Hashem Made That Promise 34 Years Ago

What makes this explanation even more plausible is that HASHEM’s promise to Yaakov was made over 34 years before Aysav came to greet him. An awful lot of time passed since Yaakov left his parents’ home. Maybe the trust in HASHEM’s promise had faded over the time. Maybe Yaakov was ever so slightly affected by the ways of the world. Why does Rebbe Yaakov bar Idi assume that there must be some answer as to why Yaakov was afraid?

The explanation might be quite straightforward: Yaakov hadn’t heard this promise in many, many years, and he was simply afraid. Maybe Yaakov was much like us.