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| 1 When, Jacob, had gone on his way, there met him, messengers of God. |
And Jacob – Being at this time 97 years old and having been absent 40 years. R1634:3
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| 2 And Jacob said, when he saw them, the camp of God, is this! So he called the name of that place, Mahanaim. |
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| 3 Then did Jacob send messengers before him, unto Esau his brother,–to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. |
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| 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus, shall ye say to my lord, to Esau, Thus, saith thy servant Jacob, With Laban, have I sojourned, and tarried until, now: |
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| 5 And I have oxen and asses, flocks and men-servants and maid-servants, So I must needs send to tell my lord, that I might find favour in thine eyes. |
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| 6 And the messengers returned unto Jacob, saying,–We came in unto thy brother, unto Esau, moreover also, he is on his way to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. |
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| 7 Then was Jacob greatly afraid, and in distress. So he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two camps. |
Afraid and distressed – Representing the present fears of the Jewish people as they near the time of their restoration. R3970:3
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| 8 And he said, Should Esau come upon the one camp, and smite it, yet shall the camp that is left escape. |
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| 9 And Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac,–Yahweh, who wast saying unto me,–Return to thy land and to thy kindred, that I may deal well with thee;– |
And Jacob said – The first recorded prayer in the Bible; a perfect prayer as measured by the standard of the Lord's prayer, and following the same general lines of adoration to the Almighty, humiliation in his presence, petition for divine care and protection, and repetition of the divine promises as the ground for faith and hope. R3969:2
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| 10 I am too small for all the lovingkindnesses, and for all the faithfulness, which thou hast done unto thy servant,–For, with my staff, passed I over this Jordan, But, now, have I become two camps. |
I am not worthy – An excellent example of earnest, persevering prayer. R5481:1
With my staff – Without other possessions. R3969:3, R5481:1
Over this Jordan – When fleeing from home. R2864:3, R5481:1
Became two bands – Referring to his large possessions of herds, etc., which he had divided into two bands. R3969:3, R5481:1
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| 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, out of the hand of my brother, out of the hand of Esau,–for, I, am afraid, of him, lest he come in and smite–mother, as well as sons! |
The hand of Esau – Type of natural Israel and Christendom. D15; F172
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| 12 But, thou thyself, saidst,–I will, deal well, with thee,–So will I make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not to be counted, for multitude. |
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| 13 And he tarried there that night, and took of that which came to his hand, a present for Esau his brother:– |
And took of that – Jacob was not content merely to pray, but labored also to set his affairs in the best possible order for the difficulties ahead. R3969:6
A present for Esau – Despite the fact that he had previously abandoned to him all the immense wealth of Isaac, which was his by birthright. We should not be sticklers for full justice and the last penny in earthly matters. R2865:4
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| 14 She-goats, two hundred; And he-goats, twenty; Ewes, two hundred; And rams, twenty; |
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| 15 Milch camels, with their colts, thirty; Cows, forty; And bulls, ten; She-asses, twenty; And young he-asses, ten. |
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| 16 And he gave them into the hand of his servants, each drove by itself,–and said unto his servants–Pass over before me, and, a breathing-space, shall ye put betwixt drove and drove. |
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| 17 And he commanded the first one, saying: When Esau my brother shall fall in with thee, and shall ask thee, saying, Whose art, thou? and whither wouldst thou go? and to whom belong these before thee? |
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| 18 then shalt thou say, To thy servant Jacob: It is, a present, sent to my lord, to Esau; And behold, he himself also, is behind us. |
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| 19 And he commanded the second also, and the third, yea all that were going on behind the droves, saying,–According to this word, shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. |
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| 20 Then shall ye say, Also, lo! thy servant Jacob, is behind us. For he said: I must pacify him with the present that goeth on before me, And, after that, will I see his face: Peradventure he will accept me. |
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| 21 So the present passed over before him,–whereas, he himself, tarried that night in the camp. |
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| 22 And he arose in that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons,–and passed over the ford of Jabbok. |
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| 23 So he took them, and sent them over the brook,–and sent over that which he had. |
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| 24 And Jacob was left alone,–and there wrestled a man with him, until the uprisings of the dawn. |
And Jacob – Type of his faithful ones, the New Creation. F172
Was left alone – To continue his prayer. The account which follows fitly represents our Lord's experiences in the garden of Gethsemane. Our Lord agonized for long hours and finally got the blessing. R3970:1
Wrestled – Permitting Jacob to get into an earnest attitude. We need not wrestle with God, we already have his special blessing. R5835:6
A man with him – An angel in human form. R3969:6
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| 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 put out of joint, as he wrestled with him. |
Of his thigh – Probably the sciatic nerve. R2866:5
Was out of joint – Probably remained so the balance of his life as a reminder that he owed everything he possessed to the Lord's blessing. R2866:5
Wrestled with him – The blessing being withheld until he should more and more feel the need of it and struggle to obtain it. R3970:1
God would have us thus "strive to enter in." (Luke 13:24) R1634:5
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| 26 Then said he–Let me go, for uprisen hath the dawn. And he said: I will not let thee go,–except, thou have blessed me. |
Will not let thee go – Representing the Jewish people when the Lord shall shortly "pour out upon them the spirit of prayer and supplication." (Zech. 12:10) R3970:3
"Men ought always to pray and not to faint." (Luke 18:1) R2865:6
Thou bless me – Similarly our prayers should be for the Lord's blessing, not for temporal prosperity. R2865:6
Jacob was full of faith in the power of God and in his promise to protect him and make of him a great nation. R5481:2
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| 27 Then he said unto him–What is thy name? And he said–Jacob. |
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| 28 Then he said–Not Jacob, shall thy name be called any more, but, Israel,–For thou hast contended with God and with men, and hast prevailed. |
But Israel – Meaning "Mighty with God," or "A prince with God." R5481:4, R5832:3, R2866:2; OV66:1
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| 29 Then asked Jacob and said, Do, I pray thee, tell me thy name! And he said–Wherefore now, shouldest thou ask for my name? And he blessed him there. |
After my name – The angel seemingly had no desire to flaunt his own name and have it handed down to posterity. He desired the praise to be given to God. R3970:6
Blessed him there – The darkest seasons of Jacob's life were the special occasions for the manifestations of divine favor. R1635:1
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| 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; For I saw God, face to face; and my soul was delivered. |
Peniel – Meaning "The face of God." R5481:5
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| 31 And the sun rose on him as soon as he had passed over Penuel,–he, moreover, was halting upon his thigh. |
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| 32 For this cause, the sons of Israel eat not of the nerve of the large hip-sinew, which is by the hollow of the thigh, until this day,–because he touched the hollow of the thigh of Jacob, in the nerve of the hip-sinew. |
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