So the present passed on before him: the present refers to the herds of animals moving out in Esau’s direction. Passed … him is literally “passed over before his face.” The Hebrew verb is the same as in verse 16 and may refer to crossing the river. No doubt Jacob watched as the herds moved out of the camp. We may translate, for example, “Finally, the herds left the camp.”

He himself lodged that night in the camp: to give the slow-moving herds a chance to get well ahead, Jacob spends the night in his camp.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .