As the story proper begins, Jacob has traveled in a south or southwest direction, either along the Jordan valley or toward it through what is the country of Jordan today. He is “on the point of re-entering Canaan” (Driver) and still a considerable distance (some 130 kilometers, or 80 miles) away from the region of Edom, southeast of the Dead Sea and east of Beersheba. Edom is the area occupied by Esau. (We are not told, however, that Esau moved to Edom until 36.6-8. For the association of Esau with Edom, see 25.30.)

The last mention of Esau in relation to Jacob was in 27.41, where Esau had decided to kill Jacob. It was because of this that Jacob had gone to his uncle Laban in Haran (27.43-44).

And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother: the Hebrew word for messenger is the same as that for “angel.” In verse 2 the “angels” are God’s messengers. Here the term refers to men sent by Jacob to contact Esau; so some translations say simply “sent some men.” Before him means ahead of him, in advance. To Esau may require filling out to give the purpose; for example, “to speak with Esau,” “to explain things to Esau,” “to negotiate with Esau.” Another way of expressing the whole sentence is “Jacob sent some men … to take a message to his brother Esau.”

Jacob did not actually send off the messengers until after he had given them their instructions; and those instructions come in verses 4 and 5. In some languages it will be more natural to rearrange verses 3-5 so that the order of events is as follows:
1. Jacob called or chose some men.
2. He told them what to say to Esau.
3. He sent them off.

In the land of Seir, the country of Edom: Seir is a mountainous region southeast of Canaan. Edom is a territory traditionally inhabited by the Edomites or descendants of Esau. See a Bible dictionary. In translation we may say, for example, “in the mountains called Seir, where the region of Edom is.”

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 .