A-Z: Famous stories from the Bible: Jacob wrestles till dawn and is named Israel

Definition

Jacob wrestling, image by Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing available through Creative Commons Some years after Jacob had left his father’s home, he decided to return. He was fearful of meeting Esau, the brother he had cheated so many years previously.

On his way back to his own country of Canaan, Jacob stopped for the night by the Jabbok river. He sent his family on ahead across the brook, but did not do so himself, preferring to sleep alone.

During the night an angelic man wrestled with Jacob until dawn. Neither of them was winning the struggle but the unknown man managed to dislocate Jacob’s hip. Still Jacob continued wrestling and when the man wanted to leave, Jacob refused to let him go until the man had blessed him.

The mysterious man asked Jacob his name, and when Jacob told him, the man stated that from now onwards, Jacob would be known as ‘Israel’ (which means ‘contends with God’), because he had wrestled with God and men and had won.

The man refused to tell Jacob his own name but gave Jacob his blessing. Jacob realised that he had seen God face to face and yet survived, and so he renamed the place Peniel (which means ‘face of God’).

The story illustrates:

God had a purpose for Jacob’s life, but Jacob had to acknowledge that he needed God’s blessing first (rather than try and manipulate events as he had before)
God is pleased when people persist in trying to get to know him better, despite difficulties.

Bible References

Genesis 32:22-30

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. ²And when Jacob saw them he said, This is God's camp! So he called the name of that place Mahanaim. ³And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, ⁴instructing them, Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. ⁵I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight. ⁶And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him. ⁷Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, ⁸thinking, If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape. ⁹And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good, ¹⁰I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. ¹²But you said, I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. ¹³So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, ¹⁴two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ¹⁵thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove. ¹⁷He instructed the first, When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you? ¹⁸then you shall say, They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us. ¹⁹He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, You shall say the same thing to Esau when you find him, ²⁰and you shall say, Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us. For he thought, I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me. ²¹So the present passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp. ²²The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. ²⁴And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. ²⁶Then he said, Let me go, for the day has broken. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. ²⁷And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸Then he said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed. ²⁹Then Jacob asked him, Please tell me your name. But he said, Why is it that you ask my name? And there he blessed him. ³⁰So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered. ³¹The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. ³²Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh.

¹And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. ²And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. ³And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. ⁴And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: ⁵And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. ⁶And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. ⁷Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; ⁸And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. ⁹And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: ¹⁰I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. ¹¹Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. ¹²And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. ¹³And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; ¹⁴Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, ¹⁵Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. ¹⁶And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. ¹⁷And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? ¹⁸Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. ¹⁹And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. ²⁰And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. ²¹So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. ²²And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. ²³And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. ²⁴And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. ²⁶And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ²⁷And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ²⁹And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. ³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. ³¹And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. ³²Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

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