Genesis 33:6 — Word Study
WLCוַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת הֵ֥נָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃
BSAThen the maidservantsshiphchâh [female slaves, handmaidens] and theirhênnâh childrenyeled [youth, young ones] approachednâgash▸ [drew near, came close] and bowed downshâchâh▸ [worshipped, showed respect, bowed themselves]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ | and they approached | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person feminine plural |
| הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת | the maidservants | Particle, noun common feminine plural absolute |
| הֵ֥נָּה | they | Pronoun |
| וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן | and children their | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃ | and they bowed down | Verb pilpel, sequential imperfect third person feminine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. |
| KJV | Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. |
| ASV | Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. |
| YLT | And the maid-servants draw nigh, they and their children, and bow themselves; |
| WEB | Then the servants came near with their children, and they bowed themselves. |
| BBE | Then the servants and their children came near, and went down on their faces. |
Where they part company is וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ — see How Translations Differ.
One main verb with two phrases describing the subjects and their actions. The structure highlights the collective approach and act of bowing.
3 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbנָגַשׁ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Genesis 33:6
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Jacob's Reunion with Esaugenerated
Genesis 33:6 describes a significant moment when the maidservants and their children approach Jacob, demonstrating their respect and submission. This scene is part of Jacob's reunion with his brother Esau after many years apart, where family dynamics and reconciliation are central themes, as seen in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
The Key Word — נָגַשׁ, va.ti.Gash.nagenerated
The verb נָגַשׁ (nagash) means to approach or draw near. It can refer to both physical proximity and the act of worship or presenting an argument, as noted in contexts like Genesis 18:23. The parsing indicates it is a sequential imperfect verb in the third person feminine plural, showing that the maidservants are the subject performing the action.
This word can carry various implications, from a simple act of coming closer to a deeper connotation of humility or reverence, especially in a relational context.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ (and they approached) governs the sentence, with two phrases following: the noun phrase הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת (the maidservants) and the conjunction phrase וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן (and their children). The structure emphasizes the actions of the maidservants and their children as they approach Jacob.
The sentence flows from the action of approaching to the act of bowing, illustrating a clear sequence of respect and submission.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נָגַשׁ as προσήγγισαν (they approached), which maintains the meaning of drawing near but does not carry the additional connotations of worship found in the Hebrew. This choice suggests a more straightforward interpretation of the action.
For וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ, the LXX uses προσεκύνησαν (they worshipped), which aligns closely with the Hebrew's implication of respect and worship.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 33:6 describes the maidservants and their children approaching Jacob and bowing down to him. This shows their respect and humility as they reunite in a moment of reconciliation.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The maidservants approaching Jacob signifies their respect and submission to him, especially in the context of family dynamics during their reunion.
Bowing down is a cultural expression of respect and humility, indicating the maidservants' acknowledgment of Jacob's position and their relationship with him.
The actions of the maidservants reflect the importance of respect and humility in relationships, especially within family and community contexts.
This verse is part of the larger narrative of Jacob's reconciliation with Esau, highlighting the themes of respect, humility, and familial relationships.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does approaching someone with respect look like in my relationships?
- How can I demonstrate humility in my interactions with others?
- In what ways can I show appreciation for those who serve or support me?
- How does this passage inform my understanding of reconciliation within families?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 33:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThen the handmaids came near, they and their children,.... Being foremost, and next to, Jacob, as Bilhah and her two sons, Dan and Naphtali, and Zilpah and her two sons, Gad and Asher: and they bowed
Read John Gill on Genesis 33 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThen the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 33 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 33:6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.Ver. 7. After came Joseph near, &c.] Iussus accedere Joseph, saith Junius; for he was but a little one of six years old, therefore he did nothing, but as his mother bade him; and, because he went before her, he is first named.
Read John Trapp on Genesis 33 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down.
Then the servants came near with their children, and they bowed themselves.
Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down.
The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down.
Tyndale line
Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
Then came the maides neere, they, and their children, and bowed themselues.
Strictly literal
And the maidservants drew near, they and their children, and they bowed.
And the maid-servants draw nigh, they and their children, and bow themselves;
And the maidservants draw near, they and their children, and bow themselves;
Then came the handmaids near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
Then the female servants came forward with their children, and they bowed down.
From the Latin
Then the handmaids and their children came near, and bowed themselves.
Simplified
The personal maids and their children came over and bowed down.
Then the servants and their children came near, and went down on their faces.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text (MT) states, "וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת הֵ֥נָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃" which translates to, "Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down." The Septuagint (LXX) aligns closely with the MT, as four out of five words correspond directly, although the specific wording and structure are unique to the Greek translation. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs in two words: it uses "ותגשׁנה" (approach) and "ותשׁתחוינה" (bow down), indicating a variation in the verb forms compared to the MT's "וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ" and "וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ." Overall, while the core meaning remains consistent across the witnesses, the Samaritan Pentateuch presents a notable difference in verb conjugation.
וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת הֵ֥נָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃
4 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ותגשׁנה השׁפחות הנה וילדיהן ותשׁתחוינה
2 words differ from the Masoretic Text: תגשׁנה (approach), תשׁתחוינה (bow down)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Genesis 33:6
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
נָגַשׁ (nagash) is a Hebrew verb meaning to draw near or approach. It can refer to humans or inanimate subjects and includes various forms such as causing to approach or being brought near. The term also has euphemistic uses, including sexual intercourse. The entries indicate a range of applications, from physical proximity to religious worship.
[נָגַשׁ] 125 vb. draw near, approach
Qal draw near or come near
Niph. draw near
Hiph. cause to approach, bring near, bring
Hoph. thy feet have not been brought near (put into) fetters; it (impers.) is offered to my name
Hithp. draw near!
base
H5066 [נָגַשׁ] draw near, approach .draw near or come near
. draw near
. cause to approach, bring near, bring
. thy feet have not been brought near (put into) fetters; it (impers.) is offered to my name
. draw near!
5066 nagash naw-gash'
a primitive root; to be or come (causatively, bring) near
(for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an
enemy, to attack; relig. to worship; causatively, to present;
figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand
back:--(make to) approach (nigh), bring (forth, hither,
near), (cause to) come (hither, near, nigh), give place, go
hard (up), (be, draw, go) near (nigh), offer, overtake,
present, put, stand.
נָגַשׁ (na.gash) — to approach: approach.
: approach
1) to draw near, approach
1a) (Qal) to draw or come near
1a1) of humans
1a1a) of sexual intercourse
1a2) of inanimate subject
1a2a) to approach one another
1b) (Niphal) to draw near
1c) (Hiphil) to cause to approach, bring near, bring
1d) (Hophal) to be brought near
1e) (Hithpael) to draw near
Also means: na.gash (נָגַשׁ ": bring" H5066H)
נָגַשׁ (na.gash) — to approach: bring.
: bring/offer
1) to draw near, approach
1a) (Qal) to draw or come near
1a1) of humans
1a1a) of sexual intercourse
1a2) of inanimate subject
1a2a) to approach one another
1b) (Niphal) to draw near
1c) (Hiphil) to cause to approach, bring near, bring
1d) (Hophal) to be brought near
1e) (Hithpael) to draw near
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3fp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine pluralHc/Vqw3fp
שִׁפְחָה (shiphchah) refers to a maid or maid-servant, often indicating a female slave within a household. It derives from a root meaning to spread out, suggesting a role in family or domestic settings. The term can also imply humility in certain contexts, but the primary focus remains on servitude.
שִׁפְחָה n.f. maid, maid-servant
base
H8198 שִׁפְחָה maid, maid-servant
8198 shiphchah shif-khaw'
feminine from an unused root meaning to spread out (as a
family; see 4940); a female slave (as a member of the
household):--(bond-, hand-)maid(-en, -servant), wench,
bondwoman, womanservant.
see HEBREW for 04940
שִׁפְחָה (shiph.chah) — maidservant.
1) maid, maid-servant, slavegirl
1a) maid, maid-servant (as belonging to a mistress)
1b) of address, speaker, humility (fig)
Art | N-fp — Particle · noun common feminine plural absoluteHTd/Ncfpa
הֵ֫מָּה (hennah) means 'they' in Hebrew, specifically referring to a feminine plural form. It is derived from a grammatical extension of another word, הוּא (hu), which means 'he/she/it.' The entries indicate its use in various contexts, often emphasizing identity or relation.
H2007 הֵ֫מָּה, הֵם they
2007 hennah hane'-naw
prolongation for 2004; themselves (often used emphatic for
the copula, also in indirect relation):--X in, X such (and
such things), their, (into) them, thence, therein, these, they
(had), on this side, whose, wherein.
see HEBREW for 02004
הֵנָּה (hen.nah) — they(fem.).
they, these, the same, who
A grammatical form of hu (הוּא "he/she/it" H1931)
Pron — PronounHPp3fp
יֶ֫לֶד (yeled) refers to a child, son, or youth, encompassing meanings like offspring and young man. It can also figuratively denote apostate Israelites. The word is derived from a root meaning something born, indicating its connection to birth and lineage.
יֶ֫לֶד 89 n.m. child, son, boy, youth
base
H3206 יֶ֫לֶד child, son, boy, youth
3206 yeled yeh'-led
from 3205; something born, i.e. a lad or offspring:--boy,
child, fruit, son, young man (one).
see HEBREW for 03205
יֶ֫לֶד (ye.led) — youth.
1) child, son, boy, offspring, youth
1a) child, son, boy
1b) child, children
1c) descendants
1d) youth
1e) apostate Israelites (fig.)
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp3fp
The Hebrew word שָׁחָה (*shachah*) is a primitive root meaning to bow down or prostrate oneself, particularly in homage to a superior or in worship before God. It can also imply a figurative sense of being depressed by anxiety. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, including worship of both God and false gods.
[שָׁחָה] 172 vb. bow down
Qal bow down
Hiph. fig., anxiety depresses it
Hithpa‛lēl
bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.
before God, in worship
before other gods
base
H7812 שָׁחָה bow down .bow down
. fig., anxiety depresses it
.. bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.
. before God, in worship
. before other gods
7812 shachah shaw-khaw'
a primitive root; to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially
reflexive, in homage to royalty or God):--bow (self) down,
crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance,
do reverence, make to stoop, worship.
שָׁחָה (sha.chah) — to bow.
1) to bow down
1a) (Qal) to bow down
1b)(Hiphil) to depress (fig)
1c) (Hithpael)
1c1) to bow down, prostrate oneself
1c1a) before superior in homage
1c1b) before God in worship
1c1c) before false gods
1c1d) before angel
Conj | V-v-ConsecImperf-3fp — Verb pilpel · sequential imperfect third person feminine pluralHc/Vvw3fp