And Esau ran to meet him
If he rode on any creature, which is likely, he alighted from it
on sight of his brother Jacob, and to express his joy on that
occasion, and affection for him, made all the haste he could to
meet him, as did the father of the prodigal, ( Luke 15:20 ) , and
embraced him;
in his arms, with the greatest respect and tenderness: and
fell on his neck;
laid his head on his neck, where it remained for a while, not
being able to lift it up, and speak unto him; the word is in the
dual number, and signifies, as Ben Melech thinks, the two sides
of the neck, the right and the left; and he might lay his head
first on one side, and then on the other, to show the greatness
of his affection: and kissed him;
in token of the same: there are three pricks over this word in
the original more than ordinary, directing the attention of the
reader to it, as something wonderful and worthy of observation:
the Jewish writers F14 are divided about it; some think
that this points at the insincerity of Esau in kissing his
brother when he hated him; others, on the contrary, to his
sincerity and heartiness in it, and which was matter of
admiration, that he who laid up hatred in his heart against his
brother, and had bore him a grudge for so many years, and it may
be came out now, with an intention to destroy him, should have
his heart so turned toward him, as to behave in this affectionate
manner, which must be owing to the power of God working upon his
heart, changing his mind, and making him thus soft, flexible, and
compassionate; and to Jacob's humble submission to him,
subservient to divine Providence as a means; and thus as he
before had power with God in prayer on this same account, the
effect of which he now perceived, so he had power with men, with
his brother, as it was intimated to him he should: and they
wept;
they "both" wept, as the Septuagint version adds, both Jacob and
Esau, for joy at the sight of each other, and both seriously; and
especially there can be no doubt of Jacob, who must be glad of
this reconciliation, if it was only outward, since hereby his
life, and the lives of his wives and children, would be spared.