וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֥י לְךָ֛ כׇּל־הַמַּחֲנֶ֥ה הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר פָּגָ֑שְׁתִּי וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לִמְצֹא־חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי׃
And he asked, “What do you mean by all this company that I have met?” He answered, “To gain my lord’s favor.”
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר עֵשָׂ֖ו יֶשׁ־לִ֣י רָ֑ב אָחִ֕י יְהִ֥י לְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ׃
Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let what you have remain yours.”
Genesis 33:8-9 (Revised JPS, 2023)
Jacob stole Esau’s blessing earlier, and I can’t help but think the wrestling with the angel in the previous chapter reflects an internal wrestling.
Here, I wonder if Jacob is trying to pay for it. Esau’s initial response is to reject the offer.
Another interpretation is that Esau is conceding the blessing here. Ie., “clearly God has blessed you, as our father has blessed you; what can I say?”
Another interpretation is that Esau can see clearly that the things that Jacob has accumulated are not things that once belonged to their father. Ie., nothing that Jacob has is contested inheritance between the brothers. Therefore, Esau could not lay claim to them due to the ill-gotten blessing.
There are so many ways to read the text.