Genesis 32:18-20

Context
32:18 then you must say,¹ ‘They belong² to your servant Jacob.³ They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau.⁴ In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’”⁵

32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.⁶ 32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’”⁷ Jacob thought,⁸ “I will first appease him⁹ by sending a gift ahead of me.¹⁰ After that I will meet him.¹¹ Perhaps he will accept me.”¹²

[32:18] ¹tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.

[32:18] ²tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:18] ³tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”

[32:18] ⁴tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”

[32:18] ⁵tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:19] ⁶tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”

[32:20] ¹¹tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20] ¹²tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20] ¹³tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20] ¹⁴tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20] ¹⁵tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20] ¹⁶tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.