What does Genesis 32:6 mean?

Jacob seems to hope that the carefully crafted message he sent to Esau would help to resolve their old conflict. Twenty years prior to this moment, he fled alone from a twin brother, Esau, who was determined to kill Jacob out of revenge (Genesis 27:41–45). It's common for a person to spend a great deal of time shaping a message meant for someone with whom you have a conflict. It's also common for those carefully-worded messages to elicit a quick, hard-to-interpret response.

Jacob's experience is similar, but with much higher stakes. Now, Jacob not only has to face Esau, he has to do so while traveling with his wives, children, and all of his accumulated wealth. Rather than pursue battle, or ignore the situation, Jacob chooses diplomacy. He called Esau "lord" and implied that perhaps he would share some of his great wealth with his brother.

Now the messengers return from Esau with no official reply at all. The only news is that Esau is coming with 400 men to meet Jacob. Is this a royal welcome or a war party? Is Esau coming to make peace with Jacob or to attack him? Jacob simply cannot know.