🌱WEB · Genesis 32:17
What does Genesis 32:17 mean?
"He commanded the foremost, saying, “When Esau, my brother, meets you, and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these before you?’"
— Genesis 32:17 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.
He delivered them into the hands of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a space between herd and herd.”
He commanded the foremost, saying, “When Esau, my brother, meets you, and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these before you?’
Then you shall say, ‘They are your servant, Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord, Esau. Behold, he also is behind us.’”
He commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the herds, saying, “This is how you shall speak to Esau, when you find him.
You shall say, ‘Not only that, but behold, your servant, Jacob, is behind us.’” For, he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”
A full explanation for this verse is coming soon. In the meantime, you can ask our AI about Genesis 32:17 directly — it will give you a detailed answer grounded in the actual text.
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.