And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
Sent messengers - i:e., had sent. It was a prudent precaution to ascertain the present temper of Esau, as the road, on approaching the eastern confines of Canaan, lay near the wild district where his brother was now established.
The land of Seir - a highland country on the east and south of the Dead Sea, inhabited by the Horites, who were dispossessed by Esau, or his posterity (Deuteronomy 11:12). When, and in what circumstances he had emigrated there-whether the separation arose out of the undutiful conduct and idolatrous habits of his wives, which had made them unwelcome inmates in the tent of his parents, or whether his roving disposition had sought a country, from his love of adventure and the chase, he was living in a state of power and affluence; and this settlement on the outer borders of Canaan, though made of his own free-will, was overruled by Providence to pave the way for Jacob's return to the promised land.