064 Presents

Presents

Genesis 33:10. Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand. The giving of presents is far more common in the East, and has more significance, than with us. Hardly any transaction of importance can take place without a gift. The formal visits which friends make to each other are preceded by presents of fowls, sheep, rice, coffee, and other provisions. Sir John Chardin notices that in Persia every one gives what is most at hand, and has a relation to his profession, and those who have no particular profession give money. A refusal to receive a present is, throughout the East, interpreted as an evidence of enmity. Hence Jacob’s anxiety that Esau should accept the gift he offered. See also Genesis 43:11; Judges 3:18; 1 Samuel 9:7; 1 Samuel 10:27; 2 Samuel 17:27-29; 1 Kings 10:2; 1 Kings 10:10; 1 Kings 14:3; 2 Kings 5:5; 2 Kings 5:15; 2 Kings 8:9; 2 Chronicles 9:24; Psalms 72:10; Psalms 76:11; Proverbs 18:16; Matthew 2:11.