Genesis 33:8
New International Version
Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?” “To find favor in your eyes, my lord,” he said.

New Living Translation
“And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked. Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”

English Standard Version
Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

Berean Standard Bible
“What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Then Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” And he said, “These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.”

New American Standard Bible
And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

NASB 1995
And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

NASB 1977
And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, “What do you mean by all these camps which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

Amplified Bible
Esau asked, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he answered, “[These are] to find favor in the sight of my lord.”

Christian Standard Bible
So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession I met? ” “To find favor with you, my lord,” he answered.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession I met?"” To find favor with you, my lord,” he answered.”

American Standard Version
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Esau said, “From where do you have all this camp that met me?”, and Yaquuv said to him, “Because I have found favor in the eyes of my Lord.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he said, What are these things to thee, all these companies that I have met? And he said, That thy servant might find grace in thy sight, my lord.

Contemporary English Version
Esau asked Jacob, "Why did you send those herds I met along the road?" "Master," Jacob answered, "I sent them so you would be friendly to me."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Esau said: What are the droves that I met? He answered: That I might find favor before my lord.

English Revised Version
And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, To find grace in the sight of my lord.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then Esau asked, "Why did you send this whole group [of people and animals] I met?" He answered, "To win your favor, sir."

Good News Translation
Esau asked, "What about that other group I met? What did that mean?" Jacob answered, "It was to gain your favor."

International Standard Version
Then Esau asked, "What are all these livestock for?" "To solicit favor from you, sir," Jacob answered.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And he said: 'What meanest thou by all this camp which I met?' And he said: 'To find favour in the sight of my lord.'

Literal Standard Version
And he says, “What to you [is] all this camp which I have met?” And he says, “To find grace in the eyes of my lord.”

Majority Standard Bible
“What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.

New American Bible
Then Esau asked, “What did you intend with all those herds that I encountered?” Jacob answered, “It was to gain my lord’s favor.”

NET Bible
Esau then asked, "What did you intend by sending all these herds to meet me?" Jacob replied, "To find favor in your sight, my lord."

New Revised Standard Version
Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor with my lord.”

New Heart English Bible
Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company which I met?" Jacob said, "To find favor in the sight of my lord."

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

Young's Literal Translation
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.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jacob Meets Esau
7Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down. 8“What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered. 9“I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.”…

Cross References
Genesis 32:5
I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.'"

Genesis 32:13
Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau:

Genesis 33:7
Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.


Treasury of Scripture

And he said, What mean you by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

Genesis 32:13-20
And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; …

to find.

Genesis 32:5
And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

Genesis 39:5
And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

Esther 2:17
And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

Jump to Previous
Camp Company Drove Droves Esau Eyes Favor Favour Find Grace Herds Jacob Lord's Mean Meanest Met Offering Sight Way
Jump to Next
Camp Company Drove Droves Esau Eyes Favor Favour Find Grace Herds Jacob Lord's Mean Meanest Met Offering Sight Way
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.














(8) What meanest thou by all this drove . . .? Heb., What is all this camp of thine that I met? From the time of Jacob's coming to Mahanaim, the word mahaneh, "camp," is used in a very remarkable way. It is the word translated bands in Genesis 32:7, and company in Genesis 32:8; Genesis 32:21. It is the proper word for an encampment of pastoral people with their flocks, and might be used not unnaturally of the five droves; for they would remind Esau of the cattle driven in at evening to the place where they were to pass the night.

Verse 8. - And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove - literally, What to thee all this camp (Mahaneh) - which I met? - i.e. yesterday, referring to the droves which had been sent on by Jacob as a present to my lord Esau (Genesis 32:16). And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord (vide Genesis 32:5).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“What
מִ֥י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

do you mean by sending this
הַזֶּ֖ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

whole
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

company
הַמַּחֲנֶ֥ה (ham·ma·ḥă·neh)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 4264: An encampment, an army

to meet me?”
פָּגָ֑שְׁתִּי (pā·ḡā·šə·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6298: To come in contact with, to concur

asked Esau.
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“To find
לִמְצֹא־ (lim·ṣō-)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

favor
חֵ֖ן (ḥên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2580: Graciousness, subjective, objective

in your sight,
בְּעֵינֵ֥י (bə·‘ê·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

my lord,”
אֲדֹנִֽי׃ (’ă·ḏō·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

[Jacob] answered.
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say


Links
Genesis 33:8 NIV
Genesis 33:8 NLT
Genesis 33:8 ESV
Genesis 33:8 NASB
Genesis 33:8 KJV

Genesis 33:8 BibleApps.com
Genesis 33:8 Biblia Paralela
Genesis 33:8 Chinese Bible
Genesis 33:8 French Bible
Genesis 33:8 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Genesis 33:8 Esau said What do you mean (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 33:7
Top of Page
Top of Page