Genesis 33:16 - Meaning and Application

Jacob came to Succoth. After parting in a friendly way from Esau, who had gone back to his own land (Genesis 33:16), Jacob came to a place where he seems to have stayed for a while. There he set up booths for his livestock and other shelters for himself and his family. The place later became known as Succoth, a city in the tribe of Gad, on the east side of the Jordan. The name means “booths,” so that Jacob’s descendants, when they later lived in stone houses, could remember that their ancestor, the Syrian ready to perish, was glad to live in booths (Deuteronomy 26:5). They would know what kind of rock they were cut from.

Then he came to Shechem. Some read the phrase as “to Shalem, a city of Shechem,” but many scholars think it should mean that he came safely, or in peace, to the city of Shechem. After a dangerous journey filled with trouble, he finally reached Canaan in safety. Hardship and danger should teach us to value health and safety more, and to thank God more deeply when our coming and going are protected.

There Jacob bought a field (Genesis 33:19). Even though the land of Canaan had been promised to him, the time had not yet come for him to take possession of it. So he was willing to pay for his own land and avoid disputes with the people already living there. Dominion does not come through grace. Those who receive heaven freely should not expect to receive earth the same way.

Jacob also built an altar (Genesis 33:20). He did this out of thankfulness for God’s kind care over him. He did not settle for words of thanks alone, but showed real gratitude. He also built it to keep worship alive in his family. Wherever we have a tent, God should have an altar. Wherever we have a house, it should also have a place for God.

He named the altar El-elohe-Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel.” He honored God as the true and living God, the best of all beings and the first cause of all things. He also honored Him as the God of Israel, the God who had entered into covenant with him. In our worship, we should be guided by both natural religion and revealed religion. God had recently called Jacob by the name Israel, and now Jacob calls God the God of Israel. If God is our prince, then He is also our Lord and our God. Our honors become true honors only when they are given to God’s glory. Israel’s God is Israel’s glory.