And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
6. four hundred men ] Where Esau was, and how he had become the head of a force of four hundred men, is not related, but may have formed part of another narrative. His intentions, if not hostile, are suspicious (cf. Gen 33:4).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 6. Esau – cometh – and four hundred men with him.] Jacob, conscious that he had injured his brother, was now apprehensive that he was coming with hostile intentions, and that he had every evil to fear from his displeasure. Conscience is a terrible accuser. It was a fine saying of a heathen, —
_____Hic murus aheneus esto,
Nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa.
HOR. Ep., l. i., E. i., v. 60.
Be this thy brazen bulwark of defence,
Still to preserve thy conscious innocence,
Nor e’er turn pale with guilt. FRANCIS.
In other words, He that has a good conscience has a brazen wall for his defence; for a guilty conscience needs no accuser; sooner or later it will tell the truth, and not only make the man turn pale who has it, but also cause him to tremble even while his guilt is known only to himself and God.
It does not appear that Esau in this meeting had any hostile intention, but was really coming with a part of his servants or tribe to do his brother honour. If he had had any contrary intention, God had removed it; and the angelic host which Jacob met with before might have inspired him with sufficient confidence in God’s protection. But we find that when he needed faith most, he appears to have derived but little benefit from its influence, partly from the sense he had of the injury he had done to his brother, and partly from not attending sufficiently to the assurance which God had given him of his gracious protection.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Esau gave them but an imperfect and a doubtful answer, as appears from Jacobs fear, Gen 32:7. He brought
four hundred men with him; either as his usual guard, he being then a great man in those parts; or in ostentation of his power and greatness, in spite of all the injury which his father or brother did him; or because at first he designed mischief to Jacob, as may seem by his dismissing of his messengers without any testimony of his favour, though afterwards, upon Jacobs prayer, God changed his mind.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. The messengers returned toJacobTheir report left Jacob in painful uncertainty as to whatwas his brother’s views and feelings. Esau’s studied reserve gave himreason to dread the worst. Jacob was naturally timid; but hisconscience told him that there was much ground for apprehension, andhis distress was all the more aggravated that he had to provide forthe safety of a large and helpless family.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the messengers returned to Jacob,…. After they had delivered their message, with the answer they brought back:
saying, we came to thy brother Esau; which, though not expressed, is implied in these words, and is still more manifest by what follows:
and also he cometh to meet thee; and pay a friendly visit, as they supposed:
and four hundred men with him; partly to show his grandeur, and partly out of respect to Jacob, and to do honour to him; though some think this was done with an ill design upon him, and which indeed seems probable; and it is certain Jacob so understood it, as is evident by the distress it gave him, and by the methods he took for his safety, and by the gracious appearance of God unto him, and the strength he gave him on this occasion, not only to pray to and wrestle with him, but to prevail both with God and men, as the following account shows. The Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call these four hundred men leaders or generals of armies, which is not probable; they were most likely Esau’s subjects, his tenants and servants.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verses 6-8:
Jacob’s messengers returned with news which struck great fear to his heart. Esau was coming to meet him, accompanied by 400 soldiers. Such a large armed band showed that he had become a powerful chieftain. It was in fulfillment of Isaac’s prophetic blessing that he would live by the sword (Ge 27:40). He had begun the military conquest of the Horites, which explains his presence in Mount Seir while his main base was yet in Canaan. The unusually large force accompanying Esau was prepared either to welcome Jacob, or to fight against him, as the occasion demanded.
Once more Jacob sought to scheme his way out of a dilemma. He divided his company into two groups, hoping that if one were attacked the other might escape. His first reaction was not to call upon Jehovah for protection, but to solve the problem in his own way. This is a common reaction for God’s people today. How much better it is that we put first things first: call out for deliverance from God first, then do what we can.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
6. And the messengers returned. Esau advances to meet his brother with a feeling of benevolence: but Jacob, reflecting on his cruel ferocity, inflated spirits, and savage threats, expects no humanity from him. And the Lord willed that the mind of his servant should be oppressed by this anxiety for a time, although without any real cause, in order the more to excite the fervor of his prayer. For we know what coldness, on this point, security engenders. Therefore, lest our faith, being stirred up by no stimulants, should become torpid, God often suffers us to fear things which are not terrible in themselves. For although he anticipates our wishes, and opposes our evils, he yet conceals his remedies until he has exercised our faith. Meanwhile it is to be noted, that the sons of God are never endued with a constancy so steadfast, that the infirmity of the flesh does not betray itself in them. For they who fancy that faith is exempt from all fear, have had no experience of the true nature of faith. For God does not promise that he will be present with us for the purpose of removing the sense of our dangers, but in order that fear may not prevail, and overwhelm us in despair. Moreover our faith is never so firm at every point, as to repel wicked doubts and sinful fears, in the way that might be wished.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
‘And the messengers returned to Jacob saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and moreover he comes to meet you and four hundred men with him.” ’
The fact that the messengers were allowed to return without a threatening reply should have assured him that Esau’s intentions were not evil. And indeed had they been so Esau and his men would have arrived first. The only purpose then in allowing the messengers to return first would have been to tell Jacob what would happen to him. Esau necessarily comes accompanied by his men. He wants his brother to know that he is powerful and respected. But there is nothing like a guilty conscience for distorting the facts. What is natural behaviour takes on an ominous significance for Jacob.
“Four hundred men.” A round number meaning a goodly company. The ‘four’ may indicate that Esau’s men are seen as being outside the covenant community. (Compare on the four kings in Genesis 14).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Observe, no sooner is Jacob delivered from distress, by reason of Laban, but he falls into a similar, or greater trouble, from the fear of Esau. Reader! the world is full of Labans and Esaus, in the experience of the faithful followers of the Lamb. Jer 30:7 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 32:6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
Ver. 6. And four hundred men with him. ] Four hundred cut-throats, as appears, Gen 32:8 . And here, good Jacob is brought again into the briars. When he was well rid of his father-in-law, he thought all safe; and his joy was completed by the sight of that army of angels. Presently upon this, he is so damped and terrified with this sad message of Esau’s approach and hostile intentions, that he knows not what course to take to. Out of heaven he is thrust suddenly, as it were, into hell, saith Pareus. a This is the godly man’s case while here. Fluctus fluclum trudit: one trouble follows in the neck of another. b Ripen we apace, and so get to heaven, if we would be out of the gunshot, The ark was transportative, till settled in Solomon’s Temple; so, till we come to heaven, shall we be tossed up and down and turmoiled: “within” will be “fears, without fightings,” 2Co 7:5 while we are in hoc exilio, in hoc ergastulo, in hac peregrinatione, in hac valle lachrymarum , as Bernard hath it; in this exile, in this purgatory, in this pilgrimage, in this vale of tears.
a Ex coelo repente quasi in infernum detruditur.
b P
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 32:6-8
6The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; 8for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”
Gen 32:6 “four hundred men are with him” Esau did not answer Jacob’s message and he had 400 men with him. This really scared Jacob (cf. Gen 32:7).
Gen 32:7 Note Jacob’s mental response to the news.
1. “greatly afraid”
a. afraid, BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT, cf. Gen 3:10; Gen 18:15; Gen 43:18
b. greatly, ADVERB, BDB 547
2. “distressed,” BDB 864 I, KB 1058, Qal IMPERFECT, which basically means “to be cramped,” cf. Job 20:22; Isa 49:19, but it is used metaphorically for a “cramped spirit” (i.e., depressed), cf. Jdg 2:15; Jdg 10:9; 2Sa 13:2
Gen 32:7-8 Jacob plans for the worst possible situation. Again in the context of Gen 32:1, this seems to denote a lack of faith. He does pray in Gen 32:9-12, but in a sense he is still trying to control his own destiny.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
and four: Gen 32:8, Gen 32:11, Gen 27:40, Gen 27:41, Gen 33:1, Amo 5:19
Reciprocal: Gen 25:23 – two manner Gen 32:12 – thou Num 20:20 – Thou shalt Pro 16:7 – he Pro 18:19 – brother
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 32:6-7. He cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him He is now weary of waiting for the days of mourning for his father, and before they come resolves to slay thee. Then was Jacob greatly afraid and distressed He was conscious how deeply he had offended his brother, and remembered the enmity which his brother cherished against him, and hence was not without an apprehension that he might now execute the threatened revenge. We see here how a consciousness of sin tends to weaken faith, and to produce fear and dread. For, notwithstanding the repeated experience Jacob had had of the divine protection; though he had just seen himself surrounded with a host of guardian angels; though he had undertaken his journey in obedience to Gods express command, and had Gods renewed promise to assure him of a safe return, (Gen 28:15; Gen 31:13,) yet a consciousness of having injured his brother, and of his brothers having it in his power, should God permit him, to avenge himself, damps his faith, and fills him with the most painful and distressing apprehensions. A lively sense of danger, however, may very well consist with a degree of confidence in Gods power and goodness.