The first thought Jacob probably had was “he is bringing an army with him,” because 400 men is certainly a substantial army against a family, even a large family.
So he began to pray, asking God to protect him, and I am sure he was praying fairly fervently at that time. But even while he was praying, his mind was working on plans that might overcome his brother’s antagonism. His faith and trust in God were very weak. He decided to begin to give up his possessions.
What we are seeing here is that Jacob is clearly using all his knowledge of human nature or psychology to soften Esau’s heart towards him.
