Yaakov and Esav's Reunion in Art

Introduction

The reunion of Yaakov and Esav (Bereshit 33) has been interpreted in contrasting ways by both commentators and artists alike. The three images shown here, Jacob Meets his Brother Esau (1897),¹ The Meeting of Jacob and Esau (c. 1650) attributed to Gerrit Claesz Bleker,² and Jacob and Esau (1878) by George Frederick Watts,³ all portray the same moment in the scene. Yet, they differ in how they illustrate the brothers' interaction, garb, and respective entourages. These choices reflect different readings of the relationship between the brothers and the motives for their actions.

Contrasting Images

Etching

The etching places Yaakov and Esav in the center foreground, presenting Yaakov as kneeling before an armored Esav, who reaches out to greet his twin. Yaakov's wives and several children of assorted ages watch from behind. Esav, too, is flanked by his supporters, but they are armed men with spears and helmets, ready for battle.

Bleker

Bleker paints his canvas in yellows and browns, setting a calm mood for the scene. In the left-center, a blue cloaked Yaakov places his hand on Esav's shoulders and gazes beseechingly into his face.  Esav, in turn, is cloaked in royal red and yellow, with a turban on his head.  He, too, grasps his brother, apparently accepting Yaakov's pleas. To the viewer's right, Yaakov's wives, some clasping their hands and others caring for children, watch the reunion in anticipation and worry. A line of sheep and cattle trail behind them. As in the etching, here, too, Esav is accompanied by a military guard armed with spears and helmets.

Watts

In contrast to the other artists, Watts chooses to focus exclusively on the two brothers. They cover the whole canvas, and the only suggestion of any accompanying family is two faces that peek through from afar. The brothers are painted in a bronze hue, lending them an almost sculptured look. Esav is positioned to the right, with his hands on Yaakov's neck and his head posed to kiss him. Yaakov stands with his hand raised, apparently not ready to embrace his brother.⁴

Relationship to the Biblical Text

The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:

Esav's Motives

The artist of the etching portrays Esav in full battle gear, his armed men standing right behind him. Though Bleker also includes a military guard, he depicts Esav himself as unarmed. Watt's presentation similarly leaves Esav's military intent ambiguous, depicting Esav with a sheath of arrows but without armor or accompanying army. What were Esav's intentions when coming to meet Yaakov? Was he approaching with an army of 400 men intent on battle, as Yaakov feared, or was he coming in peace with his men serving as an honor guard?⁵ See Esav: Friend or Foe for elaboration.

Esav's Embrace

Both the etching and Bleker depict Yaakov in a conciliatory pose, either kneeling before his brother or looking at him beseechingly.  Esav, in turn, appears to accept Yaakov's plea and reaches towards his brother, ready to embrace him. Watts, too, paints Esav reaching his arms out towards Yaakov, but instead of hugging Yaakov to his chest in affection, he appears to grasp his neck as if about to choke him. Yaakov stands with hands up, as if trying to ward his brother off.  Is there any hint in the Biblical text that Esav's hug and kiss were insincere, or that his actions hid more sinister intentions? From a straightforward reading of the text it appears that Esav's embrace was heartfelt, but midrashic and later sources view the Masoretic dots atop the word "וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ" as a clue that all was not as it seemed.⁶

12 Children in 6 Years?

The children in both the etching and Bleker's image span a range of ages from infant to teenager. In Watt's image, there is but one child, a baby held by his mother, seen in the distance from in between the brothers' legs. How young could any of Yaakov's children have been at the meeting? What is the possible range between oldest and youngest? The questions relate to a difficulty in the Biblical text. The simple reading of Bereshit Chapters 29-30 suggests that Yaakov's wives bore him children consecutively, but the verses also suggest that all twelve⁷ were born in a period of only slightly more than six years.⁸ This contradiction leads some commentators to propose that some of the pregnancies must have overlapped,⁹ and others to suggest that there was a period of more than six years in which the children were born.¹⁰ See The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children for more.

¹ The picture is from Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us (1897), ed. Charles Foster, which contains 400 illustrations from a variety of artists. Each is accompanied by a short description written by Foster.

² Gerrit Claesz Bleker (1592-1656) was a Dutch painter known for his landscapes. He often incorporated Biblical figures into his images.The image is currently housed in the Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead.

³ George Frederick Watts (1817–1904) was an English Victorian painter and sculptor connected to the Symbolist movement. Many of his works, including this one, are housed in the Watts Gallery in Compton, England.

⁴ Yaakov's pose even suggests that he might be attempting to ward Esav off.

⁵ See the interpretations of Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)Bereshit 32:7About Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) and RashiBereshit 32:7About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, and contrast with that of RashbamBereshit 32:7About R. Shemuel b. Meir.

⁶ See the various opinions in Sifre BemidbarBemidbar 69About Sifre Bemidbar and Bereshit Rabbah78:9About Bereshit Rabbah.

⁷ This number includes Dinah, but not Binyamin.

⁸ This period of six years and three months began nine months after Yaakov's marriages to Leah and Rachel (which followed his working for Lavan for an initial seven years) and concluded with the birth of Yosef upon the completion of Yaakov's second seven year stint.  [This stint was completed approximately six years before Yaakov's reunion with Esav.]

⁹ See Ibn EzraBereshit 30:21,23About R. Avraham ibn Ezra who proposes that some of the verses are achronological. He suggests that Gad was conceived before the birth of Naphtali, and that Yosef might have been conceived before the birth of Zevulun. He also raises the possibility that Zevulun and Dinah were twins. Cf. Seder Olam RabbahChapter 2About Seder Olam Rabbah which maintains that all of the children were indeed born consecutively, but that all were born prematurely, in only the seventh month of pregnancy. According to this calculation, Yaakov's second seven year stint working for Lavan provided just enough time for twelve consecutive seven month pregnancies.

¹⁰ RalbagBeiur Divrei HaParashah Bereshit 29:21About R. Levi b. Gershom extends the period by maintaining that Leah was actually given to Yaakov before he completed the initial seven years of work. In contrast, JubileesChapter 28About Jubilees extends the period at the other end by having Yaakov's negotiation with Lavan about the terms of his wages and most of his final six years of shepherding take place before the youngest children were born. [See The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children regarding the different factors which motivated these exegetes.] Rubens' depiction of the infants fits only if one assumes the chronology presented in Jubilees.