“For he said, “I will make reconciliation with him (‘cover his face”) with the present that goes before me (‘goes before my face'), and afterwards I will see his face. It may be that he will accept me (‘his face will be towards me').” So the present passed over before him and he himself stayed that night in the company.'
Jacob is quite clear that the purpose of the gifts is appeasement and reconciliation so that when they meet there will be no trouble. He hopes that they will make him acceptable to Esau. So the presents move on and he himself awaits in his camp along with one of the ‘companies' he has set up.
Note in the Hebrew the constant reference to ‘face'. He is concerned with the face to face situation between the two. But this will pale into insignificance when he meets God face to face (Genesis 32:30).