י֣וֹם אֶחָ֔ד וָמֵ֖תוּ כׇּל־הַצֹּֽאן׃
But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds, which are nursing, are a care to me; if they are driven hard a single day, all the flocks will die.יַעֲבׇר־נָ֥א אֲדֹנִ֖י לִפְנֵ֣י עַבְדּ֑וֹ וַאֲנִ֞י אֶֽתְנָהֲלָ֣ה לְאִטִּ֗י לְרֶ֨גֶל הַמְּלָאכָ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־לְפָנַי֙ וּלְרֶ֣גֶל הַיְלָדִ֔ים עַ֛ד אֲשֶׁר־אָבֹ֥א אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֖י שֵׂעִֽירָה׃
Let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I travel slowly, at the pace of the cattle before me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
Genesis 33:13-14 (Revised JPS, 2023)
When the text repeats itself, the writers want you to stop and contemplate the meaning. There’s something here about the children and the flock being delicate and precious and at risk of death… and it feels theologically important.
Jacob tells Esau that he’ll meet him in Seir. He never does. In fact, there is no record in scripture of Jacob’s lineage ever returning to Seir.
The rabbis point to Obadiah 1:21, where Seir is referred to as Mount Esau, and Obadiah’s vision states that the Exiles of the army of the Sons of Israel will one day overtake it.
Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
Obadiah 1:21 (NKJV)
Again, this should be understood theologically, where the character of Esau (cravings of the flesh; tilting towards the perishing) is problematic.