One of the dramatic threads of Genesis is conflict between brothers.

It starts when Cain kills his brother Abel. Ishmael mocks his half-brother Isaac, and is expelled from Abraham’s house.After Genesis 4, the question is: Can the righteous survive the violence of the wicked? Jacob's life answers Yes.

Esau intends to kill Jacob, but Jacob flees, flourishes, and returns. There are subtle hints of reconciliation between the brothers. Jacob is an Abel who survives to return to his Cain.

The theme comes to a head in the Joseph narrative. All Joseph’s brothers hate him, sell him to slavery, tell Jacob he’s dead. But their brother rises from the pit, from jail, from his virtual death.The subtle notes of reconciliation in the Jacob-Esau story come to a crescendo, as Joseph feeds and unveils himself to the brothers who “killed” him. Joseph doesn't just survive fraternal assault. He absorbs their attack, rises from the dead, and delivers his brothers from death. An Abel who saves his Cain.

The brother theme of Genesis isn’t static. It progresses toward a breathtaking anticipation of a Greater Joseph to come. - Peter Leithart