Genesis 32:11 kjv
Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
Genesis 32:11 nkjv
Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.
Genesis 32:11 niv
Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children.
Genesis 32:11 esv
Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.
Genesis 32:11 nlt
O LORD, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.
Genesis 32 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:15 | "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land..." | God's promise to Jacob, which he anchors his prayer in. |
| Gen 31:3 | "Then the LORD said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.'" | God's direct command for Jacob to return, also invoked in prayer. |
| Deut 23:5 | "But the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you." | God's protective love and faithfulness despite human weakness. |
| 1 Sam 7:7 | "When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel." | Fear in the face of a superior foe, leading to prayer. |
| 2 Chron 20:12 | "O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on you." | Admitting powerlessness and looking to God for help. |
| Psa 34:4 | "I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." | God's deliverance from fear and distress. |
| Psa 50:15 | "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." | Divine invitation to pray in distress and promise of deliverance. |
| Psa 91:3-4 | "For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence... under his wings you will find refuge." | God as a protector and deliverer from all dangers. |
| Psa 118:5 | "Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free." | Echoes of calling on God in distress and experiencing liberation. |
| Psa 121:7-8 | "The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in..." | Assurance of God's ceaseless protection. |
| Isa 12:2 | "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid..." | Trust in God as salvation conquering fear. |
| Jer 32:27 | "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" | Rhetorical question affirming God's omnipotence and ability to deliver. |
| Lam 3:57 | "You came near when I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear!'" | God's comforting response to fearful prayers. |
| Hos 12:4 | "He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought favor from him..." | Prophetic summary of Jacob's Jabbok encounter, directly following this prayer. |
| Joel 2:32 | "And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved..." | The efficacy of calling upon God for salvation and deliverance. |
| Matt 6:13 | "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." | Prayer for deliverance from various evils, mirroring Jacob's plea. |
| Luke 18:7-8 | "And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?..." | God's attentiveness to the persistent cries of His people. |
| Phil 4:6-7 | "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." | Replaces anxiety with prayer for peace from God. |
| Heb 4:16 | "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." | Encouragement to approach God boldly in times of need. |
| Heb 5:7 | "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death..." | Christ's example of earnest prayer in human weakness. |
| 1 Tim 5:8 | "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." | Highlights the responsibility Jacob felt for his family. |
| 2 Pet 2:9 | "then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials..." | Assurance of God's knowledge and ability to rescue His devoted ones. |
| Judg 6:12-13 | "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor." Gideon responds, "If the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?" | Expresses doubt/fear even when promised God's presence, highlighting Jacob's human response. |
| Jonah 2:2 | "I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice." | Powerful illustration of prayer from extreme desperation. |
Genesis 32 verses
Genesis 32 11 Meaning
Genesis 32:11 captures Jacob's earnest prayer to God, appealing for deliverance from the anticipated violent encounter with his brother Esau. He openly expresses profound fear for his own life and the safety of his entire family—his wives, children, and potentially all his possessions, encapsulated by the stark image of "mothers with the children" being struck down. This plea acknowledges God's prior promises and demonstrates Jacob's growing reliance on divine intervention rather than his own schemes.
Genesis 32 11 Context
Genesis chapter 32 chronicles Jacob's arduous journey home after spending two decades with Laban. Having been commanded by God to return to the land of his fathers (Gen 31:3), Jacob takes a significant step towards reconciliation with his past, particularly with Esau. The immediate context of verse 11 is Jacob's heightened anxiety upon learning that Esau is approaching him with 400 men. This news deeply alarms Jacob, as he interprets Esau's large entourage as a hostile force, a potential act of retribution for the deceit involved in taking the birthright and blessing years ago (Gen 27).
Jacob's response before this prayer demonstrates both strategic human effort (dividing his camp, preparing a gift) and profound spiritual reliance. The phrase "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed" (Gen 32:7) immediately precedes his fervent prayer in verse 11, underscoring the raw, honest nature of his appeal to God. This prayer sets the stage for the dramatic encounter with the Angel of the Lord at Peniel (Gen 32:24-32), highlighting a critical pivot in Jacob's spiritual journey from cunning to wrestling in faith.
Genesis 32 11 Word analysis
- Deliver (הַצִּילֵנִי, hatziléni): The root (נָצַל, natsal) means "to snatch away, rescue, set free." It's a forceful term, conveying Jacob's urgent need for immediate intervention and a complete extraction from the impending danger. It reflects a plea for divine power to remove him from Esau's control.
- me, I pray You (נָא, na'): This particle functions as a humble entreaty or request, softening the direct "deliver me." It transforms the demand into a respectful, pleading petition, showing Jacob's desperate submission and deference to God's will and power.
- from the hand (מִיַּד, miyád): The Hebrew word yad (יָד) for "hand" often symbolizes power, authority, control, or agency. To be delivered "from the hand" signifies being rescued from the dominant power or destructive force of another. In this context, it is from Esau's anticipated violent grasp.
- of my brother (אָחִי, 'achi): The direct address to Esau as "my brother" underscores the relational tension and tragedy of the situation. It highlights the deeply personal nature of the conflict and the fact that the impending threat comes from someone who should have been a close kin. This acknowledges the unique gravity and bitterness of fratricide or fraternal conflict.
- from the hand of Esau: This repetition emphasizes and intensifies the source of Jacob's specific terror. It names the exact threat, making the prayer concrete and direct.
- for I fear him (כִּי־יָרֵא אָנֹכִי, ki-yare' anokhi): Jacob's candid admission of fear is a testament to his honesty before God. Yare (יָרֵא) means to be afraid or terrified. The emphatic "I" (anokhi) further highlights his personal, profound apprehension. This isn't a lack of faith, but a realistic assessment of the severe danger, which drives him to seek God.
- lest he come and strike me (פֶן־יָבֹא וְהִכַּנִי, pen-yavo' ve'hikani): The word pen (פֶן) conveys apprehension or a negative purpose ("lest it happens"). Vehikani (וְהִכַּנִי) from the root nakah (נָכָה), "to strike, smite, slay," implies a violent and possibly fatal assault. This outlines Jacob's precise dread: not just discomfort or injury, but a wholesale attack on him and his entire entourage.
- the mothers with the children (אֵם עַל־בָּנִים, 'em 'al-banim): This vivid and poignant idiomatic phrase denotes indiscriminate, ruthless slaughter, implying the destruction of the entire camp without mercy. It portrays the most vulnerable being utterly annihilated, symbolizing total devastation. This expresses Jacob's deepest concern: the survival of his lineage and the Abrahamic promise entrusted to it, far more than just his own personal safety. It shows a desperate plea for the continuation of his family line.
Genesis 32 11 Bonus section
The intense fear Jacob experienced wasn't just due to the large number of men with Esau but likely rooted in his guilt and awareness of how he had wronged Esau. The phrase "mothers with children" also carries a deep emotional weight in ancient Near Eastern culture, representing the brutal reality of total war where even the most helpless are not spared. It foreshadows the potential end of the Abrahamic line if God did not intervene. This dramatic plea before God's throne highlights the profound development of Jacob's character, moving away from reliance on his cunning and toward dependent faith. This pre-encounter prayer is foundational for understanding the significance of his subsequent struggle at Peniel (Gen 32:22-32), where his character is profoundly transformed from Jacob (deceiver) to Israel (struggles with God). The Lord chose to meet him not in his schemes, but in his utter despair and dependence.
Genesis 32 11 Commentary
Genesis 32:11 stands as a watershed moment in Jacob's life, a turning point where his cunning and self-reliance begin to yield to desperate, heartfelt dependence on God. This prayer, born out of profound fear, reveals Jacob's vulnerability and marks his transition towards spiritual maturity. He openly admits his terror, illustrating that genuine faith does not negate fear, but rather enables one to bring their fears honestly before God.
Jacob's prayer is strategically framed by two crucial appeals. First, he invokes God's previous promises (Gen 28:15; 31:3), effectively holding God accountable to His own word. This exemplifies a powerful biblical principle of prayer: appealing to God's character and past faithfulness rather than solely one's own need. Second, he paints a grim picture of the potential outcome, highlighting his family's utter vulnerability through the "mothers with the children" imagery. This phrase, representing the complete devastation of all dependents, including the women and infants, reveals that Jacob's deepest concern extends beyond himself to the very survival of his offspring, through whom the divine covenantal promises are to be realized. This also implicitly conveys that if this lineage were wiped out, God's promise of a great nation from Abraham would be jeopardized.
This passage teaches that it is in our moments of greatest perceived helplessness that God often prepares us for significant breakthroughs. Jacob, stripped of all his manipulative options and faced with an undeniable threat, turns fully to the Lord. His fear, rather than paralyzing him, becomes the catalyst for an encounter with God that fundamentally reshapes his identity, leading directly into his wrestling with the Angel at the Jabbok. Jacob's prayer thus serves as a model for bringing our deepest anxieties and most vulnerable points before God, anchoring our pleas in His covenant faithfulness, and trusting Him for deliverance when human solutions fail.
- Practical Example: When faced with overwhelming anxiety or an uncertain future (e.g., job loss, severe illness, relational conflict), turn fears into specific, honest prayers to God.
- Practical Example: Anchor your requests in God's known character or specific promises found in Scripture (e.g., "Lord, You have promised never to leave me or forsake me, I claim that now in this situation.").
- Practical Example: Be honest about your vulnerabilities and concern for those under your care, just as Jacob was for his family.