Commentary for Genesis 33:5
וַיִּשָּׂ֣א אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּ֤רְא אֶת־הַנָּשִׁים֙ וְאֶת־הַיְלָדִ֔ים וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אֵ֣לֶּה לָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּאמַ֕ר הַיְלָדִ֕ים אֲשֶׁר־חָנַ֥ן אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said: ‘Who are these with thee?’ And he said: ‘The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant.’
Rashi on Genesis
מי אלה לך WHO ARE THESE WITH THEE? (literally, to thee)? — Who are these that they should be yours (are they your children or your servants)?
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Ramban on Genesis
WHO ARE THESE WITH THEE? Esau inquired about the women and children, and Jacob modestly answered, The children whom G-d hath graciously given thy servant, as he did not want to say that they were his wives. Esau thereby understood that they were the mothers of the children.
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Sforno on Genesis
Who are these to you. Are they your children or your servants?.
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Radak on Genesis
וישא...מי אלה לך, these women and children whom I see, as well as all the numerous servants, who are they? Yaakov answered him concerning the children, and Esau deduced that the women next to them were their mothers.
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Tur HaArokh
מי אלה לך?, “what relations are these of yours? His question concerned all the women and children.
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Siftei Chakhamim
Who are these that they should be yours? Rashi is answering the question: “Who are these” implies that Eisov did not know to whom they belonged. Why did he then say, “To you”? Thus Rashi explains, “That they should be yours.” I.e., are they your sons, servants or hirelings?
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Rav Hirsch on Torah
Jakob spricht in seiner Erwiderung nur von den Kindern, und indem er diese Antwort auch als Auskunft für die Frauen gelten lässt, deutet er mit großer Feinheit an, wie er diesen seinen Reichtum nächst der göttlichen Gnade in leiblicher und geistiger Hinsicht seinen Frauen verdanke. Seine Frauen sind die Mütter seiner Kinder.
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Chizkuni
?מי אלה לך, “how are these related to you?” Esau wanted to know if these people were Yaakov’s children or members of his household not biologically related to him, or if they were his slaves.
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Tur HaArokh
הילדים אשר חנן אלוקים את עבדך, “the children whom G’d has granted your servant.” Yaakov was conveying a lesson in good manners, not referring to his wives directly, letting Esau surmise that the women concerned were the mothers of these children.
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