Bible Strands
Genesis 32:6
When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The messengers sent by Jacob return to him after visiting Esau, delivering a report about his brother’s approach.
The words — הַמַּלְאָכִים (ha.mal'achim) = the messengers; בָּאנוּ (ba'nu) = we went.
The thread — The specific detail of Esau arriving with four hundred men reappears in Genesis 33:1, while the underlying conflict with his brother traces back to the declaration in Genesis 27:40.
Why it lands — The text states the messengers’ factual report, which directly triggers Jacob’s recorded fear and tactical camp division in the surrounding verses.
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
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.
Cross-references
- Genesis 33:1 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.
- Genesis 27:40 You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”
- Genesis 32:8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”
- Genesis 32:11 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me.
- Amos 5:19 It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.