The Effect of Typology on the Character Judgment of Jacob and Esau in Naḥmanides’s Commentary

The current study aims to understand the effect of Naḥmanides’s typological interpretation on his judgment of the characters of Jacob and Esau. While he tends to evaluate most biblical figures in a nuanced fashion, commending the actions of many non-Israelite figures and criticising the patriarchs for their immoral behaviour, we see a pivotal deviation with respect to the Jacob-Esau narrative. In contrast to the complex moral portrayal arising from the biblical story itself, Naḥmanides does not judge Jacob critically, while he harshly condemns Esau. This exception is understood in the context of Naḥmanides’s typological exegesis, which interpreted the Jacob-Esau narrative as prefiguring the events between the Jewish and Christian collectives. The contemporary relevance Naḥmanides places on this narrative, coupled with the messianic
significance he attributed it with, prevented him from judging Jacob and Esau in a more complex manner.