Chapter Thirty-Two
Jacob Encounters Esau
32:1 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
God promised Jacob that He would be with him during his return trip home (see Genesis 31:3). Undoubtedly, after leaving Haran, a place where he lived for twenty years, and after his “lively” meeting with Laban, Jacob probably needed some God-given reassurance. Seeing the angels of God gave Jacob the boost he needed. The text does not reveal what made them appear unique, however, Jacob recognized them as angels, perhaps remembering from his encounter with God many years earlier when he was en route to his mother’s brother’s home (see Genesis 28:12). Upon seeing them, Jacob exclaimed, “This is God’s camp!” and then named the location ‘Mahanaim’,[1] meaning “two camps” or “dual camp” (it became a location later used as a boundary marker between tribes by Joshua, see Joshua 13:26; the capital for Israel during Ishoboseth’s reign, see 2 Samuel 2:8; and was the city where David fled from Absalom, see 2 Samuel 17:24-27). The presence of these angels testified to Jacob, and also anyone else in the area through his proclamation and naming, that he was being guarded not only by his own small family, but by a much larger force, God’s angels.
One of man’s greatest fears is not knowing the future, especially when it comes to predicting the reactions of a fellow human being after crossing them. Like most fears, the unknown slowly turns into a source of great anxiety and concern. Jacob may have been spending a lot of time thinking about his brother and how he felt before leaving his family. Since the text does not mention any communique from his mother regarding Esau (see Genesis 27:45), Jacob may have been thinking that he might have an unfriendly reunion soon. It could be that now, after seeing the angels, Jacob had the courage to reach out to Esau.
32:3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 4 instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. 5 I 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.’ ” 6 And 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.” 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 8 thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”
In what might be called today as a “proactive” move, Jacob decides to contact his brother in the hope of creating peace between them. Jacob must have heard that Esau was living in the land of Seir (named after a Horite chieftain, see Genesis 36:20), a location also known as the country of Edom, another name for Esau (see Genesis 25:30; 36:1). So, he sent some messengers, possibly his servants, to Seir to relay a message to Esau. The message was very much subservient in nature, Jacob wanted Esau to know that he was not interested in their family politics or prestige (he had no problem in recognizing Esau’s leading role in the family), nor was he interested in any of Esau’s possessions, as he had oxen, donkeys, flocks, and servants of his own.
The text does not indicate whether Esau was already en route to meet Jacob, possibly hearing that he was returning from Haran, or that he was responding to the messengers sent by Jacob. If he was already coming to greet Jacob, he may not have known Jacob’s intentions. After obtaining their father’s blessing and the birthright, Jacob could be seen as the potential aggressor. Even if Esau heard from Jacob’s messengers about the offer of peace between them, he may not have been convinced. In either case, he gathers a small army of 400 men to defeat Jacob if the encounter became violent.
Hearing that Esau was near with 400 men, Jacob naturally concluded that Esau still held a grudge against him. Not wanting to remain vulnerable to an attack while they are traveling, Jacob decides to split into two groups. However, Jacob did not stop there, he knew he was going to need help.
32:9 And 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,’ 10 I 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. 11 Please 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. 12 But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”
Jacob turned to God, what more do we really need to know? Jacob offers a prayer that could easily be a model prayer for all believers. First, he recognizes who God is, next Jacob incorporates a promise given to him by God before he started the trek home. As believers, we also have many Scriptural promises we can refer to in our prayers, not to remind God, as that is unnecessary, but to help connect our situation or need to our desire for help from God (similar to a friend calling another friend, saying, “you said if I needed help, well I need help”). Then in great humility before God, Jacob recognizes that he does not deserve God’s love. The reality is that nobody does, perhaps the greatest mystery for any human being is to ponder the question of why God loves us, but don’t spend too much time pondering, it is clear that He does. Knowing that all he had when he left home years ago was himself and his staff, Jacob recognized that everything that he now possessed, was a blessing from God, which then led him to his request, deliverance from his brother. Jacob once again refers to an earlier promise regarding his offspring becoming a multitude too great to be numbered, which could not occur if Esau killed them all. Did he really believe that God would allow Esau to kill him and his family? Probably not, he may have been desperate and greatly afraid, but he knew God was with him, so after praying he just waited. If he was still dreading the encounter, he would have undoubtedly attempted an escape, but he did not.
32:13 So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 These 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.” 17 He 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?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.’ ” 19 He 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, 20 and 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.” 21 So the present passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in th e camp.
Jacob thought a gift to his brother would help convey the idea that all he wanted was peace. This was no small gift: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 female sheep, 20 rams, 30 milking camels and their calves, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. Jacob instructed his servants to keep them in separate “droves,” (Hebrew word ‘ē’·ḏěr’,[2] referring to a group of animals, such as a flock or a herd) and as Esau approaches, upon inquiry, they are to say that these animals are gift for him. He was hoping these gifts would appease him and by the time Esau reached Jacob, he would no longer desire to do harm. This effort could possibly fall into the category of attempting to “help God.” Like many believers who want to avoid conflict (see Considerations under Genesis chapter 20, regarding prayer and trusting in God), Jacob thought he should “add” to God’s protectionism[3] .
Considerations
There is a lot to fear in the world: fear of making mistakes; fear of the unknown; fear of ridicule; fear of what other people think of you; fear of inadequacy; fear of disbelief; fear of death; fear of disease; and the list goes on. Some believe that admitting your fears to God is a mistake, like how Jacob did here. This logic is horribly wrong! God already knows your fears, we cannot hide anything from Him. While some people may be physically fear-less (like someone balancing on a chair on a high wire), we all have fears. As we grow older some fears disappear, while new ones take root.
God calls us to trust Him in all things (see Proverbs 3:5-6), if we truly trust Him, we should not have any fears, right? In theory, yes, however in reality, we are human, and being human means we are fragile, mortal, and often fearful. Admitting our fears to God helps us recognize our own limitations and in turn helps us let go of our concerns and allow God to work in our lives. God’s promises are absolute, He cannot lie (see Numbers 23:19; Psalm 89:34), plus He offers something that cannot be found anywhere else, Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27, see also Philippians 4:7) With Jesus, our fears disappear, this is part of our walk with Him, we are to give our fears to Him, be honest and tell Him!
Wrestling with God
32:22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.
After organizing the various droves of animals and sending them on their way with his servants, Jacob now deals with what he might consider his “most precious cargo,” his family. Here they cross over the Jabbok River, which flowed west into the Jordan River, approximately halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. While often considered just a stream, the Jabbok had carved several deep ravines through the Gilead mountains and could be treacherous to cross. This ford allowed Jacob and his family to safely cross to the south side. Knowing that Esau would be heading north, and they are heading south, it is apparent that Jacob had no intention of retreating.
Jacob had either crossed over the Jabbok and came back to the north shore or only sent his family across as the text in verse 23 implies. In either case, Jacob remained on the north side, probably to be alone to pray.
32:24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When 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. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Jacob is alone, and one can only wonder what was going on in his head. Then suddenly a man appears and begins to wrestle with him (the Hebrew word ‘yē·’ā·ḇēq’,[4] meaning “to wrestle,” is found only in this story). Was God trying to get Jacob’s mind off the inevitable encounter or was He trying to exhaust Jacob to the point he had no choice than to depend on Him? The ‘fight’ continued to daybreak! No matter how you look at this story, it is very strange. Did Jacob wrestle with a man, an angel, or with Jesus? Was this story just an allegory of some spiritual battle? It may be important to note that the name “Jabbok,” which sounds like the name “Jacob,” may possibly have the same root word, meaning “to wrestle.” Since this story is unusual and, for many, asks more questions than it answers, there has been a wide variety of interpretations and explanations.
To begin with, there is no evidence to support an allegorical interpretation, especially since the narrative up to this point has been straightforward (not requiring any hidden knowledge or secondary meanings). Therefore, this story was intended to be understood literally. We also know that the person Jacob wrestled with was in the form of a man. So, the mysterious person may have been another man, an angel (we know that they can assume the form of a human), or was it someone greater? From Jacob’s perspective, his combatant was more than a man or an angel, he claimed he had, “seen God face to face,” the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ (see commentary under Genesis 3:8-10 for further discussion on Christophanies).
Jacob names the location Peniel (Hebrew word, ‘penî·’ēl’,[5] meaning “face of God,” or “facing God”), and later in verse 31, we see a slight spelling variation of the same location, Penuel (the Hebrew word, ‘penû·’ēl’),[6] while some manuscripts and versions vary, the meaning remains the same. Some scholars believe the first word represents the action of naming the location and the second spelling represents the actual use of the name.
God wrested with Jacob until he was finally ready to receive His blessing and at that point Jesus touched Jacob’s hip socket. But even with his ball-and-socket joint in the thigh dislocated, Jacob would not stop, until his opponent was willing to bless him. Some argue that Jacob would never be able to win a “wrestling match,” with God, that may be true in a combat situation, but this is what God wanted. Through His touch, God imposed a physical injury on Jacob that would help him remember this occasion, where he was allowed to both prevail and live.
Prior to Jesus giving Jacob a blessing, He asks Jacob his name, not that He did not already know who he was, but to call attention to the meaning of his name. God changes his name from Jacob, meaning “heel-catcher,” which can also mean “one who supplants,” to “Israel” (‘yiś·rā·’ēl’),[7] meaning “He strives with God” or “God strives.” The name has been rendered many ways including, “One who fights victoriously with God,” “A Prince with God” and “God is the Ruler;” a name that continues to be the identity that his descendants have used ever since that night. This is the first of over 2,500 times the word ‘Israel’ appears in the Old Testament.
32:32 Therefore 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.
Most scholars believe Moses added this verse as it is an unusual commentary regarding the tradition that was later developed to commemorate Jacob’s encounter and blessing. However, this practice was never incorporated in God’s dietary law (see Leviticus chapter 11), nor was it in rabbinic law or any kosher law today.
Considerations
As discussed earlier, many of God’s servants receive name changes.[8] Jacob’s name gets changed to Israel, the contrast is enormous. The name Jacob essentially reflects the nature of man, one who wrestles and possibly supplants (the desire to topple or replace). The name Israel is very much the opposite, referring to one who strives with God, standing victoriously with God. The name Israel is God’s permanent testimony to the character of Jacob.
Usually in the Bible when we read about a name change, such as Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah or even Saul to Paul, later references always use their new name. This is not the case with Jacob (and to a lesser extent, Simon-Peter), we will at times see the text refer to him still as Jacob. Some scholars believe that when that occurs, it is reflecting his thinking or behavior. When he is walking with God, the text refers to him as Israel, when he starts to think like a human, the text refers to him as Jacob. Although the text will continue to name him Jacob until after Genesis 35:10 when God told him a second time, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.”
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 4266.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 5739.
[3] See Considerations under Genesis chapter 16, regarding God’s timing.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 79.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 6439.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 6439.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 3478.
[8] See commentary under Genesis 1:14-19.