a man wres tled with him till day break. 25 When the man saw that he could not over pow er him, he touched the sock et of Ja cob’ s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wres tled with the man.
26
Then the man said,“ Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Ja cob re plied,“ I will not let you go un less you bless me.”
27
The man asked him,“ What is your name?”“ Ja cob,” he an swered.
28
Then the man said,“ Your name will no lon ger be Ja cob, but Is ra el, a be cause you have strug gled with God and with hu mans and have over come.”
29
Ja cob said,“ Please tell me your name.” But he re plied,“ Why do you ask my name?”
Then he blessed him there.
30
So Ja cob called the place Pe ni el, b say ing,“ It is be cause I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
31
The sun rose above him as he passed Pe ni el, c and he was limp ing be cause of his hip. 32 There fore to this day the Is ra el ites do not eat the ten don attached to the sock et of the hip, be cause the sock et of Ja cob’ s hip was touched near the ten don.
Genesis 33:8 | 65
Jacob Meets Esau
Ja cob looked up and there was Esau, com ing
33 with his four hun dred men; so he di vid ed the chil dren among Leah, Ra chel and the two female ser vants. 2 He put the fe male ser vants and their chil dren in front, Leah and her chil dren next, and Ra chel and Jo seph in the rear. 3 He him self went on ahead and bowed down to the ground sev en times as he ap proached his broth er.
4
But Esau ran to meet Ja cob and em braced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the wom en and chil dren.“ Who are these with you?” he asked.
Ja cob an swered,“ They are the chil dren God has gra cious ly giv en your ser vant.”
6
Then the fe male ser vants and their chil dren ap proached and bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her chil dren came and bowed down. Last of all came Jo seph and Ra chel, and they too bowed down.
8
Esau asked,“ What’ s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”
“ To find fa vor in your eyes, my lord,” he said. a
28 Israel probably means he struggles with God. b
30 Peniel means face of God. c
31 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel with Jacob. Jacob refuses to relent until God blesses him( v. 26). After God blesses him, Jacob renames the place to reflect his encounter with God( vv. 29 – 30). This story explains the origin of the name Israel, as God changes Jacob’ s name to Israel( see v. 28 and note).
32:22 his eleven sons Jacob’ s daughter Dinah is not mentioned for literary reasons( 30:21). Only the main characters in the narratives that follow are noted— particularly the sons of Jacob, who are the eponymous( or name-giving) ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel, once Jacob’ s name is changed( vv. 27 – 28). 32:24 and a man This man is a divine being in physical, bodily form( vv. 28,30; compare ch. 18). In Hos 12:3 – 4, the man who visits Jacob is called an angel, but then it is said that Jacob met God at Bethel— this is because the identity of the angel of God( or angel of Yahweh) and Yahweh himself are sometimes blurred. See note on Ge 21:17. wrestled The Hebrew word used here,‘ avaq, sounds like Jacob’ s name( ya’ aqob in Hebrew). In addition to being wordplay on Jacob’ s name, there is wordplay here with the place of the scene, the Jabbok( yabboq in Hebrew; v. 22). Compare note on 25:26; note on 27:36; note on 32:28. 32:25 he could not overpower him Jacob is quite strong, as he was able to roll away the stone at the well when he arrived in Harran( 29:10). 32:26 you bless me Jacob’ s request for a blessing suggests that he recognizes that his combatant is neither an ordinary man nor out to destroy him. Though not specifically affirmed in the text, there are indications that the man was Yahweh embodied( compare note on 32:24). 32:28 name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel Jacob’ s name must be changed due to its association with his misdeeds( see note on 25:26; note on 27:36). Here, the reasoning for the name Israel( yisra’ el, in Hebrew) is the verbal phrase“ you have striven with( or struggled with) God.” This suggests the name derives from the
Hebrew verb sarah, meaning“ to struggle,”“ to strive” or“ to fight.” The name yisra’ el itself could mean“ God will struggle,”“ May God struggle” or“ God fights,” suggesting that the meaning given here is wordplay. See the table“ Symbolic Names of People in Hebrew” on p. 1388. 32:29 Why do you ask my name Jacob may make this request because he wishes to honor the one he has wrestled with( compare Jdg 13:17 – 18), or because of the ancient Near Eastern belief that knowing a spiritual being’ s name gave a person the ability to evoke the power of that being( compare Ex 20:7; Lk 10:17). Similarly, the man asks Jacob his name before blessing him— indicating that the usage of a name was necessary for a blessing to be given. 32:30 Peniel This name in Hebrew( penu’ el) means“ face of God”— hence the explanation that follows. The place Peniel is mentioned elsewhere in the OT( e. g., Jdg 8:8 – 9). 32:32 tendon attached Jewish tradition associates this with the sciatic nerve. In refraining from eating this part of an animal, Israelites were reminded of Jacob’ s name change and God’ s blessing on Israel. This tradition is only noted here in the OT.
33:1 – 20 As Esau approaches, Jacob divides his children among their respective mothers and then greets his brother with respect and deference( Ge 33:1 – 3). Despite Jacob’ s concerns( see 32:6 – 8), Esau welcomes Jacob affectionately( vv. 4 – 7). Esau initially refuses Jacob’ s gift, but he eventually yields to Jacob’ s urging( vv. 8 – 11). Esau then encourages Jacob to return to Edom with him, but Jacob continues to Shechem( vv. 12 – 20). The chapter ends with Jacob following the pattern of Abraham and Isaac by erecting an altar to God( see v. 20 and note).
33:3 bowed down to the ground seven times The sevenfold prostration was used to express subordination to a superior. See the infographic“ The Amarna Letters” on p. 337.