And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
5. find grace ] Cf. Gen 18:3, Gen 33:8; Gen 33:15, Gen 34:11, Gen 47:25. Jacob hopes to be reconciled and desires to propitiate his brother. He has not forgotten his brother’s threats (Gen 27:41).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Yet in my exile God hath blessed me with a competency of worldly goods, and therefore I am not likely to be either a burden to thee, or a disgrace to our family.
And I have sent to tell my lord, to acquaint him with my coming, and with the state of my affairs, that I may obtain pardon for my former errors, and thy favour and friendship for the future.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants,…. This he would have said, lest he should think he was come to ask anything of him, and put himself and his family upon him; and lest he should treat him with contempt, as a poor mean beggarly creature, and be ashamed of the relation he stood in to him:
and I have sent to tell my lord; of his coming, and of his state and circumstances:
that I may find grace in thy sight; share in his good will, which was all he wanted, and that friendship, harmony, and brotherly love, might subsist between them, which he was very desirous of.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5. I have oxen. Jacob does not proclaim his riches for the sake of boasting, but that by this method Esau might be inclined to humanity. For it would have been exceedingly disgraceful, cruelly to drive away one who had been enriched, by the favor of God, in a distant land. Besides, he cuts off occasion of future emulation: for if he had come empty and famishing, Esau might conceive fresh indignation against him, through fear of the expense which might be entailed on himself. Therefore Jacob declares, that he does not come for the purpose of consuming his father’s substance, nor of being made rich by his brother’s ruin: as if he had said, “Let thy earthly inheritance be secure; thy claim shall not be injured by me; only suffer me to live.” By this example we are taught in what way we are to cultivate peace with the wicked. The Lord does not indeed forbid us to defend our own right, so far as our adversaries allow; but we must rather recede from that right, than originate contention by our own fault.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Gen 32:5. I have oxen, &c. Jacob mentions this to give the more weight to his address, and to shew Esau, that he did not come to be a burden to him, nor to dispute with him the possession of his father’s inheritance, though he had a right to it.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Probably he makes mention of his worldly substance, by way of showing his brother that he needed nothing from him but his love and good-will.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 32:5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
Ver. 5. And I have oxen, and asses, &c. ] This Jacob mentioneth in his message, that Esau might not think that he sought to him for any need; but only for his favour. And this was something, to a man of Esau’s make; for such like not to hear of, or be haunted with, their poor kindred. Luk 15:30 “This thy son,” saith he, that felt no want: he saith not, This my brother: he would not own him, because in poverty. a
a ” A . Et cum fortuna statque caditque fides.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
have oxen: Gen 30:43, Gen 31:1, Gen 31:16, Gen 33:11, Job 6:22
may find: Gen 33:8, Gen 33:15, Gen 47:25, Rth 2:2, 1Sa 1:18, 2Sa 16:4
Reciprocal: Gen 12:16 – he had Gen 18:3 – favour Gen 23:6 – my lord Gen 32:4 – my lord Gen 32:10 – two bands Gen 32:18 – General Gen 39:4 – Joseph Dan 4:19 – My Lord
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 32:5. I have sent to tell my lord This message of Jacob shows great prudence in him; for had he returned into Canaan without informing his brother, and making him acquainted with the substance he had brought with him from Haran, Esau, who lived at a distance from his father Isaac, probably would have thought, when he came to take possession of Isaacs property on his death, that Jacob had obtained all his substance from his father, to Esaus prejudice, which might have created an irreconcilable misunderstanding between them.