Bible Strands
Genesis 32:18
then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jacob instructs the servants leading the first group of livestock to deliver a prepared statement when they encounter Esau. The directive occurs during Jacob’s nighttime preparations to face his brother after decades of estrangement.
The words — מִנְחָה (minChah) literally means "gift" or "tribute," and שׁלוּחָה (shluChah) denotes "sent" or "dispatched." The text uses these terms to describe the livestock as a formally dispatched offering rather than a casual present.
The thread — The instruction to send a gift to Esau runs through Genesis 32:17–20 and echoes the earlier written message in Genesis 32:4. The motif of Jacob sending wealth ahead of himself appears repeatedly in Genesis 32:13–21.
Why it lands — The text states that Jacob’s servants are to claim ownership, identify the sender, and announce his delayed arrival. It asks the reader to observe how carefully constructed speech functions as a practical mechanism for navigating impending conflict.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
Cross-references
- Genesis 32:4 He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now.