1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.
19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.
20 And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.
1 And Jacob H3290 lifted up H5375 his eyes, H5869 and looked, H7200 and, behold, Esau H6215 came, H935 and with him four H702 hundred H3967 men. H376 And he divided H2673 the children H3206 unto Leah, H3812 and unto Rachel, H7354 and unto the two H8147 handmaids. H8198
2 And he put H7760 the handmaids H8198 and their children H3206 foremost, H7223 and Leah H3812 and her children H3206 after, H314 and Rachel H7354 and Joseph H3130 hindermost. H314
3 And he passed over H5674 before them, H6440 and bowed himself H7812 to the ground H776 seven H7651 times, H6471 until he came near H5066 to his brother. H251
4 And Esau H6215 ran H7323 to meet him, H7125 and embraced H2263 him, and fell H5307 on his neck, H6677 and kissed him: H5401 and they wept. H1058
5 And he lifted up H5375 his eyes, H5869 and saw H7200 the women H802 and the children; H3206 and said, H559 Who are those H428 with thee? And he said, H559 The children H3206 which God H430 hath graciously given H2603 thy servant. H5650
6 Then the handmaidens H8198 came near, H5066 they and their children, H3206 and they bowed themselves. H7812
7 And Leah H3812 also with her children H3206 came near, H5066 and bowed themselves: H7812 and after H310 came H5066 Joseph H3130 near H5066 and Rachel, H7354 and they bowed H7812 themselves.
8 And he said, H559 What meanest thou by all this drove H4264 which I met? H6298 And he said, H559 These are to find H4672 grace H2580 in the sight H5869 of my lord. H113
9 And Esau H6215 said, H559 I have H3426 enough, H7227 my brother; H251 keep that thou hast unto thyself.
10 And Jacob H3290 said, H559 Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found H4672 grace H2580 in thy sight, H5869 then receive H3947 my present H4503 at my hand: H3027 for therefore I have seen H7200 thy face, H6440 as though I had seen H7200 the face H6440 of God, H430 and thou wast pleased with me. H7521
11 Take, H3947 I pray thee, my blessing H1293 that is brought H935 to thee; because God H430 hath dealt graciously with me, H2603 and because H3605 I have H3426 enough. H3605 And he urged H6484 him, and he took H3947 it.
12 And he said, H559 Let us take our journey, H5265 and let us go, H3212 and I will go H3212 before thee.
13 And he said H559 unto him, My lord H113 knoweth H3045 that the children H3206 are tender, H7390 and the flocks H6629 and herds H1241 with young H5763 are with me: and if men should overdrive H1849 them one H259 day, H3117 all the flock H6629 will die. H4191
14 Let my lord, H113 I pray thee, pass over H5674 before H6440 his servant: H5650 and I will lead on H5095 softly, H328 according as H7272 the cattle H4399 that goeth before me H6440 and the children H3206 be able to endure, H7272 until I come H935 unto my lord H113 unto Seir. H8165
15 And Esau H6215 said, H559 Let me now leave H3322 with thee some of the folk H5971 that are with me. And he said, H559 What H4100 needeth it? let me find H4672 grace H2580 in the sight H5869 of my lord. H113
16 So Esau H6215 returned H7725 that day H3117 on his way H1870 unto Seir. H8165
17 And Jacob H3290 journeyed H5265 to Succoth, H5523 and built H1129 him an house, H1004 and made H6213 booths H5521 for his cattle: H4735 therefore the name H8034 of the place H4725 is called H7121 Succoth. H5523
18 And Jacob H3290 came H935 to Shalem, H8004 a city H5892 of Shechem, H7927 which is in the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 when he came H935 from Padanaram; H6307 and pitched his tent H2583 before H6440 the city. H5892
19 And he bought H7069 a parcel H2513 of a field, H7704 where he had spread H5186 his tent, H168 at the hand H3027 of the children H1121 of Hamor, H2544 Shechem's H7927 father, H1 for an hundred H3967 pieces of money. H7192
20 And he erected H5324 there an altar, H4196 and called it H7121 Elelohe-Israel. H415
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant.
6 Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, To find favor in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine.
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young: and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find favor in the sight of my lord.
16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city.
19 And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money.
20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-israel.
1 And Jacob lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, Esau is coming, and with him four hundred men; and he divideth the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two maid-servants;
2 and he setteth the maid-servants and their children first, and Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.
3 And he himself passed over before them, and boweth himself to the earth seven times, until his drawing nigh unto his brother,
4 and Esau runneth to meet him, and embraceth him, and falleth on his neck, and kisseth him, and they weep;
5 and he lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the women and the children, and saith, `What `are' these to thee?' And he saith, `The children with whom God hath favoured thy servant.'
6 And the maid-servants draw nigh, they and their children, and bow themselves;
7 and Leah also draweth nigh, and her children, and they bow themselves; and afterwards Joseph hath drawn nigh with Rachel, and they bow themselves.
8 And he saith, `What to thee `is' all this camp which I have met?' and he saith, `To find grace in the eyes of my lord.'
9 And Esau saith, `I have abundance, my brother, let it be to thyself that which thou hast.'
10 And Jacob saith, `Nay, I pray thee, if, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, then thou hast received my present from my hand, because that I have seen thy face, as the seeing of the face of God, and thou art pleased with me;
11 receive, I pray thee, my blessing, which is brought to thee, because God hath favoured me, and because I have all `things';' and he presseth on him, and he receiveth,
12 and saith, `Let us journey and go on, and I go on before thee.'
13 And he saith unto him, `My lord knoweth that the children `are' tender, and the suckling flock and the herd `are' with me; when they have beaten them one day, then hath all the flock died.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant, and I -- I lead on gently, according to the foot of the work which `is' before me, and to the foot of the children, until that I come unto my lord, to Seir.'
15 And Esau saith, `Let me, I pray thee, place with thee some of the people who `are' with me;' and he said, `Why `is' this? I find grace in the eyes of my lord.'
16 And turn back on that day doth Esau on his way to Seir;
17 and Jacob hath journeyed to Succoth, and buildeth to himself a house, and for his cattle hath made booths, therefore hath he called the name of the place Succoth.
18 And Jacob cometh in to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which `is' in the land of Canaan, in his coming from Padan-Aram, and encampeth before the city,
19 and he buyeth the portion of the field where he hath stretched out his tent, from the hand of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitah;
20 and he setteth up there an altar, and proclaimeth at it God -- the God of Israel.
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he distributed the children to Leah, and to Rachel, and to the two maidservants:
2 and he put the maidservants and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindmost.
3 And he passed on before them, and bowed to the earth seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, The children that God has graciously given thy servant.
6 And the maidservants drew near, they and their children, and they bowed.
7 And Leah also, with her children, drew near, and they bowed. And lastly Joseph drew near, and Rachel, and they bowed.
8 And he said, What [meanest] thou by all the drove which I met? And he said, To find favour in the eyes of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let what thou hast be thine.
10 And Jacob said, No, I pray thee; if now I have found favour in thine eyes, then receive my gift from my hand; for therefore have I seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou hast received me with pleasure.
11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing which has been brought to thee; because God has been gracious to me, and because I have everything. And he urged him, and he took [it].
12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and go on, and I will go before thee.
13 And he said to him, My lord knows that the children are tender, and the suckling sheep and kine are with me; and if they should overdrive them only one day, all the flock would die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass on before his servant, and I will drive on at my ease according to the pace of the cattle that is before me, and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord, to Seir.
15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee [some] of the people that are with me. And he said, What need? Let me find favour in the eyes of my lord.
16 And Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house, and for his cattle he made booths. Therefore the name of the place was called Succoth.
18 And Jacob came safely [to the] city Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-Aram; and he encamped before the city.
19 And he bought the portion of the field where he had spread his tent, of the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred kesitahs.
20 And there he set up an altar, and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
1 Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and to the two handmaids.
2 He put the handmaids and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
3 He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.
5 He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, "Who are these with you?" He said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."
6 Then the handmaids came near with their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company which I met?" Jacob said, "To find favor in the sight of my lord."
9 Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours."
10 Jacob said, "Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
11 Please take the gift that I brought to you; because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." He urged him, and he took it.
12 Esau said, "Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you."
13 Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.
14 Please let my lord pass over before his servant: and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir."
15 Esau said, "Let me now leave with you some of the folk who are with me." He said, "Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord."
16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
17 Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.{succoth means shelters or booths.}
18 Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city.
19 He bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for one hundred pieces of money.
20 He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.{El Elohe Israel means "God, the God of Israel" or "The God of Israel is mighty."}
1 Then Jacob, lifting up his eyes, saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. So he made a division of the children between Leah and Rachel and the two women-servants.
2 He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph at the back.
3 And he himself, going before them, went down on his face to the earth seven times till he came near his brother.
4 Then Esau came running up to him, and folding him in his arms, gave him a kiss: and the two of them were overcome with weeping.
5 Then Esau, lifting up his eyes, saw the women and the children, and said, Who are these with you? And he said, The children whom God in his mercy has given to your servant.
6 Then the servants and their children came near, and went down on their faces.
7 And Leah came near with her children, and then Joseph and Rachel, and they did the same.
8 And he said, What were all those herds which I saw on the way? And Jacob said, They were an offering so that I might have grace in my lord's eyes.
9 But Esau said, I have enough; keep what is yours, my brother, for yourself.
10 And Jacob said, Not so; but if I have grace in your eyes, take them as a sign of my love, for I have seen your face as one may see the face of God, and you have been pleased with me.
11 Take my offering then, with my blessing; for God has been very good to me and I have enough: so at his strong request, he took it.
12 And he said, Let us go on our journey together, and I will go in front.
13 But Jacob said, My lord may see that the children are only small, and there are young ones in my flocks and herds: one day's over-driving will be the destruction of all the flock.
14 Do you, my lord, go on before your servant; I will come on slowly, at the rate at which the cattle and the children are able to go, till I come to my lord at Seir.
15 And Esau said, Then keep some of my men with you. And he said, What need is there for that, if my lord is pleased with me?
16 So Esau, turning back that day, went on his way to Seir.
17 And Jacob went on to Succoth, where he made a house for himself and put up tents for his cattle: for this reason the place was named Succoth.
18 So Jacob came safely from Paddan-aram to the town of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and put up his tents near the town.
19 And for a hundred bits of money he got from the children of Hamor, the builder of Shechem, the field in which he had put up his tents.
20 And there he put up an altar, naming it El, the God of Israel.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 33
Commentary on Genesis 33 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Meeting with Esau. - As Jacob went forward, he saw Esau coming to meet him with his 400 mean. He then arranged his wives and children in such a manner, that the maids with their children went first, Leah with hers in the middle, and Rachel with Joseph behind, thus forming a long procession. But he himself went in front, and met Esau with sevenfold obeisance. ארצה ישׁתּחוּ does not denote complete prostration, like ארצה אפּים in Genesis 19:1, but a deep Oriental bow, in which the head approaches the ground, but does not touch it. By this manifestation of deep reverence, Jacob hoped to win his brother's heart. He humbled himself before him as the elder, with the feeling that he had formerly sinned against him. Esau, on the other hand, “had a comparatively better, but not so tender a conscience.” At the sight of Jacob he was carried away by the natural feelings of brotherly affection, and running up to him, embraced him, fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they both wept. The puncta extraordinaria above ישּׁקהוּ are probably intended to mark the word as suspicious. They “are like a note of interrogation, questioning the genuineness of this kiss; but without any reason” ( Del .). Even if there was still some malice in Esau's heart, it was overcome by the humility with which his brother met him, so that he allowed free course to the generous emotions of his heart; all the more, because the “roving life” which suited his nature had procured him such wealth and power, that he was quite equal to his brother in earthly possessions.
When his eyes fell upon the women and children, he inquired respecting them, “ Whom hast thou here? ” And Jacob replied, “ The children with whom Elohim hath favoured me .” Upon this, the mothers and their children approached in order, making reverential obeisance. חנן with double acc. “graciously to present.” Elohim: “ to avoid reminding Esau of the blessing of Jehovah , which had occasioned his absence” ( Del .).
And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
Esau then inquired about the camp that had met him, i.e., the presents of cattle that were sent to meet him, and refused to accept them, until Jacob's urgent persuasion eventually induced him to do so.
“ For therefore, ” sc., to be able to offer thee this present, “ have I come to see thy face, as man seeth the face of God, and thou hast received me favourably .” The thought is this: In thy countenance I have been met with divine (heavenly) friendliness (cf. 1 Samuel 29:9; 2 Samuel 14:17). Jacob might say this without cringing, since he “must have discerned the work of God in the unexpected change in his brother's disposition towards him, and in his brother's friendliness a reflection of this divine.”
Blessing: i.e., the present, expressive of his desire to bless, as in 1 Samuel 25:27; 1 Samuel 30:26. הבאת : for הבאה , as in Deuteronomy 31:29; Isaiah 7:14, etc.; sometimes also in verbs ה ל , Leviticus 25:21; Leviticus 26:34. כל ישׁ־לי : “ I have all ” (not all kinds of things); viz as the heir of the divine promise.
Lastly, Esau proposed to accompany Jacob on his journey. But Jacob politely declined not only his own company, but also the escort, which Esau afterwards offered him, of a portion of his attendants; the latter as being unnecessary, the former as likely to be injurious to his flocks. This did not spring from any feeling of distrust; and the ground assigned was no mere pretext. He needed no military guard, “for he knew that he was defended by the hosts of God;” and the reason given was a very good one: “ My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds that are milking ( עלות from עוּל , giving milk or suckling) are upon me ” ( עלי ): i.e., because they are giving milk they are an object of especial anxiety to me; “ and if one should overdrive them a single day, all the sheep would die .” A caravan, with delicate children and cattle that required care, could not possibly keep pace with Esau and his horsemen, without taking harm. And Jacob could not expect his brother to accommodate himself to the rate at which he was travelling. For this reason he wished Esau to go on first; and he would drive gently behind, “ according to the foot of the cattle ( מלאכה possessions = cattle), and according to the foot of the children, ” i.e., “according to the pace at which the cattle and the children could go” ( Luther ). “ Till I come to my lord to Seir: ” these words are not to be understood as meaning that he intended to go direct to Seir; consequently they were not a wilful deception for the purpose of getting rid of Esau. Jacob's destination was Canaan, and in Canaan probably Hebron, where his father Isaac still lived. From thence he may have thought of paying a visit to Esau in Seir. Whether he carried out this intention or not, we cannot tell; for we have not a record of all that Jacob did, but only of the principal events of his life. We afterwards find them both meeting together as friends at their father's funeral (Genesis 35:29). Again, the attitude of inferiority which Jacob assumed in his conversation with Esau, addressing him as lord, and speaking of himself as servant, was simply an act of courtesy suited to the circumstances, in which he paid to Esau the respect due to the head of a powerful band; since he could not conscientiously have maintained the attitude of a brother, when inwardly and spiritually, in spite of Esau's friendly meeting, they were so completely separated the one from the other.
Esau set off the same day for Mount Seir, whilst Jacob proceeded to Succoth, where he built himself a house and made succoth for his flocks, i.e., probably not huts of branches and shrubs, but hurdles or folds made of twigs woven together. According to Joshua 13:27, Succoth was in the valley of the Jordan, and was allotted to the tribe of Gad, as part of the district of the Jordan, “on the other side Jordan eastward;” and this is confirmed by Judges 8:4-5, and by Jerome ( quaest. ad h. l. ): Sochoth usque hodie civitas trans Jordanem in parte Scythopoleos . Consequently it cannot be identified with the Sגcut on the western side of the Jordan, to the south of Beisan, above the Wady el Mגlih . - How long Jacob remained in Succoth cannot be determined; but we may conclude that he stayed there some years from the circumstance, that by erecting a house and huts he prepared for a lengthened stay. The motives which induced him to remain there are also unknown to us. But when Knobel adduces the fact, that Jacob came to Canaan for the purpose of visiting Isaac (Genesis 31:18), as a reason why it is improbable that he continued long at Succoth, he forgets that Jacob could visit his father from Succoth just as well as from Shechem, and that, with the number of people and cattle that he had about him, it was impossible that he should join and subordinate himself to Isaac's household, after having attained through his past life and the promises of God a position of patriarchal independence.
From Succoth, Jacob crossed a ford of the Jordan, and “ came in safety to the city of Sichem in the land of Canaan .” שׁלם is not a proper name meaning “to Shalem,” as it is rendered by Luther (and Eng. Vers., Tr .) after the lxx, Vulg., etc.; but an adjective, safe, peaceful, equivalent to בּשׁלום , “in peace,” in Genesis 28:21, to which there is an evident allusion. What Jacob had asked for in his vow at Bethel, before his departure from Canaan, was now fulfilled. He had returned in safety “to the land of Canaan;” Succoth, therefore, did not belong to the land of Canaan, but must have been on the eastern side of the Jordan. שׁכם עיר , lit., city of Shechem; so called from Shechem the son of the Hivite prince Hamor
(Note: Mamortha , which according to Plin . ( h. n. v. 14) was the earlier name of Neapolis (Nablus), appears to have been a corruption of Chamor.)
(Genesis 33:19, Genesis 34:2.), who founded it and called it by the name of his son, since it was not in existence in Abraham's time (vid., Genesis 12:6). Jacob pitched his tent before the town, and then bought the piece of ground upon which he encamped from the sons of Hamor for 100 Kesita . קשׂיטה is not a piece of silver of the value of a lamb (according to the ancient versions), but a quantity of silver weighed out, of considerable, though not exactly determinable value: cf. Ges. thes. s. v . This purchase showed that Jacob, in reliance upon the promise of God, regarded Canaan as his own home and the home of his seed. This piece of field, which fell to the lot of the sons of Joseph, and where Joseph's bones were buried (Joshua 24:32), was, according to tradition, the plain which stretches out at the south-eastern opening of the valley of Shechem, where Jacob's well is still pointed out (John 4:6), also Joseph's grave, a Mahometan wely (grave) two or three hundred paces to the north (Rob. Pal. iii. 95ff.). Jacob also erected an altar, as Abraham had previously done after his entrance into Canaan (Genesis 12:7), and called it El-Elohe-Israel , “ God (the mighty) is the God of Israel, ” to set forth in this name the spiritual acquisition of his previous life, and according to his vow (Genesis 28:21) to give glory to the “God of Israel” (as he called Jehovah , with reference to the name given to him at Genesis 32:29), for having proved Himself to be El, a mighty God, during his long absence, and that it might serve as a memorial for his descendants.