Editing Jacob and Esau (section)

==Reconciliation==
[[File:Rubens Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Peter Paul Rubens]], ''The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau'', 1624.]]
Genesis 32-33<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|32–33|HE}}</ref> tells of Jacob and Esau's eventual meeting according to God's commandment in Genesis 31:3 and 32:10<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|31:3, 32:10|HE}}</ref> after Jacob had spent more than 20 years staying with Laban in Padan-Aram. The two men prepare for their meeting like warriors about to enter into battle. Jacob divides his family into two camps such that if one is taken the other might escape.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|32:8-9|HE}}</ref> Jacob sends messengers to Esau, as well as gifts meant to appease him.{{sfn|Manns|2013}}

Jacob gets the name ''Israel'' after he [[Jacob wrestling with the angel|wrestles with the Angel of God]] as he is traveling to Esau. His hip is knocked out of joint but he keeps on wrestling and gains the name.{{efn|In Biblical Hebrew the name "[[wikt:Israel|Israel]]" means ''one who wrestles with God''. See also [[Jacob's Ladder]].}}

After the encounter with the angel, Jacob crosses over the ford Jabbok and encounters Esau who seems initially pleased to see him,<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|33:4|HE}}</ref> which attitude of favour Jacob fosters by means of his gift. Esau refuses the gift at first but Jacob humbles himself before his brother and presses him to take it, which he finally does.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|33:3, 33:10-11|HE}}</ref> However, Jacob evidently does not trust his brother's favour to continue for long, so he makes excuses to avoid traveling to Mount Seir in Esau's company,<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|33:12-14|HE}}</ref> and he further evades Esau's attempt to put his own men among Jacob's bands<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|33:15-16|HE}}</ref> and finally completes the deception of his brother yet again by going to Succoth and then to Shalem, a city of Shechem, instead of following Esau at a distance to Seir.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|33:16-20|HE}}</ref> George Savran suggests that Jacob's avoidance of Esau is a metaphor for Israel being separate from their enemies such as Edom or an indicator of Jacob's reserved personality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Savran |first=George |date=2020 |title=Did Jacob and Esau Reconcile? |url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/did-jacob-and-esau-reconcile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229021335/https://www.thetorah.com/article/did-jacob-and-esau-reconcile |archive-date=February 29, 2024 |website=TheTorah.com}}</ref> The next time Jacob and Esau meet is at the burial of their father, Isaac, in Hebron.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|35:27-29|HE}}</ref>

=== Christian interpretations ===
In some Christian theological interpretations, the reunion of Esau and Jacob in {{Bibleverse|Genesis|33:4}} is seen as a symbolic moment of reconciliation and unmerited grace. Commentators have drawn parallels between Esau running to meet Jacob and the father running to the prodigal son in {{Bibleverse|Luke|15:20}}, interpreting both as images of forgiveness that prefigure New Testament themes.

Jacob saw the warrior Esau running towards him backed up by 400 men<ref>({{bibleverse|Genesis|33:1}})</ref>. Esau saw his brother limping toward himself. Tim Keller writes that “Jacob expects a sword, but he is met with an embrace,” emphasizing the unexpected nature of grace.<ref>Keller, Tim. ''The Prodigal God''. Dutton, 2008.</ref> John Piper comments, “Jacob’s limp is the mark of divine wrestling, and Esau’s embrace is the mark of divine mercy. The one prepares him for the other.”<ref>Piper, John. ''Future Grace''. Multnomah, 1995.</ref> Walter Brueggemann describes the event as “the eruption of grace into a history of deceit,” highlighting its theological significance.<ref>Brueggemann, Walter. ''Genesis''. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Westminster John Knox Press, 1982.</ref>