Hands in the Bible represent power, the force with which things are put into action. To be specific, they represent the power of spiritual good -- which is the love of others and serving others -- expressed through spiritual truth -- which is an understanding and knowledge of what it is to love and serve others. This is in contrast to the feet, which represent power on the natural level, and a “rod,” which represents the power of the hand passed down into external or natural ideas. In a few cases in the Bible, hands also represent communication and a drawing together. This is true when people lift their hands to heaven or to Jehovah, and also when the Lord touches children or touches people to heal them.

3289. 'And the sons struggled together within her' means conflict, which is the subject here. This is clear from the meaning of 'struggling' as conflicting, and from the meaning of 'sons' here as the Natural both as regards good and as regards truth. For Esau and Jacob, who are 'the sons' here, represent the Lord's Divine Natural - 'Esau' the good of the Divine Natural, 'Jacob' the truth - as will be clear from what is stated further on. This struggle or conflict is also the subject in the present chapter, being a struggle or conflict over priority - whether good is prior or whether truth is. Or what amounts to the same, whether charity which is akin to good is prior or faith which is akin to truth. In the spiritual Church this was from earliest times a point over which many were in conflict with one another. And since that question of priority is the subject in what follows, it is here said that 'the sons struggled together within her' meaning conflict, which is the subject here.