Genesis 33:3
New International Version
He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

New Living Translation
Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him.

English Standard Version
He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

Berean Standard Bible
But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

King James Bible
And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

New King James Version
Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

New American Standard Bible
But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

NASB 1995
But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

NASB 1977
But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

Legacy Standard Bible
But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

Amplified Bible
Then Jacob crossed over [the stream] ahead of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times [bowing and moving forward each time], until he approached his brother.

Christian Standard Bible
He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother.

American Standard Version
And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he passed before them and he bowed on the Earth seven times until he approached his brother.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But he advanced himself before them, and did reverence to the ground seven times, until he drew near to his brother.

Contemporary English Version
Jacob himself walked in front of them all, bowing to the ground seven times as he came near his brother.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he went forward and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times until his brother came near.

English Revised Version
And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He went on ahead of them and bowed seven times with his face touching the ground as he came near his brother.

Good News Translation
Jacob went ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

International Standard Version
Then he went out to meet Esau, passing in front of all of them, and bowed low to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

Literal Standard Version
And he himself passed over before them, and bows himself to the earth seven times, until his drawing near to his brother,

Majority Standard Bible
But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

New American Bible
He himself went on ahead of them, bowing to the ground seven times, until he reached his brother.

NET Bible
But Jacob himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

New Revised Standard Version
He himself went on ahead of them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.

New Heart English Bible
He himself went on ahead of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he approached his brother.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he passed on before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, till he came near to his brother.

World English Bible
He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

Young's Literal Translation
And he himself passed over before them, and boweth himself to the earth seven times, until his drawing nigh unto his brother,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jacob Meets Esau
2He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. 3But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.…

Cross References
Genesis 33:2
He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.

Genesis 42:6
Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

Genesis 43:26
When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.


Treasury of Scripture

And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

passed.

John 10:4,11,12,15
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice…

bowed.

Genesis 18:2
And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Genesis 42:6
And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

Genesis 43:26
And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

seven times.

1 Samuel 2:5
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

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Genesis 33
1. Jacob and Esau's meeting; and Esau's departure.
17. Jacob comes to Succoth.
18. At Shechem he buys a field, and builds an altar, called El Elohe Israel.














XXXIII.

(3) He passed over before them.--While providing some small chance of escape for his wives and children, arranged according to their rank, Jacob manfully went first and placed himself entirely in Esau's power. He endeavoured, nevertheless, by his sevenfold obeisance in acknowledgment of Esau's superiority, to propitiate him; for the cause of the quarrel had been Jacob's usurpation of Esau's right of precedence as the first born. This bowing in the East is made by bending the body forward with the arms crossed, and the right hand held over the heart.

Verses 3, 4. - And he (the introduction of the pronoun giving emphasis to the statement) passed over before them (i.e. passed on in front of them, thus chivalrously putting himself in the place of danger), and bowed himself to the ground - not completely prostrating the body, as Abraham did in Genesis 19:1, but bending forward till the upper part of it became parallel with the ground, a mode of expressing deep reverence and respect, which may be seen to life in Oriental countries at the present day (Roberts, 'Oriental Illustrations,' p. 41) - seven times (not in immediate succession, but bowing and advancing), until he came near to his brother. The conduct of Jacob was dictated neither by artful hypocrisy nor by unmanly timidity; but by true politeness and a sincere desire to conciliate. And as such it was accepted by Esau, who ran to meet him, and, his better feelings kindling at the sight of his long-absent brother, embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him - as Joseph afterwards did to Benjamin (Genesis 45:14, 15), though the puncta extraordinaria of the Masorites over the word "kissed" seem to indicate either that in their judgment Esau was incapable of such fraternal affection (Delitzsch, Kalisch), or that the word was suspicious, Origen appearing not to have found it in his codices (Rosenmüller, Keil), unless indeed the conjecture be correct that the word was marked to draw attention to the power of God's grace in changing Esau's heart (Ainsworth). And they wept - the LXX. adding both. "All this is beautiful, natural, Oriental" ('Land and Book,' p. 372).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But [Jacob]
וְה֖וּא (wə·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

himself went on
עָבַ֣ר (‘ā·ḇar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

ahead
לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם (lip̄·nê·hem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

and bowed
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֤חוּ (way·yiš·ta·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

to the ground
אַ֙רְצָה֙ (’ar·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

seven
שֶׁ֣בַע (še·ḇa‘)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

times
פְּעָמִ֔ים (pə·‘ā·mîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 6471: A beat, foot, anvil, occurrence

as
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

he approached
גִּשְׁתּ֖וֹ (giš·tōw)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5066: To draw near, approach

his brother.
אָחִֽיו׃ (’ā·ḥîw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )


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OT Law: Genesis 33:3 He himself passed over in front (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 33:2
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