Genesis 32:22-32

Genesis 32:22-32

[22] And he rose up  that night,  and took  his two  wives,  and his two  womenservants,  and his eleven  sons,  and passed over  the ford  Jabbok.  [23] And he took them,  and sent them over  the brook,  and sent over  that he had. [24] And Jacob  was left  alone; and there wrestled  with him until the breaking  of the day.  [25] And 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. [26] And he said,  Let me go,  for the day  breaketh.  And he said,  I will not let thee go,  except  thou bless  [27] And he said  unto him, What is thy name?  And he said,  Jacob.  [28] And he said,  Thy name  shall be called  no more Jacob,  but Israel:  for as a prince hast thou power  with God  and hast prevailed.  [29] And 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  [30] And Jacob  called  the name  of the place  Peniel:  for I have seen  God  face  and my life  is preserved.  [31] And as he passed over  Penuel  the sun  rose  upon him, and he halted  upon his thigh.  [32] Therefore 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. 

What does Genesis 32:22-32 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

"Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here Genesis 32:22 is the summary statement, while Genesis 32:23 begins the detailed account." [1]
This site was probably just a few miles east of the Jordan Valley ( Genesis 32:22). The Jabbok joins the Jordan River about midway between the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee) and the Salt (Dead) Sea. [2]
It was when Jacob was alone, having done everything he could to secure his own safety, that God came to him ( Genesis 32:24). An unidentified man assaulted Jacob, and he had to fight for his life. The "man" was the Angel of the Lord ( Genesis 32:28-30; cf. Hosea 12:4). Note that God took the initiative in wrestling with Jacob, not vice versa. God was bringing Jacob to the end of himself. He was leading him to a settled conviction that God was superior to him and that he must submit to God"s leadership in his life (cf. Romans 12:1-2).
"The great encounter with God came when Jacob knew himself to be exposed to a situation wholly beyond him." [3]
This was not a vision or a dream, but a real event. The injury to Jacob"s hip joint proves this. It was God"s third revelation to Jacob.
Jacob"s refusal to release the man indicates the sincerity of his felt need for God"s help ( Genesis 32:26; cf. John 15:5). Again Jacob demonstrated his strong desire for blessing.
"Jacob completed, by his wrestling with God, what he had already been engaged in even from his mother"s womb, viz. his striving for the birthright; in other words, for the possession of the covenant promise and the covenant blessing . . . . To save him from the hand of his brother, it was necessary that God should first meet him as an enemy, and show him that his real opponent was God Himself, and that he must first of all overcome Him before he could hope to overcome his brother. And Jacob overcame God; not with the power of the flesh however, with which he had hitherto wrestled for God against man (God convinced him of that by touching his hip, so that it was put out of joint), but by the power of faith and prayer, reaching by firm hold of God even to the point of being blessed, by which he proved himself to be a true wrestler of God, who fought with God and with men, i.e, who by his wrestling with God overcame men as well." [4]
With his wrestling with God Jacob began a new stage in his life ( Genesis 32:28); he was a new man because he now began to relate to God in a way new for him. As a sign of this, God gave him a new name that indicated his new relationship to God. "Israel" means "God"s warrior."
"The acknowledgment of the old name, and its unfortunate suitability [5], paves the way for the new name [6]." [7]
". . . the name Israel denoted a spiritual state determined by faith; and in Jacob"s life the natural state, determined by flesh and blood, still continued to stand side by side with this. Jacob"s new name was transmitted to his descendants, however, who were called Israel as the covenant nation. For as the blessing of their forefather"s conflict came down to them as a spiritual inheritance, so did they also enter upon the duty of preserving this inheritance by continuing in a similar conflict." [4]
"Elohim" (very strong one) occurs here to bring out the contrast between God and His creature. Jacob prevailed, in the sense of obtaining his request, by acknowledging his dependence and cleaving to God as his deliverer.
"The transformation pertains to the way in which Jacob prevails. Heretofore he prevailed over people by trickery. Now he prevails with God, and so with humans, by his words, not by the physical gifts conferred on him at birth or acquired through human effort." [9]
"One wonders if "Why is it that you inquire about my name?" [10] is another way of asking, "Jacob, don"t you realize who I am?"" [11]
Another view is that God withheld His name to heighten Jacob"s awe at this great event and to impress the significance of the event on Jacob all the more.
Jacob believed that he had seen God face to face ( Genesis 32:30). The ancients believed that anyone who saw God face to face would die (cf. Genesis 16:13; Exodus 33:20; Judges 13:21-22). He was probably also grateful that the Angel had not dealt with him more severely, as he deserved. "Peniel" sounds more like "face of God" in Hebrew than the more common Penuel, which means the same thing. Perhaps Peniel was an older form of the place name and Penuel a newer form. Penuel seems to have been more common (cf. Judges 8:8). Or perhaps these names describe two places located closely together, though this seems less likely.
The result of this spiritual crisis in Jacob"s life was obvious to all who observed him from then on ( Genesis 32:31). It literally resulted in a change in his walk. [12]
"When God touched the strongest sinew of Jacob, the wrestler, it shriveled, and with it Jacob"s persistent self-confidence." [13]
Every Christian does not need to have this type of drastic experience. Abraham and Isaac did not. God has told us that we can do nothing without Him ( John 15:5) and that we should believe Him. It is only when we do not believe Him that He must teach us this lesson. Sometimes He has to bring us very low to do it. Every Christian should yield himself or herself to the lordship of God ( Romans 6:13; Romans 6:19; Romans 12:1-2).
"If only the swimmer yields to the water, the water keeps him up; but if he continues to struggle, the result is disastrous. Let us learn to trust, just as we learn to float." [14]
To become strong in faith the believer must forsake self-sufficiency.
"The narrative is presented in a deliberately enigmatic manner to channel the reader"s imagination in certain directions." [15]