John Calvin Commentary Genesis 33:6

"Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves." — Genesis 33:6 (ASV)

Then the handmaidens came near. The wives of Jacob, having left their country, had come as exiles into a distant land. Now, at their first entrance, the terror of death meets them; and when they prostrate themselves in the presence of Esau, they do not know whether they are paying homage to him or if he is to be their executioner.

This trial was very severe for them and greatly tormented the mind of the holy man. But it was right that his obedience should be tested in this way, so that he might become an example to us all.

Moreover, the Holy Spirit here places a mirror before us, in which we may contemplate the state of the Church as it appears in the world. For though many signs of divine favor are evident in the family of Jacob, nevertheless we perceive no dignity in him as he is subjected to unmerited contempt in the presence of a profane man. Jacob also himself thinks that he is well treated if he may be permitted by his brother, as a matter of favor, to dwell in the land of which he was the heir and lord. Therefore, let us bear it patiently if, even today, the glory of the Church, covered with a sordid veil, is an object of derision to the wicked.