Genesis 32:18

18 Then you shall say, 'They are your servant, Ya`akov's. It is a present sent to my lord, Esav. Behold, he also is behind us.'"

Genesis 32:18 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 32:18

Then thou shall say, [they be] thy servant Jacob's
Both the goats before them, and they themselves that had the care of them, belonged to Jacob, who directed them to speak of him to Esau as his "servant": it [is] a present sent unto my lord Esau;
which is the answer to the second question: and behold also he [is] behind us:
that is, Jacob: this they were bid to tell, lest he should think that Jacob was afraid of him, and was gone another way; but that he was coming to pay a visit to him, and might expect shortly to see him, which would prepare his mind how to behave towards him.

Genesis 32:18 In-Context

16 He delivered them into the hands of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass over before me, and put a space between herd and herd."

17 He commanded the foremost, saying, "When Esav, my brother, meets you, and asks you, saying, 'Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these before you?'

18 Then you shall say, 'They are your servant, Ya`akov's. It is a present sent to my lord, Esav. Behold, he also is behind us.'"

19 He commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the herds, saying, "This is how you shall speak to Esav, when you find him.

20 You shall say, 'Not only that, but behold, your servant, Ya`akov, is behind us.'" For, he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me."