Genesis 33:16
New International Version
So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.

New Living Translation
So Esau turned around and started back to Seir that same day.

English Standard Version
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

Berean Standard Bible
So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir,

King James Bible
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

New King James Version
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

New American Standard Bible
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

NASB 1995
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

NASB 1977
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

Amplified Bible
So Esau turned back [toward the south] that day on his way to Seir.

Christian Standard Bible
That day Esau started on his way back to Seir,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
That day Esau started on his way back to Seir,

American Standard Version
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

Contemporary English Version
So Esau left for Edom.

English Revised Version
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
That day Esau started back to Seir.

Good News Translation
So that day Esau started on his way back to Edom.

International Standard Version
So Esau set out that very day back on his way to Seir,

Majority Standard Bible
So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir,

NET Bible
So that same day Esau made his way back to Seir.

New Heart English Bible
So Esau returned that day on the road to Seir.

Webster's Bible Translation
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

World English Bible
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Esau turns back on that day on his way to Seir;

Young's Literal Translation
And turn back on that day doth Esau on his way to Seir;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Esau will turn back in that day on his way to Seir.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
So Esau returned, that day, the way that he came, to Seir.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And so Esau returned that day, by the way that he had arrived, to Seir.

New American Bible
So on that day Esau went on his way back to Seir,

New Revised Standard Version
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Esau returned that day on the road to Sair.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Esau returned on that day on his journey to Seir.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jacob Meets Esau
15“Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said. But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir, 17but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.…

Cross References
Genesis 32:3-5
Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. / He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now. / 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 31:55
Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.

Genesis 35:1
Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

Genesis 28:15
Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Genesis 27:41-45
Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” / When the words of her older son Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you. / So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. ...

Genesis 25:23
and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

Genesis 32:6-7
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.” / In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.

Genesis 32:13-21
Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau: / 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, / 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ...

Genesis 34:1-2
Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. / When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.

Genesis 36:6-8
Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob. / For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together; the land where they stayed could not support them because of their livestock. / So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.

Exodus 18:27
Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own land.

Numbers 20:14-21
From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to tell the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardship that has befallen us, / how our fathers went down to Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, / and when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. ...

Deuteronomy 2:4-5
and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful. / Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.

Obadiah 1:10-12
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever. / On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. / But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress.

Malachi 1:2-3
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, / but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”


Treasury of Scripture

So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

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Esau Seir Se'ir Started Turn Turning Way
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Esau Seir Se'ir Started Turn Turning 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.














So that day
The phrase "so that day" indicates a specific moment in time, emphasizing the immediacy and decisiveness of Esau's actions. In the Hebrew text, the word for "day" is "yom," which can signify not only a literal day but also a period marked by a significant event. This moment is pivotal in the narrative of Jacob and Esau, marking a turning point in their relationship. The reconciliation between the brothers is immediate, suggesting a divine orchestration of events that leads to peace and resolution. This immediacy can inspire believers to seek and embrace reconciliation without delay, trusting in God's timing.

Esau
Esau, whose name in Hebrew is "Esav," is a central figure in this narrative. Historically, Esau is the elder twin brother of Jacob, and his name is often associated with the Edomites, a people who would become significant in the biblical narrative. Esau's character is complex; he is portrayed as both a man of the field and a man capable of forgiveness. His decision to reconcile with Jacob and return to Seir reflects a transformation from the earlier animosity. This transformation can serve as a powerful example of forgiveness and the breaking of generational cycles of conflict.

started on his way
The phrase "started on his way" suggests a journey or a return to a previous state. In Hebrew, the verb used here can imply a deliberate action or a setting out with purpose. Esau's journey back to Seir is not just a physical movement but also a symbolic return to his own life and responsibilities. This action can be seen as a metaphor for moving forward after reconciliation, leaving behind past grievances and embracing a new path. It encourages believers to take active steps towards healing and restoration in their own lives.

back to Seir
Seir, in the Hebrew "Se'ir," is a mountainous region that would later be associated with the Edomites, descendants of Esau. This geographical location is significant as it represents Esau's inheritance and domain. Returning to Seir signifies Esau's acceptance of his role and place in God's plan, separate from Jacob's destiny. Historically, Seir is a land of rugged terrain, symbolizing the challenges and resilience required to inhabit it. For believers, Seir can represent the unique calling and territory God has assigned to each individual, encouraging them to embrace their God-given identity and purpose.

Verses 16, 17. - So (literally, and, complying with his brother's request) Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir - from which he had come to meet Jacob (vide Genesis 32:3). And Jacob journeyed to Succoth. Succoth, so called here by anticipation, and afterwards belonging to the tribe of Gad, was situated in the valley of the Jordan, on the east side of the river, and to the south of the Jabbok (Joshua 13:27; Judges 8:4, 5), and consequently is not to be identified with Sakut, on the western side of the Jordan, ten miles north of the Jabbok, and opposite the Wady Yabis (Robinson, vol. 3. p. 175; Thomson, 'Land and Book,' p. 456); but is to be sought for at the ford opposite the Wady-el-Fariah, "down which the little stream from Shechem drains into the Jordan" (Tristram, 'Land of Israel,' p. 144; Porter in Kitto's 'Cyclop.,' art. Succoth; cf. Keil and Kalisch in loco). And built him an house. This was an indication that Jacob purposed some considerable stay at Succoth; and, indeed, if a period of repose was not now demanded by the state of Jacob s health after his long servitude with Laban, his exhausting conflict with the angel, and his exciting interview with Esau (Lange), an interval of some years appears to be imperatively required by the exigencies of the ensuing narrative concerning Dinah, who could not at this time have been much over six years of age (Murphy, Afford, Gosman, et alii). And made booths for his cattle. Porter states that he has frequently men such booths (Succoth, from saccac, to entwine) occupied by the Bedawin of the Jordan valley, and describes them as rude huts of reeds, sometimes covered with long grass, and sometimes with a piece of tent (vide Kitto's 'Cyclop.,' ut supra). Therefore the name of the place is called (literally, he called the name of the place) Succoth - i.e. booths.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So that
הַה֥וּא (ha·hū)
Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day
בַּיּ֨וֹם (bay·yō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

Esau
עֵשָׂ֛ו (‘ê·śāw)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6215: Esau -- oldest son of Isaac

started on his way
לְדַרְכּ֖וֹ (lə·ḏar·kōw)
Preposition-l | Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

back
וַיָּשָׁב֩ (way·yā·šāḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to Seir,
שֵׂעִֽירָה׃ (śê·‘î·rāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8165: Seir -- a mountain range in Edom, also its inhabitants, also a mountain in Judah


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OT Law: Genesis 33:16 So Esau returned that day on his (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 33:15
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