Genesis 32
32
1And Ya’akov went on his way, and the angels of God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] met him.
2And when Ya’akov saw them, he said, This [is] God-Elōhīm’s [The Living Word - The Many Powered] host: and he called the name of that place Machanayim [Two Camps] (two camps).
3And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) sent messengers before him to ‘Esav (hairy) his brother unto the land of Se’ir (hairy, shaggy; The Hairy Guys; riding the storm), the country of Edom (red, ruddy (reddish hair or complexion)).
4And he commanded them, saying, In the following manner shall youf speak unto my lord ‘Esav; youri servant Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) says in this way, I have detained (held) with Lavan (to be white; white guy), and detained (held) there until now:
5And I have oxen, and donkeys, flocks, and menservants, and women servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in youri sight.
6And the messengers returned to Ya’akov, saying, We came to youri brother ‘Esav, and also he comes to meet youi, and four hundred men with him.
7Then Ya’akov 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 ‘Esav (hairy) come to the one company, and strike it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
9And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) said, O God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] of my father Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], and God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] of my father Yitz’chak [Laughter], the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) which said unto me, Return unto youri country, and to youri family, and I will deal well with youi:
10I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which youi have showed unto youri servant; for with my staff I passed over this Yarden (The Descender, Descending); and now I am become two bands.
11Deliver me, I pray youi, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of ‘Esav: for I fear him, lest he will come and strike me, [and] the mother with the children.
12And youi said, I will surely do youi good, and make youri 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 ‘Esav (hairy) his brother;
14Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15Thirty milk production camels with their colts, forty cows, and ten bulls, twenty she donkeys, 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 between drove and drove.
17And he commanded the foremost, saying, When ‘Esav my brother meets youi, and asks youi, saying, Whose [are] youi? and to where go youi? and whose [are] these before youi?
18Then youi shall say, [They be] youri servant Ya’akov’s (he who holds onto the heel of); it [is] a present sent unto my lord ‘Esav: 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 you1sf speak unto ‘Esav (hairy), when you1sf find him.
20And say youf moreover, Behold, youri servant Ya’akov [is] behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps 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 women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Yabok (emptying; to flow).
23And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) 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 Ya’akov’s (he who holds onto the heel of) thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks. And he said, I will not let youi go, except youi bless me.
27And he said unto him, What [is] youri name? And he said, Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of).
28And he said, youri name shall be called no more Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of), but Isra’el [he who holds onto God-The Creator]: for as a prince have youi power with God [EL- The Powerful Living Word] and with men, and hast prevailed.
29And Ya’akov asked [him], and said, Tell [me], I pray youi, youri name. And he said, For what reason [is] it [that] youi ask after my name? And he Blessed (Favored by God; happy; prosperous) him there.
30And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) called the name of the place P’ni-El [Face of The Powerful Living Word of GOD]: for I have seen God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] face to face, and my life is preserved.
31And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) as he passed over P’ni-El [Face of The Powerful Living Word of GOD] the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
32Therefore the children of Isra’el eat not [of] the sinew which shrank, which [is] upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Ya’akov’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.
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Genesis 32: NMV
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Genesis 32
32
A Divine Encounter
1As Jacob continued toward Canaan, the angels of God came to meet him! 2When he saw them, he exclaimed, “This is God’s military camp!” # 32:2 Or “This is God’s camp,” “This is God’s army,” or “Mahanaim.” So he named that place Two Camps of Angels.
3Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau who was living in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4He instructed them, “Give this message from me to my master Esau, ‘I am your servant. I have lived with our uncle Laban all these years 5and have acquired sheep, cattle, donkeys, and both male and female servants. I send this message to you, my master, in the hope of finding favor in your eyes.’ ”
6When the messengers returned to Jacob, they informed him, “We gave your brother Esau your message, and he himself is coming here to meet you. In fact, he’s on his way now with four hundred men!”
7Gripped with fear # 32:7 Or “Bound,” “Tied-up,” “Restricted,” implying that Jacob was immobilized by his anxiety. to the point of panic, Jacob split all the people who were with him into two camps, and also the flocks, herds, and camels. 8He said to himself, “If Esau attacks the first camp and destroys them, at least the other camp will escape.”
9Then Jacob prayed, “Yahweh, God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, you said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will make you prosper.’ 10I am so unworthy of all the loving-kindness and faithfulness that you have showered upon me, your servant. When I crossed this river Jordan years ago, all I had to my name was a staff in my hand, and now I have increased to become two camps! 11Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I’m afraid he will come and kill all of us, including the women and children. 12You said to me, ‘I will certainly prosper you and make your offspring as innumerable as the sand of the sea.’ ” 13So he spent the night there.
From what he had with him, Jacob sent a gift # 32:13 Or “Jacob sent from what he had in his hand.” to his brother Esau: 14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty female camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. # 32:15 This was at least 550 animals, a substantial gift indeed. Perhaps Jacob was attempting to return a portion of the stolen birthright. 16He placed them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself. He told them, “Go on ahead of me, and put some space between each herd.”
17He gave these instructions to the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you, and asks, ‘Who is your master? # 32:17 Or “To whom are you?” Where are you going? Who owns these herds you are driving?’ # 32:17 Or “Whose are these ahead of you?” 18then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. He’s sent them as a gift to you, my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’ ”
19He likewise instructed the leaders of the second and the third herds and all those following them, “You must say the same thing when you meet Esau. 20And be sure to say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us,’ ” because he reasoned, “If I can appease Esau with these gifts before I have to meet him face-to-face, he may accept me.” 21So he sent the gifts on ahead of him, while he spent that night in the camp.
A Midnight Wrestling Match
22During the night, Jacob arose, woke up his two wives, his two maidservants, and eleven sons, and had them cross the ford of the Jabbok River. # 32:22 The name of this river was a prophecy of what God was doing in his servant. Jabbok means “emptying.” The Jabbok is known today in Arabic as the Wadi Zerga, which empties into the Jordan twenty-five miles north of the Dead Sea. 23He sent them across along with everything he had, 24and Jacob was left all alone. # 32:24 To be left alone with God is the only true way of coming to self-discovery. This was the turning point for Jacob. His schemes had all failed, and now he faced God alone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man appeared and wrestled # 32:24 The Hebrew word for “wrestle” is related to a word for “dust” or “get dusty,” as two people do when wrestling on the ground. There is an amazing play on words in the Hebrew between the words “he wrestled” (ye’abeq), “Jabbok” (yabboq), and “Jacob” (yàaqob). The eyes of Jacob could not discern who was coming out of the shadows, just as Jacob’s father, Isaac, could not discern who it was that received his blessing. It was not Jacob wrestling a man, but a Man wrestling with Jacob. The One whom Jacob saw at the top of the stairway at Bethel had come down to wrestle with him—and roll in the mud of Jacob’s mistakes. with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he was not winning the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint, leaving it wrenched as he continued to wrestle with him. # 32:25 Jacob grabbed a heel; God grabbed his hip! Through these private encounters with the Lord, we become those whose names have been changed (see Gen. 17:5; Isa. 62:2, 4; Rev. 2:17; 3:12); we are changed into humbled, transformed ones who are subdued by the power of God (see Phil. 3:21). Jacob had at least two night encounters with the Lord: one while he rested (see Gen. 28) and the other while he wrestled. When he rested, the region got a new name—Luz became Bethel. When he wrestled, he got a new name—Jacob became Israel.
26Eventually, the man said to him, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.”
But Jacob refused. “No! Not until you bless me!” # 32:26 Jacob might have initially thought it was Esau who had come at midnight to wrestle him. But as the night wore on, he realized the Man was a divine being (see Hos. 12:4). Perceiving this was a supernatural Man who had the power to bless or to curse, Jacob refused to release him until he pronounced a blessing over him.
27“What is your name?” # 32:27 This was a strange question because God knew his name. God touched not only his hip but also his slumbering conscience. When asked this question, Jacob’s imagination took him back over twenty years to the dark tent where his blind, aged father had faced him with the same question and he had answered, “It’s I—Esau”—and got away with it (see Gen. 27:19)! Now the Lord had come to Jacob insisting he acknowledge that he was the one who took advantage of his father and his brother. Jacob means “heel grabber” or “supplanter.” The Lord was insisting that his blessings would only begin when Jacob realized the true need of his heart. By speaking out his name, Jacob confessed his true nature: “I am a deceiver, a cheat. My name is heel grabber.” This confession liberated Jacob and opened the way for inner transformation (see Ps. 119:116; 2 Cor. 4:16). asked the man.
“Jacob,” he replied.
28“Not anymore,” the man said to him. “Your new name is Israel, # 32:28 Israel means “one who struggled with God and prevailed,” “may God [El] preserve,” or “prince with God.” for you have struggled both with God and with people and have overcome.”
29Jacob said, “Please, tell me your name.”
“Why ask my name?” # 32:29 If this is a rhetorical question, it may mean “You should not ask my name.” the man replied, then he spoke a blessing # 32:29 This blessing empowered Jacob to succeed and prosper. over Jacob.
30So Jacob named the place Penuel, # 32:30 Or “Peniel [face of God].” Eight times in the Old Testament this word is spelled “Penuel,” and only once “Peniel.” Since both spellings are in vv. 30 and 31, the translator has chosen to make them identical. saying, “I have seen God face-to-face, yet my life has been spared!” # 32:30 Once you have seen the face of God, the faces of those who oppose you will no longer intimidate you. Jacob could now look Esau in the eyes. 31The sun rose upon him as he crossed the Jabbok River from Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32To this day, the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle attached to the hip socket, because the man struck Jacob’s hip socket at the thigh muscle.
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