Jacob returns to Canaan after twenty years in Aram and is met by angels, signifying God's protection and a divine presence as he prepares to confront his brother Esau. He sends messengers to Esau, learns of his approach with an army, and wrestles with an angel, resulting in a blessing and a new name, Israel. This chapter illustrates Jacob's faith journey, marked by God's guidance and intervention during moments of fear and uncertainty.

1. GE ESIS 32 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
1 [a]Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of
God met him.
BAR ES,"After twenty years spent in Aram, Jacob now returns to Kenann. As his
departure was marked by a great moment in his spiritual life, so he is now approaching
to a crisis in his life of no less significance
Gen_32:1-3
Jacob has a vision of the heavenly host. This passage, recording Laban’s farewell and
departure, closes the connection of Jacob with Haran and all its toils of servitude, and is
hence, annexed to the previous chapter in the English version. In the distribution of the
original text, it is regarded as the counterpart of the two following verses, in which
Jacob’s onward progress is mentioned, and so placed with them at the beginning of a
new chapter. “The angels of God met him.” Twenty years ago Jacob saw the mystical
ladder connecting heaven and earth, and the angels of God thereupon ascending and
descending from the one to the other. Now, in circumstances of danger, he sees the
angels of God on earth, encamped beside or around his own camp Psa_34:8. He
recognizes them as God’s camp, and names the place Mahanaim, from the double
encampment. This vision is not dwelt upon, as it is the mere sequel of the former scene
at Bethel. Mahanaim has been identified with Mahneh, about eight miles from the cairn
of Laban and Jacob.
CLARKE, "The angels of God met him - Our word angel comes from the Greek
αγγελος aggelos, which literally signifies a messenger; or, as translated in some of our old
Bibles, a tidings-bringer. The Hebrew word ‫מלאך‬ malach, from ‫לאך‬ laach, to send,
minister to, employ, is nearly of the same import; and hence we may see the propriety of
St. Augustine’s remark: Nomen non naturae sed officii, “It is a name, not of nature, but
of office;” and hence it is applied indifferently to a human agent or messenger, 2Sa_2:5;
to a prophet, Hag_1:13; to a priest, Mal_2:7; to celestial spirits, Psa_103:19, Psa_
103:20, Psa_103:22; Psa_104:4. “We often,” says Mr. Parkhurst, “read of the ‫יהוה‬ ‫מלאך‬
malach Yehovah, or ‫אלהים‬ ‫מלאכי‬ malakey Elohim, the angel of Jehovah, or the angels of
God, that is, his agent, personator, mean of visibility or action, what was employed by
God to render himself visible and approachable by flesh and blood.” This angel was
evidently a human form, surrounded or accompanied by light or glory, with or in which

2. Jehovah was present; see Gen_19:1, Gen_19:12, Gen_19:16; Jdg_13:6, Jdg_13:21; Exo_
3:2, Exo_3:6. “By this vision,” says Mr. Ainsworth, “God confirmed Jacob’s faith in him
who commanded his angels to keep his people in all their ways, Psa_91:11. Angels are
here called God’s host, camp, or army, as in wars; for angels are God’s soldiers, Luk_
2:13; horses and chariots of fire, 2Ki_2:11; fighting for God’s people against their
enemies, Dan_10:20; of them there are thousand thousands, and ten thousand times ten
thousand, Dan_7:10; and they are all sent forth to minister for them that shall be heirs
of salvation, Heb_1:14; and they pitch a camp about them that fear God, Psa_34:7.” One
of the oldest of the Greek poets had a tolerably correct notion of the angelic ministry: -
Αυταρ επειπεν τουτο γενος κατα γαια καλυψεν
Τοι µεν ∆αιµονες εισι, ∆ιος µεγαλου δια βουλας,
Εσθλοι, επιχθονιοι, φυλακες θνητων ανθρωπων· κ. τ. λ.
Hesiod. Op. & Dies, l. i., ver. 120.
When in the grave this race of men was laid, Soon was a world of holy demons made,
Aerial spirits, by great Jove design’d To be on earth the guardians of mankind. Invisible
to mortal eyes they go, And mark our actions good or bad below; The immortal spies
with watchful care preside, And thrice ten thousand round their charges glide: They can
reward with glory or with gold, A power they by Divine permission hold - Cooke.
GILL, "And Jacob went on his way,.... From Gilead towards the land of Canaan:
and the angels of God met him; to comfort and help him, to protect and defend him,
to keep him in all his ways, that nothing hurt him, Psa_91:11; these are ministering
spirits sent forth by God to minister to his people, the heirs of salvation; and such an one
Jacob was.
HE RY, "Jacob, having got clear of Laban, pursues his journey homewards towards
Canaan: when God has helped us through difficulties we should go on our way heaven-
ward with so much the more cheerfulness and resolution. Now, 1. Here is Jacob's convoy
in his journey (Gen_32:1): The angels of God met him, in a visible appearance, whether
in a vision by da or in a dream by night, as when he saw them upon the ladder (Gen_
28:12), is uncertain. Note, Those that keep in a good way have always a good guard;
angels themselves are ministering spirits for their safety, Heb_1:14. Where Jacob
pitched his tents, they pitched theirs about him, Psa_34:7. They met him, to bid him
welcome to Canaan again; a more honourable reception this was than ever any prince
had, that was met by the magistrates of a city in their formalities. They met him to
congratulate him on his arrival, as well as on his escape from Laban; for they have
pleasure in the prosperity of God's servants. They had invisibly attended him all along,
but now they appeared to him, because he had greater dangers before him than those he
had hitherto encountered. Note, When God designs his people for extraordinary trials,
he prepares them by extraordinary comforts. We should think it had been more
seasonable for these angels to have appeared to him amidst the perplexity and agitation
occasioned first by Laban, and afterwards by Esau, than in this calm and quiet interval,
when he saw not himself in any imminent peril; but God will have us, when we are in
peace, to provide for trouble, and, when trouble comes, to live upon former observations
and experiences; for we walk by faith, not by sight. God's people, at death, are returning
to Canaan, to their Father's house; and then the angels of God will meet them, to

3. congratulate them on the happy finishing of their servitude, and to carry them to their
rest.
JAMIESO , "Gen_32:1, Gen_32:2. Vision of angels.
angels of God met him — It is not said whether this angelic manifestation was
made in a vision by day, or a dream by night. There is an evident allusion, however, to
the appearance upon the ladder (compare Gen_28:12), and this occurring to Jacob on
his return to Canaan, was an encouraging pledge of the continued presence and
protection of God (Psa_34:7; Heb_1:14).
HAWKER, "This Chapter relates some very extraordinary events, which occurred in
the Patriarch Jacob’s journey towards Canaan, after his separation from Laban. He is
first met by an host of angels. He then sends messengers to his brother Esau, who dwelt
in Seir, to enquire after his welfare, and to inform him of his own. The messengers
return with an account that Esau is coming against him, and with him an army of 400
men: Jacob is greatly distressed with the intelligence, and hath recourse to God by
prayer: he sends over the brook Jabbok all his family and household, and is left alone: an
angel wrestles with him, until the breaking of the day: Jacob prevails, and obtains a
blessing in consequence, the Lord puts a perpetual testimony of honour upon the
Patriarch, in changing his name from Jacob to Israel.
Gen_32:1
Perhaps this meeting was like that mentioned, Gen_28:12.
CALVI , "1.And Jacob went on his way. After Jacob has escaped from the hands
of his father-in-law, that is, from present death, he meets with his brother, whose
cruelty was as much, or still more, to be dreaded; for by the threats of this brother
he had been driven from his country; and now no better prospect lies before him.
He therefore proceeds with trepidation, as one who goes to the slaughter. Seeing,
however, it was scarcely possible but that he should sink oppressed by grief, the
Lord affords him timely succor; and prepares him for this conflict, as well as for
others, in such a manner that he should stand forth a brave and invincible
champion in them all. Therefore, that he may know himself to be defended by the
guardianship of God, angels go forth to meet him, arranged in ranks on both sides.
Hebrew interpreters think that the camp of the enemy had been placed on one side;
and that the angels, or rather God, stood on the other. But it is much more
probable, that angels were distributed in two camps on different sides of Jacob, that
he might perceive himself to be everywhere surrounded and fortified by celestial
troops; as in Psalms 34:7, it is declared that angels, to preserve the worshippers of
God, pitch their tents around them. Yet I am not dissatisfied with the opinion of
those who take the dual number simply for the plural; understanding that Jacob
was entirely surrounded with an army of angels. ow the use of this vision was
twofold; for, first, since the holy man was very anxious about the future, the Lord
designed early to remove this cause of terror from him; or, at least, to afford him
some alleviation, lest he should sink under temptation. Secondly, God designed,
when Jacob should have been delivered from his brother, so to fix the memory of
the past benefit in his mind, that it should never be lost. We know how prone men

4. are to forget the benefits of God. Even while God is stretching out his hand to help
them, scarcely one out of a hundred raises his eyes towards heaven. Therefore it was
necessary that the visible protection of God should be placed before the eyes of the
holy man; so that, as in a splendid theater, he might perceive that he had been lately
delivered, not by chance, out of the hand of Laban; but that he had the angels of
God fighting for him; and might certainly hope, that their help would be ready for
him against the attempts of his brother; and finally, that, when the danger was
surmounted, he might remember the protection he had received from them. This
doctrine is of use to us all, that we may learn to mark the invisible presence of God
in his manifested favors. Chiefly, however, it was necessary that the holy man
should be furnished with new weapons to endure the approaching contest. He did
not know whether his brother Esau had been changed for the better or the worse.
But he would rather incline to the suspicion that the sanguinary man would devise
nothing but what was hostile. Therefore the angels appear for the purpose of
confirming his faith in future, not less than for that of calling past favors to his
remembrance. The number of these angels also encourages him not a little: for
although a single angel would suffice as a guardian for us, yet the Lord acts more
liberally towards us. Therefore they who think that each of us is defended by one
angel only, wickedly depreciate the kindness of God. And there is no doubt that the
devil, by this crafty device, has endeavored, in some measure, to diminish our faith.
The gratitude of the holy man is noted by Moses, in the fact that he assigns to the
place a name, (Galeed,) as a token of perpetual remembrance.
MORGAN, "Verses 1-32
This is unquestionably one of the great chapters of the Bible, and it is significant how constant and
powerful is its appeal to all who live on the principle of faith. It gives the account of the third direct
communication of God to Jacob.
As he returned to his own land, the same conflicting principles which have been evident
throughout are still manifest. His going at all was in direct obedience to the distinct command of
God. There was really no other reason to return. He might still have stayed with Laban and
outwitted him for his own enrichment. Nevertheless, the manner of his going was characterized by
independence and confidence in his own ability. This is seen in the account of the elaborate and
carefully calculated preparation he made for meeting Esau. He was ready to placate Esau with
presents, and prepared a list of them. However, they were to be used only if Esau was hostile.
This coming back into the land was an event of great importance which Jacob seems to have
recognized. When all his own arrangements were made he voluntarily stayed behind and went
down to the Jabbok, quite evidently for some dealing with God. Then and there, in the quiet and
stillness of the night, God met with him in the form of a man. Wrestling with him, God
demonstrated his weakness to Jacob, finally appealing to his spiritual consciousness by crippling
him in his body. This is certainly a story of Jacob's victory, but it was a victory won when,
conscious of a superior power, he yielded and, with strong crying and tears, out of weakness was
made strong. Jacob's limp was a lifelong disability, but it was also the patent of his nobility.
COFFMAN, "Here we have the preliminaries for the meeting of the long-estranged brothers Jacob
and Esau, a moving, dramatic account of their moving toward a reunion after many years of
separation, both having become wealthy in the meanwhile. The actual, face-to-face meeting of the
brothers does not take place until the next chapter, but all of the background for it is here. Jacob's
fear, with which he had lived for so many years, his prayer to God for divine help in the
approaching crisis, his precautions to protect his family against the potential hostility of Esau, with
special concern for Rachel and her children, the rich gifts sent to Esau, his wrestling all night with
an angel of God at Peniel, and, most significant of all, the heavenly award to Jacob of a new
name - these are the events of this chapter which have challenged the thoughts of men for ages.

5. "And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And Jacob said when he saw them,
This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim."
Twenty years before this event when he was about to journey into the land of his twenty-year
bondage, God had appeared to Jacob and strengthened him in the vision of the ladder reaching to
heaven, and now, that he was about to enter into a new phase of his life, again God appeared to
him, first in this vision of the angels, later in the wrestling event. Apparently, only Jacob saw the
heavenly host, just like the occasion when Elisha and his servant were surrounded and threatened
by innumerable enemies. Only the prophet saw the angelic host, until Elisha prayed for God to
"open his eyes" (2 Kings 6:17).
"He called the name of that place Mahanaim ..." "This word is a dual form meaning, "two hosts" or
"bands." The visible band was Jacob and his servants; the invisible band (momentarily visible to
Jacob) was that of the angels."[1] "Mahanaim was later a distinguished city, situated just north of
the Jabbok, and the name and remains are still preserved in a place called Mahneh."[2] The two
great enemies confronted by Jacob were Laban in the land of his long servitude, and Esau in the
land to which he returned. The visions at the beginning of each confrontation assured Jacob of
God's blessing and protection.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:1. The angels of God met him — In some visible and glorious forms, as
they frequently appeared to the patriarchs. Probably only Jacob saw them. They met him to bid
him welcome to Canaan again; a more honourable reception than ever any prince had that was
met by the magistrates of a city. They met him to congratulate his arrival, and his escape from
Laban. They had invisibly attended him all along, but now they appeared, because he had greater
dangers before him. When God designs his people for extraordinary trials, he prepares them by
extraordinary comforts.
ELLICOTT, "(1) Jacob went on his way.—The meeting of Jacob and Laban had been on the
dividing line between the Aramean and the Canaanite lands, and consequently at a spot where
Laban would have found no allies in the natives, but rather the contrary. Delivered thus from
danger from behind, Jacob now takes his journey through the country that was to be the heritage
of his seed, and doubtless he was harassed by many anxious thoughts; for Esau might prove a
fiercer foe than Laban. It was fit therefore that he should receive encouragement, and so after
some days, probably after about a week’s journey southward, he has a vision of “angels of God.”
Angels of God.—Numberless conjectures have been hazarded as to who were these
“messengers of Elohim,” and how they were seen by Jacob. Some, taking the word in its lower
sense, think they were prophets; others, that it was a caravan, which gave Jacob timely
information about Esau’s presence in Seir; others, that it was a body of men sent by Rebekah to
aid Jacob in repelling Esau. More probably, as Jacob on his road to Padan-aram had been
assured of God’s watchful care of him by the vision of the angels ascending and descending the
stairs, so now also in a dream he sees the angels encamped on each side of him, to assure him
of protection against his brother.
COKE, "Genesis 32:1. The angels of God, &c.— When Jacob embarked in this enterprize, and
left Canaan, God was pleased to encourage him by a vision of angels, and by the assurance of
his protection: and now that he was returning, happily escaped from Laban, but with good reason
afraid of Esau, another vision of the celestial messengers is presented to him. From the vision of
the angelical powers, he called the place, by a military name, referring to the idea of hosts or
armies, Mahanaim, or camps, which is not a dual, but a plural word; and therefore all that has
been said of two camps, is built upon a mistake, Psalms 34:7. Mahanaim was situated between
Mount Gilead and the brook Jabbok: it was afterwards one of the residences of the Levites, and
one of the strong places of David.
REFLECTIONS.—God hath preserved the patriarch hitherto, and still continues to guard him safe
home. He had the promise of protection, and he trusted in it: now he has the sight of his angelic
convoy, and may be comforted. Who can hurt them to whom angels minister? And need there
was of every support; for his part dangers were only the prelude of greater impending. God thus

6. prepares his people by strong consolations for difficult services. Note; When the believer draws
near his last conflict in death, then shall these attendant spirits surround the dying bed, to
welcome the departing soul, and lodge it safe in the bosom of Jesus.*
[* The lines of our ancient poet on the ministration of angels to the heirs of glory, are so suitable to
the present subject, and so extremely beautiful, that I cannot forbear inserting them.
And is there care in heaven? And is there love In heavenly spirits to these creatures base, That
may compassion of their evils move? There is: else much more wretched were the case Of men
than beasts. But O! th' exceeding grace Of highest God that loves his creatures so, And all his
works with mercy doth embrace, That blessed Angels he sends to and fro To serve to wicked
man, to serve his wicked foe!
How do they their silver bowers leave To come to succour us that succour want? How oft do they
with golden pinions cleave The flitting skies, like flying Pursuivant, Against foul fiends to aid us
militant? They for us fight, they watch and duly ward, And their bright Squadrons round about us
plant; And all for love, and nothing for reward: O why should heavenly God to men have such
regard!]
NISBET, "‘The angels of God.’
Genesis 32:1
To the Christian, to the member of the Church of England, with his Prayer Book in his hand, there
is a prayer in which we speak to God and recall the existence of a world unseen around us, and
beyond us a great realm, the realm of holy souls, the angels and the archangels of God. Some of
us, with our Churchman’s Almanack in our hand, look up the passages of Scripture, or at least
one of the passages set down for this day, and as we read the passage about Jacob and the
angels, our thoughts go out from the littleness of man’s little world to the greatness of God’s great
world, and go from the little number of men and women of God to be seen on this globe to that
immense army of holy souls made perfect in God, His angels, archangels, cherubim and
seraphim, and to the hosts of heaven; and we feel that our thoughts are lifted up rather than kept
down, our imagination is made stronger, we live for a few seconds in a bigger world than that in
which we are living from day to day while it pleases God that we should remain here on earth.
I. All the Company of Heaven.—It is not the custom in this day to think as much about this unseen
holy existence as men did in days that are gone. It is impossible for us to read the Holy Scriptures
without constantly observing that those who lived in the days of the writers of these sacred books
very fully believed in the existence near about them of endless holy beings belonging to God’s
unseen kingdom, holy souls serving God either in worship or in ministration to the sons of men. In
the Book of Genesis we read of Jacob and the angels. Passing on to a later stage, we read of the
ministration by angels in the times of the great prophets Elijah and Elisha, and, not to multiply
instances, we can readily recall the words of the Hebrew Psalmist when he speaks of the angel of
God tarrying round about those of the sons of men who fear God. Passing to the New Testament,
we can think of the appearance of angels to minister to One no less great than the Son of Man at
the end of His temptation, to minister to Him in the Garden of Gethsemane when His mind was
overwrought with the greatness of the thoughts which pressed upon Him then; and we read of
angels, too, appearing on the Resurrection day with their message of explanation of the things
which the faithful disciples saw. But in our own day we do not perhaps realise quite so fully that
there is ever about us, above us, this great realm of unseen things under the government of God,
pure and holy souls, servants of the same God Whom we serve, and it may be that perhaps in
thinking too seldom of them we miss an uplifting thought that we might otherwise have to help us
in our religious life. May we not endeavour to see whether we cannot put some more thought
about the great realm unseen into our minds? We are engaged in our acts of worship. There is
that important service, the Lord’s own service, Holy Communion. It begins, as you know, with the
words, ‘Our Father, Which art in heaven,’ in the great realm unseen, not distant from us in the
ages of the future, but the realm unseen near about us, the realm of holy thought, the realm in
which the souls of just men made perfect are dwelling, the realm in which angels and archangels
dwell. ‘Our Father, in that heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come here on earth, as
Thy kingdom is recognised there in heaven.’ And we pass on in that service to a point where we

7. lift up our hearts to the Lord, and we say in our worship: ‘It is very meet, right, and our bounden
duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, Holy Father,
Almighty, everlasting God. Therefore’ we go on to say, ‘with angels and archangels, and with all
the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Thy glorious name; evermore praising Thee, and
saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts.’
II.—Joy amongst the angels.—Not only may we in our times of worship have our thoughts uplifted
and imaginations warmed, our conception extended, by thinking of all the inhabitants of this great
unseen world over which our God rules, but we can go out from our worship into the world of our
daily duties in which we meet as men and women. We know well, as Christian men and women
held down by their human infirmities, by the sins which they are continually committing, we can go
out with the thought that not only may we in church worship, be linked with the holy angels of God,
but we can go out with the thought that these angels are with us during the life we live day by day,
taking cognisance of all the efforts we make to win other souls to God, and we go out with the
assurance that there is joy in the presence of these angels of God when through the effort of
ourselves or through the effort of any other believer in the Lord one sinner only repenteth. There
are doubtless in this congregation many men and women who are trying somehow or other to
bring influence for good to bear upon the souls about them, who have not yet felt the influence
from heaven of God’s grace. To all those who are striving thus I would say dwell upon this
thought, and we will in our times of worship let our hearts go out, away from our fellow-
worshippers about us, into the presence of the great God, unseen, surrounded by untold hosts of
heavenly beings, by the souls of those who have lived here and been perfected by the grace of
Jesus Christ; feel ourselves in their presence before our God; and then, having worshipped with
them at the throne of their God and ours, let us go with that inspiration into our daily life in the
world, strengthened by the thought of the hosts with us compared with the few that can be against
us, encouraged by the thought that not only our God, but they, too, are looking on and approving,
and when, through God’s mercy, we are able to bring one soul into the fold of Jesus Christ we
shall be bringing joy and opportunity of great thanksgiving among the angels of God in heaven.
Let us be encouraged at this time by the thought of the greatness of the realm to which we
belong. God, in calling us into His service and making us His sons, has not made us members of
a small concern, not united us into a tiny family, but has given us a great birth-right, made us
members of an immense kingdom. We profess in our creed our belief in Him as ‘Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible,’ and as members of that great
kingdom, as members of that immense family over which God rules and shows His love, let us go
forward inspirited and ennobled, determined that, so far as our influence reaches, other souls
shall get to know the greatness of this inheritance which has become ours. So may we be
strengthened to be more happy and joyful in our own lives, more useful to those who are about us
in the world, and thereby bring more honour, praise, and glory to our God.
Illustration
(1) ‘Who these angelic visitants were we cannot tell, but Jacob accepted their message as clear
and definite for himself. They met him at Mahanaim. This may have been in a vision, as at Bethel,
or the messengers may have appeared to him as they appeared to Abraham while he stood under
the oak at Mamre.’
(2) ‘Something like that will happen to every man who goes on his own way,—not on the path
marked out for Napoleon or Washington, but for him, plain John Smith. Not on the way chosen by
himself against the will of God, but chosen by God’s will for him,—the straight, narrow, individual
path to the goal of his own personal life. Yes, on that path God’s good angels will meet him! There
he will encounter the angels of his household,—his wife and little children. There he will find his
true friends. There he will meet his joys and his sorrows, his failures and his triumphs, his losses
and his gains. There he will catch more than passing glimpses of the Divine presence that hovers
about him always. Nothing is so sweet, nothing so satisfying, as to be in the “way” your feet were
made to travel. Do not leave it for an instant.’
CONSTABLE, "Jacob's attempt to appease Esau 32:1-21

8. Chapters 32 and 33 can be viewed as one episode in the life of Jacob. They describe his return to
the Promised Land including his meeting with Esau. There are thematic parallels between these
chapters and chapter 31.
In spite of the vision of God's assisting messengers, Jacob divided his people into two groups as
a precaution when he heard Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Furthermore he sought
to pacify Esau's anger with an expensive gift in addition to praying for God's deliverance.
Jacob had been able to handle his problems himself by hook or by crook until now. At this point in
his experience God brought him to the end of his natural resources.
"As Jacob is at the precipice of receiving the promise of Canaan, he is not yet morally ready to
carry out the blessing. Jacob must possess his own faith, obtaining the blessing through personal
encounter, not by heredity alone." [Note: Mathews, Genesis 11:27-50:26, p. 537.]
"The events of this chapter are couched between two accounts of Jacob's encounter with angels
(Genesis 32:1; Genesis 32:25). The effect of these two brief pictures of Jacob's meeting with
angels on his return to the land is to align the present narrative with the similar picture of the
Promised Land in the early chapters of Genesis. The land was guarded on its borders by angels.
The same picture was suggested early in the Book of Genesis when Adam and Eve were cast out
of the Garden of Eden and 'cherubim' were positioned on the east of the garden to guard the way
to the tree of life. It can hardly be accidental that as Jacob returned from the east, he was met by
angels at the border of the Promised Land. This brief notice may also be intended to alert the
reader to the meaning of Jacob's later wrestling with the 'man' ... at Peniel (Genesis 32:25-30).
The fact that Jacob had met with angels here suggests that the man at the end of the chapter is
also an angel." [Note: Sailhamer, "Genesis," p. 208.]
HOLE, "Verses 1-29
Thus far, many blemishes have marred the history of Jacob. His desire at the outset for the
birthright and the blessing of God, which accompanied it, was right: the way he schemed to obtain
it altogether wrong. God had been but little in his thoughts, and when, fleeing from Esau's
vengeance, in a night vision he discovered the house of God, he felt it to be a dreadful place. One
of our hymn writers describing his soul's journey, began with, "All of self and none of Thee." If it
was not exactly thus with Jacob, it had certainly been, "Nearly all of self and very little of Thee."
Now however the time had come when God would deal more directly with him, and the first move
was that he should encounter an angelic band. Jacob was migrating with wives, children, servants
and many animals, thus forming a large band. He now became conscious that there was a
second band, standing on his behalf. Even this did not free him from the fear of Esau, and his
approach to him, as given in verses Genesis 32:3-5, though very diplomatic, bears traces of the
working of a bad conscience.
Verse Genesis 32:7 again bears witness to this. The tidings that Esau, at the head of four hundred
men, was coming to meet him, awoke his keenest fears. In spite of having seen the angelic band,
he assumed at once, as the fruit of the working of his conscience, that Esau was on his way to
take vengeance and, true to his nature, he at once worked out an elaborate scheme to placate his
brother and secure himself. All his possessions, starting with flocks and servants and working
down to wives and children, were to meet the brother he feared before he himself had to face him.
But this did not altogether exclude God from his thoughts. In verses Genesis 32:9-12, we have his
prayer recorded. God had intervened with him previously and Jacob had registered a vow, but this
is the first actual prayer of his that is put on record. It does not breathe the spirit of communion
and intercession, such as marked Abraham in Genesis 18:1-33, it was simply a plea for
preservation, while acknowledging God's mercies to him in the past. Yet we notice how rightly he
took a low place, though not as low as Abraham, who said, "I... am but dust and ashes" (Genesis
18:27). Jacob says, "I am not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies," which was indeed true,
though it did not go the whole length. It is a fact in all dispensations that one's sense of
unworthiness and nothingness deepens as nearness to God increases. As an illustration of this
see Psalms 73:17, Psalms 73:22.

9. Jacob's plan was to appease Esau with a present, as verse Genesis 32:20 records. All — even
wives and sons — were sent over the brook at the ford Jabbok, and he was left alone, well to the
rear. Not a very dignified or courageous proceeding! Yet God was in all this, for being left alone,
the moment had come for him to be brought face to face with God Himself, that he might have an
experience, the effect of which he would never lose. Up to this point his life had been mainly one
of scheming against and wrestling with men. Now God by His Messenger was going to wrestle
with him.
"There wrestled a man with him;" such is the record, and doubtless at the start of this incident the
unknown Stranger was to Jacob but a mere man. Who was Jacob to give way to another man?
Hence it put him on his mettle to resist. The Stranger strove to break him down and until breaking
of the day he resisted. Then the supernatural nature of the Stranger was manifested by the
powerful touch which crippled him at his strongest point.
Then at once Jacob's attitude changed. Instead of wrestling, which now had become impossible
to him he took to clinging to his Conqueror. He ceased his striving and took to trusting, realizing
that the One who had overcome him had done so for his blessing, and that he was in the
presence of God. The Name of the Stranger was not revealed, but the blessing that Jacob had
desired from his youth was bestowed upon him then and there.
"He blessed him there," in the place of solitude with God, and when his natural power was
crippled and laid low. The vital blessing of God did not descend upon his head when he struck
that crafty bargain with Esau, nor even when his blind father, deceived by his impersonation of
Esau, pronounced the patriarchal blessing on his head. No, it was when God dealt with him
personally in solitude, and broke his stubborn will. In all this we may see a picture of how God
deals with our souls today, though the grace into which we are called is so much richer than
anything that Jacob knew.
By naming the place Peniel — "The face of God" — Jacob disclosed his deep sense of having
been brought face to face with God and that the outcome was preservation and not destruction.
Here was good reason for him to revise his earlier thought that the house of God and the gate of
heaven was a "dreadful" place.
In this incident we see foreshadowed several striking things. First, that in order to deal fully and
finally with man, God Himself would stoop into manhood, since it was as "a man" that Jacob saw
God "face to face." Second, that God's thought towards us, even the most wayward of us, is
blessing. Third, that human struggling and wrestling achieves nothing, and that surrender or
submission, and honesty in confession, is the way of blessing. Fourth, that it was when clinging to
the One who had vanquished him, and confessing to his name of Jacob - meaning Supplanter —
that his name was changed to Israel — meaning Prince of God — and he was told that he had
power not only with men but with God, and he had prevailed. By changing his name God claimed
Jacob as belonging now to Him.
Thus a great moment in his history had been reached, and as he realized that he had seen God
face to face, with salvation as the result, the sun rose upon him. An experience of this kind in the
history of any soul does indeed mark the dawning of a new day. In Jacob's case the experience
was memorialized for his children by a simple prohibition in their eating, as the last verse of the
chapter records.
But as yet Jacob was hardly equal to his new name, so we do not find it used by the inspired
historian until much later in his story. All his old characteristics come into display in Genesis 33:1-
20, carried to a high degree of obsequiousness. The bowing down of himself and wives and
children could hardly have been more complete and his proffered gifts were large, having made
up his mind to "appease him with the present."
The attitude of Esau was however not what he had anticipated. His anger had cooled off during
the intervening years, and he had become the leader of hundreds of men and thus a man of

10. influence and of large possessions. Though ultimately accepting Jacob's present, he at first
declined it saying, "I have enough," or more literally, "I have much." In verse Genesis 32:11, we
find Jacob saying, "I have enough," but he used a different word, meaning, "all." That word he
could use because he was able to say, "God hath dealt graciously with me." The man of the world
may be able to say, "I have much," it is only the saint, consciously blessed of God, who can say, "I
have all." This is what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:18.
Jacob called his gift "my blessing," but in spite of this he was by no means anxious to have Esau's
company on his further journey. His plea, recorded in verse Genesis 32:13, was doubtless a
genuine one. It lends itself to an application amongst the people of God today. There are always
to be found those who are young and tender, who must not be overdriven. Those who have
reached the stature and activity of full-grown men must remember this, and not force the pace of
their weaker brethren to their undoing. Many a young and tender believer has been damaged by
this kind of thing.
Having declined the proffered help and Esau having departed, Jacob again reveals the
crookedness that seems to have been his natural bent. Having said to Esau, "I come unto my lord
unto Seir," he promptly journeyed to Succoth which lay in an entirely different direction. Moreover,
having arrived there, the record is that he built an house and made booths for his cattle, which
indicates that he had a mind to settle down in the land rather than maintain the character of a
stranger, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Abraham.
The next step recorded is his removal to Shalem, across the Jordan and in the centre of the land.
Here, though he had a tent and an altar, we can again discern that his separation from the people
of the land was becoming impaired. He pitched his tent close to the city, and then bought the land
where he had encamped. Further the very name he gave to his altar tells a similar story. The
name El-elohe-Israel means, "God the God of Israel." He did indeed use his new God-given name
and not his old name of Jacob yet even so he connected God with himself instead of connecting
himself with God. In effect he was saying "God belongs to me," instead of, "I belong to God."
There may not seem to be much difference between these two sentiments but there is a gulf
between the practices they induce, as we may soon see in our own histories. We may recognize
that as, "born of God," and, "in Christ Jesus," we have a new name, yet if we bring God down to
connect Him with our new name, we may easily assume that we may connect Him with our things
— things by no means worthy of His call or of His glory. On the other hand, to recognize that He
has called us to link us with Himself, at once searches our hearts, and lifts us above many a thing
that would entangle us.
The whole of Genesis 34:1-31 is occupied with the unhappy results that sprang from the lowering
of Jacob's separation from the world, which we have just noted. Its effects for evil were not
manifested in Jacob himself but in his family. The tide of evil runs in two broad channels: violence
and corruption. They are first mentioned in Genesis 6:12, Genesis 6:13 : they are personified in
"the evil man" and "the strange woman" of Proverbs 2:12, Proverbs 2:16. The world is just the
same today; and how often we have to hang our heads in shame and confess that a bit of world-
bordering on our part, as Christian parents, has led to sorrow and even disaster in our families.
In our chapter the corruption comes first. His daughter, Dinah, wanted to enjoy the companionship
and pleasures of the other young women of the land, and in result got entangled and defiled, and
this aroused great wrath amongst Jacob's sons, which was not appeased by the action of
Shechem and Ham or in the way of repairing the damage done. The anger came to a head in the
atrocious violence of Simeon and Levi, which was never forgotten by Jacob, nor indeed by God.
When at the end of his life Jacob spoke prophetically of his sons, foretelling the future of the tribes
and uttering certain blessings, he denounced these two sons, cursing their anger, as recorded in
Genesis 49:5-7.
Thus the shameful story of Genesis 34:1-31 not only caused Jacob "to stink among the
inhabitants of the land," — a dreadful position for him, seeing he was the only man in the land
possessing the true knowledge of God — but it brought a judgment upon the two who were the

11. promoters of the violence. It is of interest to note that in later days the tribe of Levi so acted as to
gain a special blessing, and in consequence we are permitted to see how God can turn that which
was originally a curse into a blessing. The word had been, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter
them in Israel" (Genesis 49:7). They were divided; but it was by Levi being called to special
service and scattered throughout all the tribes.
The first verse of Genesis 35:1-29 shows us how God intervened when things had reached this
sorry pass. He called Jacob back to the place where first God had made Himself known to him.
There he was to dwell and there his altar was to be. At Bethel, as we saw in Genesis 28:1-22,
God declared what He would be for and to Jacob, without raising any question as to Jacob's
response or behaviour. Now God is always true to Himself and to His word. Before the giving of
the law through Moses, God was dealing with these patriarchs on the basis of His promises in
grace, and those promises abide.
God deals with us according to grace in the Gospel today. Hence we read of, "this grace in which
we stand" (Romans 5:2), which is equivalent to saying that our dwelling before God is in His grace
or favour. As we dwell in the sense of His favour so shall we be led to approach Him in the spirit of
worship, and to have done with all that is displeasing to Him.
So it was with Jacob as we see here. Immediately God called him back to Bethel he realized that
there were evil things to be found in his household, even strange gods. In Genesis 31:1-55 we
saw how Rachel had carried off from Laban the "gods," or "seraphim," that he valued, and there is
no record of Jacob taking exception to them at that time. But with God before him, he at once
became alive to the evil of them. They were to be put away, and there was to be personal
cleanliness, extending even to the garments they wore, for the presence of God demands a
purging which covers even to that which surrounds us: an important lesson that we all need to
take to heart.
So far all was well with Jacob but a defect soon appears. The unclean things were not destroyed
but only hidden away. They had considerable monetary value and it looks as if he hoped to
resume possession, or at least realize their value, in a future day. The tendency of our foolish
hearts is just the same. Let us see that we do not act in similar fashion with defiling things of the
flesh and of the world that would naturally attract us.
As Jacob went to Bethel God restrained the peoples of the land from taking vengeance on him
and his household because of the violent action of his two sons; and so he safely got there, and
built his altar. The name he gave it stands in contrast with that which he gave to his former altar,
as recorded in the last verse of Genesis 33:1-20. There he connected God simply with himself.
Here he recognized Him as the God of His own dwelling-place. The altar, El-beth-el, demanded
from Jacob a higher standard of conduct than did the altar, El-elohe-Israel.
Arrived at Bethel, things began to move rapidly forward. The first recorded event is the death of
Deborah, who had been nurse to Jacob's mother. A break with the past is thus signified. Then, the
promises of God were confirmed in a fresh appearance of the Almighty. Jacob's new name was
confirmed, and the land was made sure to him. This moved him freshly to set up a pillar of
witness and anoint it, as a response to the revelation. But, as is so often the case in God's ways
this fresh grace from God is followed by fresh losses on the human side.
Leaving Bethel, Rachel was over taken in childbirth and died. Thus he lost his favourite wife,
though in her death he gained a son. As we before noted this was the only occasion when Jacob
himself had to do with the naming of his sons, and the child became known by that name, rather
than by the name his dying mother gave him.
This blow was succeeded by the disgraceful sin of Reuben, so that at this point sorrow succeeded
sorrow. Yet we cannot but think that there is a typical significance in the way these things are
brought together: Rachel typifying the nation out of whom the Messiah was to spring. He was to
be the "Son of Sorrow" in His rejection, which would mean the setting aside of the nation from
whom He sprang. Ultimately the "Son of Sorrow" would be manifested as the "Son of the Right

12. Hand," not only of Jacob but of Jehovah Himself. But until that time, and while as a nation Israel
lies spiritually dead, the Gentiles come into prominence, just as the sons of Leah and the
concubines are prominent in verses Genesis 32:23-26.
The closing verses put on record one more loss, in the death of his aged father, Isaac. Though he
went blind many years before and anticipated his death (Genesis 27:2), it did not actually take
place till he had lived 180 years. The division of Genesis entitled, "The generations of Isaac,"
began at Genesis 25:19, and it extends to the end of Genesis 35:1-29. Under it has come all
these many details as to the earlier history of Jacob.
PULPIT, "And Jacob (after Laban's departure) went on his way (from Galeed and Mizpah, in a
southerly direction towards the Jabbok), and the angels of God—literally, the messengers of
Elohim, not chance travelers who informed him of Esau's being in the vicinity (Abarbanel), but
angels (cf. Psalms 104:4)—met him. Not necessarily came in an opposite direction, fuerunt ei
obviam (Vulgate), but simply fell in with him, lighted on him as in Genesis 28:11, συνήντησαν
αὐτῶ (LXX.), forgathered with him (Scottish); but whether this was in a waking vision (Kurtz, Keil,
Inglis) or a midnight dream (Hengstenberg) is uncertain, though-the two former visions enjoyed by
Jacob were at night (cf. Genesis 28:12; Genesis 31:10). Cajetan, approved by Pererius,
translating ‫ּבֹו‬ "in him," makes it appear that the vision was purely subjective, non fuisse visionem
corporalem, sed internam: the clause interpolated by the LXX; καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἰδε παρεµβολὴν
θεοῦ παρµεβεβληκυῖαν, seems rather to point to an objective manifestation. The appearance of
this invisible host may have been designed to celebrate Jacob's triumph over Laban, as after
Christ's victory over Satan in the wilderness angels came and ministered unto him (Rupertus,
Wordsworth), or to remind him that he owed his deliverance to Divine interposition (Calvin, Bush,
Lange), but was more probably intended to assure him of protection in his approaching interview
with Esau (Josephus, Chrysostom, Rosenmüller, Keil, Murphy, 'Speaker's Commentary'), and
perhaps also to give him welcome in returning home again to Canaan (Kurtz), if not in addition to
suggest that his descendants would require to fight for their inheritance (Kalisch).
TRAPP, "Genesis 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
Ver. 1. Angels of God met him.] Sensibly and visibly, as servants meet their masters, as the guard
their prince. Oh, the dignity and safety of the saints! who are in five respects, say some, above the
angels. (1.) Our nature is more highly advanced in Christ. (2.) The righteousness whereby we
come to glory is more excellent than theirs; which, though perfect in its kind, is but the
righteousness of mere creatures, such as God may find fault with, [Job 4:18] such as may need
mercy; therefore the cherubims are said to stand upon the mercy seat, and to be made of the
matter thereof. (3.) The sonship of the saints is founded in a higher right than theirs - viz., in the
Sonship of the second Person in Trinity. (4.) They are members of Christ, and so in nearer union
than any creature. (5.) They are the spouse, the bride; angels only servants of the Bridegroom,
and "ministering spirits, sent out (as here) to minister for them that shall be heirs of salvation".
[Hebrews 1:14] They meet us still, as they did Jacob: they minister many blessings to us, yet will
not be seen to receive any thanks of us: they stand at our right hands, [Luke 1:11] as ready to
relieve us as the devils to mischief us. [Zechariah 3:1] If Satan, for terror, show himself like the
great "leviathan"; or, for fraud, like a "crooked" and "piercing serpent"; or, for violence and fury,
like "the dragon in the seas"; yet the Lord will smite him by his angels, as with his "great, and sore,
and strong sword". [Isaiah 27:1] Angels are in heaven as in their watch tower {whence they are
called watchers, Daniel 4:13}, to keep the world, the saints especially, their chief charge, in whose
behalf, they "stand ever before the face of God," [Matthew 18:10] waiting and wishing to be sent
upon any design or expedition, for the service and safety of the saints. They are like masters or
tutors, to whom the great King of heaven commits his children: these they bear in their bosoms,
as the nurse doth her babe, or as the servants of the house do their young master, glad to do
them any good office; ready to secure them from that roaring lion, that rangeth up and down,
seeking to devour them. The philosopher told his friends, when they came into his little and low
cottage, Eντευθεν ουκ απεισι θεοι, The gods are here with me. The true Christian may say, though
he dwell never so meanly, God and his holy angels are ever with him, &c.
SBC, "I. Notice first the angels themselves. (1) Their number is very great. (2) They are

13. swift as the flames of fire. (3) They are also strong: "Bless the Lord, ye His angels that
excel in strength." (4) They seem to be all young. (5) They are evidently endowed with
corresponding moral excellences.
II. The ministry of angels has these characteristics. (1) It is a ministry of guardianship.
(2) It is a ministry of cheerfulness. (3) It is a ministry of animation. (4) It is a ministry of
consolation. (5) It is a ministry of fellowship and convoy through death to life and from
earth to heaven.
III. The whole subject shows in a very striking manner (1) the exceeding greatness of the
glory of Christ; (2) the value and greatness of salvation.
A. Raleigh, Quiet Resting-places, p. 182.
Jacob called the name of that place Mahanaim (i.e., two camps). One camp was the little
one containing his women and children and his frightened and defenceless self, and the
other was the great one up there, or rather in shadowy but most real spiritual presence
round about him as a bodyguard, making an impregnable wall between him and every
foe. We may take some plain lessons from the story.
I. The angels of God meet us on the dusty road of common life. "Jacob went on his way
and the angels of God met him."
II. God’s angels meet us punctually at the hour of need.
III. The angels of God come in the shape which we need. Jacob’s want was protection;
therefore the angels appear in warlike guise, and present before the defenceless man
another camp. God’s gifts to us change their character; as the Rabbis fabled that the
manna tasted to each man what each most desired. In that great fulness each of us may
have the thing we need.
A. Maclaren, Christ in the Heart, p. 195.
References: Gen_32:1.—S. Baring-Gould, Preacher’s Pocket, p. 1. Gen_32:1, Gen_
32:2.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxvi., No. 1544. Gen_32:1-32.—Clergyman’s
Magazine, vol. v., p. 101.
Genesis 32:1
Gen_32:1, Gen_32:24
Every man lives two lives—an outward and an inward. The one is that denoted in the
former text: Jacob went on his way. The other is denoted in the latter text: Jacob was
left alone. In either state God dealt with him.
I. The angels of God met him. We do not know in what form they appeared, or by what
sign Jacob recognised them.
In its simplicity the angelic office is a doctrine of revelation. There exists even now a
society and a fellowship between the sinless and the fallen. As man goes on his way, the

14. angels of God meet him.
II. Are there any special ways in which we may recognise and use this sympathy? (1) The
angelic office is sometimes discharged in human form. We may entertain angels
unawares. Let us count common life a ministry; let us be on the look-out for angels. (2)
We must exercise a vigorous self-control lest we harm or tempt. Our Saviour, has
warned us of the presence of the angels as a reason for not offending His little ones.
Their angels He calls them, as though to express the closeness of the tie that binds
together the unfallen and the struggling. We may gather from the story two practical
lessons. (a) The day and the night mutually act and react. A day of meeting with angels
may well be followed by a night of wrestling with God. (b) Earnestness is the condition of
success. Jacob had to wrestle a whole night for his change of name, for his knowledge of
God. Never will you say, from the world that shall be, that you laboured here too long or
too earnestly to win it.
C. J. Vaughan, Last Words at Doncaster, p. 197.
Reference: Gen_32:2.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. xvi., p. 90.
Genesis 32:1-32
Genesis 32
I. God selects men for His work on earth, not because of their personal agreeableness,
but because of their adaptation to the work they have to perform.
II. There is something affecting in the way in which guilty persons invoke the God of
their fathers. Conscious that they deserve nothing at the hands of God, they seek to bring
down on themselves the blessing of the God of their father and mother.
III. When a man is overtaken in his transgression, and all his wickedness seems to come
down upon him, how true it is that then there rises up before him the concurrent
suffering of all his household! It takes hold on him through his wife and his children and
all that he loves.
IV. Men’s sins carry with them a punishment in this life. Different sins are differently
punished.
V. Nothing but a change of heart will put a man right with himself, right with society,
and right with God.
VI. No man who is in earnest need ever despair because of past misdoing.
H. W. Beecher, Sermons, 2nd series, p. 106.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met
him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of
that place Mahanaim.
The ministry of angels
I. THE ANGELS THEMSELVES.

15. 1. Their number is very great.
2. They are swift as the flames of fire.
3. They are strong.
4. They seem to be all young.
5. They are evidently endowed with corresponding moral excellences.
II. THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS HAS THESE CHARACTERISTICS. It is a ministry of—
1. Guardianship.
2. Cheerfulness.
3. Animation.
4. Consolation.
5. Fellowship and convoy through death to life, and from earth to heaven.
III. THE WHOLE SUBJECT SHOWS IN A VERY STRIKING MANNER—
1. The exceeding greatness of the glory of Christ.
2. The value and greatness of salvation. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
Angelic ministrations
Every man has two lives—an outward and an inward. The one is that denoted here:
“Jacob went on his way,” &c. The other is denoted in Gen_32:24: “Jacob was left alone,”
&c. In either state God dealt with him.
I. THE ANGELS OF GOD MET HIM, We do not know in what form they appeared, or by
what sign Jacob recognized them. In its simplicity the angelic office is a doctrine of
revelation. There exists even now a society and a fellowship between the sinless and the
fallen. As man goes on his way, the angels of God meet him.
II. ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL WAYS IN WHICH WE MAY RECOGNIZE AND USE
THIS SYMPATHY?
1. The angelic office is sometimes discharged in human form. We may entertain
angels unawares. Let us count common life a ministry; let us be on the look-out for
angels.
2. We must exercise a vigorous self-control lest we harm or tempt. Our Saviour has
warned us of the presence of the angels as a reason for not offending His little ones.
Their angels He calls them, as though to express the closeness of the tie that binds
together the unfallen and the struggling. We may gather from the story two practical
lessons.
(1) The day and the night mutually act and react. A day of meeting with angels
may well be followed by a night of wrestling with God.
(2) Earnestness is the condition of success. Jacob had to wrestle a whole night
for his change of name, for his knowledge of God. Never will you say, from the
world that shall be, that you laboured here too long or too earnestly to win it.
(Dean Vaughan.)

16. Meeting with angels
I. The angels of God meet us on THE DUSTY ROAD OF COMMON LIFE.
II. God’s angels meet us PUNCTUALLY at the hour of need.
III. The angels of God come IN THE SHAPE WHICH WE NEED. Jacob’s want was
protection; therefore the angels appear in warlike guise, and present before the
defenceless man another camp. God’s gifts to us change their character; as the Rabbis
fabled that manna tasted to each man what each most desired. In that great fulness each
of us may have the thing we need. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Jacob’s visible and invisible world
I. JACOB’S VISIBLE WORLD. He had just escaped the persecutions of his father-in-law,
and was now expecting to meet with a fiercer enemy in his brother. All was dread and
anxiety.
II. JACOB’S INVISIBLE WORLD. What a different scene is presented to him when his
spiritual eye is opened, and God permits him to see those invisible forces which were
engaged on his side. We are told that “the angels of God met him.” He was weak to all
human appearance; but he was really strong, for God’s host had come to deliver him
from any host of men that might oppose. The host of God is described as parting into
two bands, as if to protect him behind and before; or to assure him that as he had been
delivered from one enemy, so he would be delivered from another enemy, which was
coming forth to meet him. Thus Jacob was taught—
1. To whom he owed his late mercies.
2. The true source of his protection.
3. His faith is confirmed. It is justified for the past, and placed upon a firmer basis
for the future. (T. H. Leale.)
Hosts of angels
1. God has a multitude of servants, and all these are on the side of believers. “His
camp is very great,” and all the hosts in that camp are our allies. Some of these are
visible agents, and many more are invisible, but none the less real and powerful.
2. We know that a guard of angels always surrounds every believer. “Omnipotence
has servants everywhere.” These servants of the strong God are all filled with power;
there is not one that fainteth among them all, they run like mighty men, they prevail
as men of war. We know that they “excel in strength,” as they “do His
commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.” Rejoice, O children of God!
There are vast armies upon your side, and each one of the warriors is clothed with
the strength of God.
3. All these agents work in order, for it is God’s host, and the host is made up of
beings which march or fly, according to the order of command. “Neither shall one
thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path.” All the forces of nature are
loyal to their Lord. They are perfectly happy, because consecrated; full of delight,

17. because completely absorbed in doing the will of the Most High. Oh that we could do
His will on earth as that will is done in heaven by all the heavenly ones!
4. Observe that in this great host they were all punctual to the Divine command.
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. The patriarch is no sooner
astir than the hosts of God are on the wing. They did not linger till Jacob had crossed
the frontier, nor did they keep him waiting when he came to the appointed
rendezvous; but they were there to the moment. When God means to deliver you,
beloved, in the hour of danger, you will find the appointed force ready for your
succour. God’s messengers are neither behind nor before their time; they will meet
us to the inch and to the second in the time of need; therefore let us proceed without
fear, like Jacob, going on our way even though an Esau with a band of desperadoes
should block up the road.
5. Those forces of God, too, were all engaged personally to attend upon Jacob. I like
to set forth this thought: “Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him”; he
did not chance to fall in with them. They did not happen to be on the march, and so
crossed the patriarch’s track; no, no; he went on his way, and the angels of God met
him with design and purpose. They came on purpose to meet him: they had no other
appointment. Squadrons of angels marched to meet that one lone man He was a
saint, but by no means a perfect one; we cannot help seeing many flaws in him, even
upon a superficial glance at his life, and yet the angels of God met him. All came to
wait upon Jacob, on that one man: “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about
them that fear Him”; but in this case it was to one man with his family of children
that a host was sent. The man himself, the lone man who abode in covenant with
God when all the rest of the world was given up to idols, was favoured by this mark
of Divine favour. One delights to think that the angels should be willing, and even
eager, troops of them, to meet one man. Are ye not well cared for, oh ye sons of the
Most High!
6. Those forces, though in themselves invisible to the natural senses, are manifest to
faith at certain times. There are times when the child of God is able to cry, like Jacob,
“The angels of God have met me.” When do such seasons occur? Our Mahanaims
occur at much the same time as that in which Jacob beheld this great sight. Jacob
was entering upon a more separated life. He was leaving Laban and the school of all
those tricks of bargaining and bartering which belong to the ungodly world. By a
desperate stroke he cut himself clear of entanglements; but he must have felt lonely,
and as one cast adrift. He missed all the associations of the old house of
Mesopotamia, which, despite its annoyances, was his home. The angels come to
congratulate him. Their presence said, “You are come to this land to be a stranger
and sojourner with God, as all your fathers were. We have, some of us, talked with
Abraham, again and again, and we are now coming to smile on you. You recollect
how we bade you good-bye that night, when you had a stone for your pillow at
Bethel; now you have come back to the reserved inheritance, over which we are set as
guardians, and we have come to salute you. Take up the nonconforming life without
fear, for we are with you. Welcome I welcome I we are glad to receive you under our
special care.” Again, the reason why the angels met Jacob at that time was,
doubtless, because he was surrounded with great cares. He had a large family of little
children; and great flocks and herds and many servants were with him. Again, the
Lord’s host appeared when Jacob felt a great dread. His brother Esau was coming to
meet him armed to the teeth, and, as he feared, thirsty for his blood. In times when
our danger is greatest, if we are real believers, we shall be specially under the Divine
protection, and we shall know that it is so. This shall be our comfort in the hour of

18. distress. And, once again, when you and I, like Jacob, shall be near Jordan, when we
shall just be passing into the better land, then is the time when we may expect to
come to Mahanaim. The angels of God and the God of angels, both come to meet the
spirits of the blessed in the solemn article of death.
7. Thus I have mentioned the time when these invisible forces become visible to
faith; and there is no doubt whatever that they are sent for a purpose. Why were they
sent to Jacob at this time? Perhaps the purpose was first to revive an ancient
memory which had well-nigh slipped from him. I am afraid he had almost forgotten
Bethel. Surely it must have brought his vow at Bethel to mind, the vow which he
made unto the Lord when he saw the ladder, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon it. Here they were; they had left heaven and come down that they
might hold communion with him. Mahanaim was granted to Jacob, not only to
refresh his memory, but to lift him out of the ordinary low level of his life. Jacob, you
know, the father of all the Jews, was great at huckstering: it was the very nature of
him to drive bargains. Jacob had all his wits about him, and rather more than he
should have had, well answering to his name of “supplanter.” He would let no one
deceive him, and he was ready at all times to take advantage of those with whom he
had any dealings. Here the Lord seems to say to him, “O Jacob, My servant, rise out
of this miserable way of dealing with Me, and be of a princely mind.” Oh for grace to
live according to our true position and character, not as poor dependents upon our
own wits or upon the help of man, but as grandly independent of things seen,
because our entire reliance is fixed upon the unseen and eternal. Believe as much in
the invisible as in the visible, and act upon your faith. This seems to me to be God’s
object in giving to any of His servants a clearer view of the powers which are engaged
on their behalf. If such a special vision be granted to us, let us keep it in memory.
Jacob called the name of that place Mahanaim. I wish we had some way in this
western world, in these modern times, of naming places, and children, too, more
sensibly. We must needs either borrow some antiquated title, as if we were too short
of sense to make one for ourselves, or else our names are sheer nonsense, and mean
nothing. Why not choose names which should commemorate our mercies? (C.
H.Spurgeon.)
God’s host
I. THE PATH OF COMMON DUTIES IN DAILY LIFE IS THE BEST AND SUREST WAY
TO HEAVENLY VISIONS. Jacob’s track lay downward to the deep valley, and through
its shadows to the fords of Jordan. So, if our life is led downward, through toil and care
and sorrow, heaven may open as freely above it as on the hill-tops. All know how the
proof of a soldier is given on the march as much as in battle; and it is so in common life.
But in spiritual application there is a difference: the rewards of men are won only on the
field; but our Divine Commander observes and honours equally those equally faithful in
the daily march, in farm, or shop, or household, or in the shut-in camp of sickness those
“faithful in that which is least.”
II. GOD’S CARE OVER THOSE THAT FEAR HIM.
III. GOD’S WAY OF APPEARING FOR MAN’S HELP. (W. H. Randall.)
Lessons

19. 1. Laban’s departure and Jacob’s progress are adjoining. Oppressors retreat and
saints advance.
2. God’s servants are careful to move in their own way enjoined by God.
3. In their way commanded, God appoints His angels to meet them Psa_91:2; Psa_
91:4). God with His angels appears to comfort His, after conflicts with their
adversaries (verse 1).
5. God sometimes affords His visible helps unto visible troubles for His saints’
support.
6. God’s angels are God’s mighty host indeed, and that in the judgment of the saints.
7. Not single angels but troops God appoints for the guard of single saints.
8. God’s saints desire to call mercies by their right names. God’s angels are called
God’s hosts.
9. It is proper to God’s saved ones, to leave memorials of God’s strength in saving
them (verse 2). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Mahanaim
I cannot tell, for Scripture says not, in what form they appeared, or by what sign Jacob
recognized them. It is perhaps in the most general view of the passage that its truest
comfort lies. It matters not to us what the Patriarchs thought or knew of the ministry of
angels, so long as we ourselves recognize the true place of that ministry in the economy
of God. In its simplicity, the angelic office is a doctrine of revelation. There are beings
beside and (for the present) above man; beings, like him, intelligent, rational, spiritual;
beings capable, like him, of knowing, loving, and communing with God; beings, unlike
him, pure from the stain of sin—tried once, as all moral natures must be tried, by the
alternative of loyalty or self-pleasing—yet faithful among the faithless through that great
ordeal, and now for ever secured by the seal of that holiness which they have chosen.
Man is not yet, save in one single aspect, the head and the chief of all God’s creation. In
the person of the God-Man he has the pledge indeed that one day he shall be so. But as
yet, when the eye of faith looks upward through the infinite space, it discerns essences in
all things equal to the human, and in their sinlessness superior; it sees those who in
heaven’s primeval warfare sided with God and conquered—left not their original estate,
nor despised their first habitation. The existence of a nature purer than man’s, more
refined in its enjoyments and more elevated in its converse, presents no practical
difficulty to the thoughtful. We find nothing but refreshment and nothing but
encouragement in the belief that above as well as beneath us are beings performing
perfectly the law of their creation; spirits that see God’s face, as well as animals
instinctively true to God’s order. Man only mars the sweet accord: higher existences have
not fallen, lower existences could not fall. If for man God has provided a redemption,
then may there be in the end a restoration of that original perfection in which God saw
everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. That contrast which shames
shall also comfort. But how much more when we read in the sure word of revelation that
there exists even now a society and a fellowship between the sinless and the fallen! As
man goes on his way, the angels of God meet him. In all his ways they have charge of
him, that he dash not his foot against a stone. That which God has done for man, angels
desire to look into. Angels are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to the heirs of
salvation. Angels spend not their immortal age in abject prostration, or in delicious

20. dreamy contemplation: rather do they excel in strength, doing God’s commandments,
hearkening (for obedience sake) to the voice of God’s Word. When God spake to man
from a material mountain, His holy ones were around Him: “The chariots of God are
twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; and the Lord is among them, as in the holy
place of Sinai.” Theirs were those wondrous utterances, which Israel took for the voice of
the trumpet, sounding long, and waxing louder and louder; theirs those fearful
manifestations of blinding smoke and consuming fire, amidst which the Lord descended,
while all the people that was in the camp trembled; theirs, it may be, the hewing and the
graving of those tables of stone, on which were written, as by God’s finger, the words of
His first testimony. The law was ordained by angels; the law was given by the disposition
of angels; the word spoken by angels was steadfast. And if even that temporary, that
parenthetical dispensation was thus introduced by the ministry of angels; if man’s
recovery was dear to them, even in its earlier and more imperfect stages, while he was
but learning his lesson of weakness, and heaving his first sighs after forgiveness and
sanctification—well can we understand how they might herald a Saviour’s birth, and
soothe a Saviour’s sorrows; strengthen Him in His agony, and minister in His tomb;
proclaim His resurrection, predict His advent, and greet at the everlasting doors the
return of the King of glory. Not even there, nor then, did their ministry terminate. He
Himself has told us how in heaven, in the presence of the angels of God, there is joy still
over each sinner that repenteth; how His little ones below, His weak and tempted
disciples, have their angels ever in heaven, beholding the face of His Father; how angels
carry dying saints into Abraham’s bosom; and how, in the last great crisis of the world’s
harvest, it is they who shall execute the reapers’ office, gather together His elect from the
four winds, and gather also out of His kingdom all things that offend. Wheresoever there
is a work to be done as between God and man, there is the great ladder still reared, and
the angels of God are ascending and descending by it. Ministering spirits are they still;
and man’s best wish for himself is that he may at last be enabled to do as well as to suffer
God’s will, even as they, the inmates of heaven, have from the beginning borne and done
it. Thy will be done, he prays, as in heaven, so on earth. Jacob went on his way, and the
angels of God met him. We know not how extensive, and we know not how minute, may
be that ministration even in the things that are seen. We know not what angelic workings
may be concealed behind the phenomena of nature, or latent in the accidents and the
escapes of human life. We know not how, in seasons of mortal weakness or of fiendish
temptation, we may be indebted to their instrumentality for the reviving courage or the
resisting strength. We dare not say but that even the indwelling Spirit may avail Himself
of their ministry to assist or to protect, to invigorate or to reanimate. This we know—for
the Word of God has told us—that one portion of that holy communion and fellowship to
which the citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem has come, not only in hope, but in present
union and incorporation, is an innumerable company of angels. I read not these words
as glimpses only of a glorious future, but as expressive of a present trust and a practical
help and aid. The sympathy of angels is one of the Christian’s privileges. Are there any
special ways in which we may recognize and use this sympathy? As we go on our way,
can we in any special manner hope to meet the angels?
1. An apostle speaks of entertaining angels unawares. He says that the duty of
hospitality may be exercised in this remembrance—thereby some have entertained
angels. It is so still. The angelic office is discharged sometimes in human form. Let us
count common life a ministry: let us, in common life, be on the look-out for angels!
2. And more especially, in the exercise of a vigilant self-control, lest we harm or
tempt. Our Saviour Himself has warned us of the presence of the angels as a reason
for not offending—that is, for not thwarting and not tempting—His little ones.

21. Beware, careless parent! beware, sinful brother! beware, false friend! That child, that
boy, that youth, has his angel, and the home of that angel is the heaven of God l
(Dean Vaughan.)
God’s host always near
We who live in this matter-of-fact and mechanical age are apt to think that it was a wrapt
and wondrous life which the patriarch led in that old time, when he could meet God’s
host among the hills, and could see convoys of bright angels like the burning clouds of
sunset hovering round him in the solitudes of the mountains. But God’s host is always
nearer than we are apt to suppose in the dark hours of trial and conflict. The angels have
not yet forsaken the earth, nor have they ceased to protect the homes and journeys of
good men. Heaven and earth are nearer each other now than they were when Jacob saw
God’s host in the broad day and Abraham entertained the Divine messengers under the
shadow of the oak at noon. The spiritual world is all around us, and its living inhabitants
are our fellow-servants and companions in all our work for God and for our own
salvation. The inhabitants of heaven find more friends and acquaintances on earth now
than they did in former times. It is not from any want of interest in the affairs of men
that they do not now meet us in the daily walks of life or speak to us in the dreams of the
night. If we do not see angels come and take us by the hand and lead us out of danger, as
they led Lot out of Sodom, it is not because they have ceased to come, or because they
fail to guard us when we need protection. We must not think that God was more
interested in the world in ancient times, when He spoke by miracles and prophets and
apostles, than He is now when He speaks by His written word and by His holy
providence. The heart of the Infinite Father never yearned toward His earthly children
with a deeper or more tender compassion than now. There never was a time when God
was doing more to govern, to instruct, and to save the world than He is doing now. To
those who look for Him the tokens of His presence are manifest everywhere; the voice of
His providence is in every wind; every path of life is covered with the overshadowings of
His glory. To the devout mind this world, which has been consecrated by the sacrificial
blood of the cross, is only the outer court of the everlasting temple in which God sits
enthroned, with the worshipping hosts of the blessed around Him. We need only a pure
heart to see God as much in the world now as He was when He talked with men face to
face. He speaks in all the discoveries of science, in all the inventions of heart, in all the
progress of the centuries, in everything which enriches life and enlarges the resources of
men. All the great conflicts and agitations of society prove that God is on the field. We
need only add the faith of the patriarchs to the science of the philosophers, and we shall
find Bethels in the city and in the solitude, Mahanaims in every day’s march in the
journey of life (D. March, D. D.)
Angelic ministration
I did not see, early in the morning, the flight of all those birds that filled all the bushes
and all the orchard trees, but they were there, though I did not see their coming, and
heard their songs afterwards. It does not matter whether you have ministered to you yet
those perceptions by which you perceive angelic existence. The fact that we want to bear
in mind is, that we are environed by them, that we move in their midst. How, where,
what the philosophy is, whether it be spiritual philosophy, no man can tell, and they
least that think they know most about it. The fact which we prize and lay hold of is this,

22. that angelic ministration is a part, not of the heavenly state, but of the universal
condition of men, and that as soon as we become Christ’s we come not to the home of
the living God, but to the “innumerable company of angels.” (H. W.Beecher.)
Angels on the path of life
Though no vision is vouchsafed to our mortal eyes, yet angels of God are with us oftener
than we know, and to the pure heart every home is a Bethel, and every path of life a
Penuel and a Mahanaim. In the outer world and the inner world, we see and meet
continually these messengers of God. Wrestle with them in faith and prayer they are
angels with hands full of immortal gifts; to those who neglect or use them ill they are
angels with drawn sword and scathing flame.
I. The earliest angel is the angel of youth. Do not think that you can retain him long. Use,
as wise stewards, this blessed portion of your lives. Remember that as your faces are
setting into the look which they shall wear in later years, so is it with your lives.
II. Next is the angel of innocent pleasure. Trifle not with this angel. Remember that in
heathen mythology the Lord of Pleasure is also the God of Death. Guilty pleasure there
is; guilty happiness there is not on earth.
III. There are the angels of time and opportunity. They are with us now, and we may
unclench from their conquered hands garlands of immortal flowers. Hallow each new
day in your morning prayer, for prayer, too, is an angel—an angel who can turn
“pollution into purity, sinners into penitents, and penitents into saints.”
IV. There is one angel with whom we must wrestle whether we will or no, and whose
power of curse or blessing we cannot alter—the angel of death. (Archdeacon Farrar.)
EBC, "JACOB AT PENIEL
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." Jas_4:10
JACOB had a double reason for wishing to leave Padan-aram. He believed in the
promise of God to give him Canaan: and he saw that Laban was a man with whom he
could never be on a thoroughly good understanding. He saw plainly that Laban was
resolved to make what he could out of his skill at as cheap a rate as possible-the
characteristic of a selfish, greedy, ungrateful, and therefore, in the end, ill-served master.
Laban and Esau were the two men who had hitherto chiefly influenced Jacob’s life. But
they were very different in character. Esau could never see that there was any important
difference between himself and Jacob-except that his brother was trickier. Esau was the
type of those who honestly think that there is not much in religion, and that saints are
but white-washed sinners. Laban, on the contrary, is almost superstitiously impressed
by the distinction between God’s people and others. But the chief practical, issue of this
impression is, not that he seeks God’s friendship for himself, but that he tries to make a
profitable use of God’s friends. He seeks to get God’s blessing, as it were, at secondhand.
If men could be related to God indirectly, as if in law and not by blood, that would suit
Laban. If God would admit men to his inheritance on any other terms than being sons in
the direct line, if there were some relationship once removed, a kind of sons-in-law, so
that mere connection with the godly, though not with God, would win His blessing, this
would suit Laban.
Laban is the man who appreciates the social value of virtue, truthfulness, fidelity,

23. temperance, godliness, but wishes to enjoy their fruits without the pain of cultivating the
qualities themselves. He is scrupulous as to the character of those he takes into his
employment, and seeks to connect himself in business with good men. In his domestic
life he acts on the idea which his experience has suggested to him, that persons really
godly will make his home more peaceful, better regulated, safer than otherwise it might
be. If he holds a position of authority, he knows how to make use, for the preservation of
order and for the promotion of his own ends, of the voluntary efforts of Christian
societies, of the trustworthiness of Christian officials, and of the support of the Christian
community. But with all this recognition of the reality and influence of godliness, he
never for one moment entertains the idea of himself becoming a godly man. In all ages
there are Labans, who clearly recognise the utility and worth of a connection with God,
who have been much mixed up with persons in whom that worth was very conspicuous,
and who yet, at the last, "depart and return unto their place," like Jacob’s father-in-law,
without having themselves entered into any affectionate relations with God.
From Laban, then, Jacob was resolved to escape. And though to escape with large droves
of slow-moving sheep and cattle, as well as with many women and children, seemed
hopeless, the cleverness of Jacob did not fail him here. He did not get beyond reach of
pursuit; he could never have expected to do so. But he stole away to such a distance from
Haran as made it much easier for him to come to terms with Laban, and much more
difficult for Laban to try any further device for detaining him.
But, delivered as he was from Laban, he had an even more formidable person to deal
with, As soon as Laban’s company disappear on the northern horizon, Jacob sends
messengers south to sound Esau. His message is so contrived as to beget the idea in
Esau’s mind that his younger brother is a person of some importance, and yet is
prepared to show greater deference to himself than formerly. But the answer brought
back by the messengers is the curt and haughty despatch of the man of war to the man of
peace. No notice is taken of Jacob’s vaunted wealth. No proposal of terms as if Esau had
an equal to deal with, is carried back. There is only the startling announcement: "Esau
cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him." Jacob at once recognises the
significance of this armed advance on Esau’s part. Esau has not forgotten the wrong he
suffered at Jacob’s hands, and he means to show him that he is entirely in his power.
Therefore was Jacob "greatly afraid and distressed." The joy with which, a few days ago,
he had greeted the host of God, was quite overcast by the tidings brought him regarding
the host of Esau. Things heavenly do always look so like a mere show; visits of angels
seem so delusive and fleeting; the exhibition of the powers of heaven seems so often but
as a tournament painted on the sky, and so unavailable for the stern encounters that
await us on earth, that one seems, even after the most impressive of such displays, to be
left to fight on alone. No wonder Jacob is disturbed. His wives and dependants gather
round him in dismay; the children, catching the infectious panic, cower with cries and
weeping about their mothers; the whole camp is rudely shaken out of its brief truce by
the news of this rough Esau, whose impetuosity and warlike ways they had all heard of
and were now to experience. The accounts of the messengers would no doubt grow in
alarming descriptive detail as they saw how much importance was attached to their
words. Their accounts would also be exaggerated by their own unwarlike nature, and by
the indistinctness with which they had made out the temper of Esau’s followers, and the
novelty of the equipments of war they had seen in his camp. Could we have been
surprised had Jacob turned and fled when thus he was made to picture the troops of
Esau sweeping from his grasp all he had so laboriously earned, and snatching the
promised inheritance from him when in the very act of entering on possession? But
though in fancy he already hears their rude shouts of triumph as they fall upon his

24. defenceless band, and already sees the merciless horde dividing the spoil with shouts of
derision and coarse triumph, and though all around him are clamouring to be led into a
safe retreat, Jacob sees stretched before him the land that is his, and resolves that, by
God’s help, he shall win it. What he does is not the act of a man rendered incompetent
through fear, but of one who has recovered from the first shock of alarm and has all his
wits about him. He disposes his household and followers in two companies, so that each
might advance with the hope that it might be the one which should not meet Esau; and
having done all that his circumstances permit, he commends himself to God in prayer.
After Jacob had prayed to God, a happy thought strikes him, which he at once puts in
execution. Anticipating the experience of Solomon, that "a brother offended is harder to
be won than a strong city," he, in the style of a skilled tactician, lays siege to Esau’s
wrath, and directs against it train after train of gifts, which, like successive battalions
pouring into a breach, might at length quite win his brother. This disposition of his
peaceful battering trains having occupied him till sunset, he retires to the short rest of a
general on the eve of battle. As soon as he judges that the weaker members of the camp
are refreshed enough to begin their eventful march, he rises and goes from tent to tent
awaking the sleepers, and quickly forming them into their usual line of march, sends
them over the brook in the darkness, and himself is left alone, not with the depression of
a man who waits for the inevitable, but with the high spirits of intense activity, and with
the return of the old complacent confidence of his own superiority to his powerful but
sluggish-minded brother-a confidence regained now by the certainty he felt, at least for
the time, that Esau’s rage could not blaze through all the relays of gifts he had sent
forward. Having in this spirit seen all his camp across the brook, he himself pauses for a
moment; end looks with interest at the stream before him, and at the promised land on
its southern bank. This stream, too, has an interest for him as bearing a name like his
own-a name that signifies the "struggler," and was given to the mountain torrent from
the pain and difficulty with which it seemed to find its way through the hills. Sitting on
the bank of the stream, he sees gleaming through the darkness the foam that it churned
as it writhed through the obstructing rocks, or heard through the night the roar of its
torrent as it leapt downwards, tortuously finding its way towards Jordan; and Jacob
says, So will I, opposed though I be, win my way, by the circuitous routes of craft or by
the impetuous rush of courage, into the land whither that stream is going. With
compressed lips, and step as firm as when, twenty years before, he left the land, he rises
to cross the brook and enter the land-he rises, and is seized in a grasp that he at once
owns as formidable. But surely this silent close, as of two combatants who at once
recognise one another’s strength, this protracted strife, does not look like the act of a
depressed man, but of one whose energies have been strung to the highest pitch, and
who would have borne down the champion of Esau’s host had he at that hour opposed
his entrance into the land which Jacob claimed as his own, and into which, as his glove,
pledging himself to follow, he had thrown all that was dear to him in the world. It was no
common wrestler that would have been safe to meet him in that mood.
Why, then, was Jacob thus mysteriously held back while his household were quietly
moving forward in the darkness? What is the meaning, purpose, and use of this
opposition to his entrance? These are obvious from the state of mind Jacob was in. He
was going forward to meet Esau under the impression that there was no other reason
why he should not inherit the land but only his wrath, and pretty confident that by his
superior talent, his mother-wit, he could make a tool of this stupid, generous brother of
his. And the danger was, that if Jacob’s device had succeeded, he would have been
confirmed in these impressions, and have believed that he had won the land from Esau,
with God’s help certainly, but still by his own indomitable pertinacity of purpose and

25. skill in dealing with men. Now, this was not the state of the case at all. Jacob had, by his
own deceit. become an exile from the land, had been, in fact, banished for fraud; and
though God had confirmed to him the covenant, and promised to him the land, yet
Jacob had apparently never come to any such thorough sense of his sin and entire
incompetency to win the birthright for himself, as would have made it possible for him
to receive simply as God’s gift this land which as God’s gift was alone valuable. Jacob
does not yet seem to have taken up the difference between inheriting a thing as God’s
gift, and inheriting it as the meed of his own prowess to such a man God cannot give the
land; Jacob cannot receive it. He is thinking only of winning it, which is not at all what
God means, and which would, in fact, have annulled all the covenant, and lowered Jacob
and his people to the level simply of other nations who had to win and keep their
territories at their risk, and not as the blessed of God. If Jacob then is to get the land, he
must take it as a gift, which he is not prepared to do. During the last twenty years he has
got many a lesson which might have taught him to distrust his own management, and he
had, to a certain extent, acknowledged God; but his Jacob-nature, his subtle, scheming
nature, was not so easily made to stand erect, and still he is for wriggling himself into the
promised land. He is coming back to the land under the impression that God needs to be
managed; that even though we have His promises it requires dexterity to get them
fulfilled; that a man will get into the inheritance all the readier for knowing what to veil
from God and what to exhibit; when. to cleave to His word with great profession of most
humble and absolute reliance on Him, and when to take matters into one’s own hand.
Jacob, in short, was about to enter the land as Jacob, the supplanter, and that would
never do; he was going to win the land from Esau by guile, or as he might; and not to
receive it from God. And therefore, just as he is going to step into it, there lays hold of
him, not an armed emissary of his brother, but a far more formidable antagonist-if
Jacob will win the land, if it is to be a mere trial of skill, a wrestling match, it must at
least be with the right person. Jacob is met with his own weapons. He has not chosen
war, so no armed opposition is made; but with the naked force of his own nature, he is
prepared for any man who will hold the land against him; with such tenacity, toughness,
quick presence of mind, elasticity, as nature has given him, he is confident he can win
and hold his own. So the real proprietor of the land strips himself for the contest, and
lets him feel, by the first hold he takes of him, that if the question be one of mere
strength he shall never enter the land.
This wrestling therefore was by no means actually or symbolically prayer. Jacob was not
aggressive, nor did he stay behind his company to spend the night in praying for them. It
was God who came and laid hold on Jacob to prevent him from entering the land in the
temper he was in, and as Jacob. He was to be taught that it was not only Esau’s appeased
wrath, or his own skilful smoothing down of his brother’s ruffled temper, that gave him
entrance; but that a nameless Being, Who came out upon him from the darkness,
guarded the land, and that by His passport only could he find entrance. And henceforth,
as to every reader of this history so much more to Jacob’s self, the meeting with Esau
and the overcoming of his opposition were quite secondary to and eclipsed by his
meeting and prevailing with this unknown combatant.
This struggle had, therefore, immense significance for the history of Jacob. It is, in fact,
a concrete representation of the attitude he had maintained towards God throughout his
previous history; and it constitutes the turning point at which he assumes a new and
satisfactory attitude. Year after year Jacob had still retained confidence in himself; he
had never been thoroughly humbled, but had always felt himself able to regain the land
he had lost by his sin. And in this struggle he shows this same determination and self-
confidence. He wrestles on indomitably. As Kurtz, whom I follow in his interpretation of

26. this incident, says, "All along Jacob’s life had been the struggle of a clever and strong, a
pertinacious and enduring, a self-confident and self-sufficient person, who was sure of
the result only when he helped himself-a contest with God, who wished to break his
strength and wisdom, in order to bestow upon him real strength in divine weakness, and
real Wisdom in divine folly." All this self-confidence culminates now, and in one final
and sensible struggle, his Jacob-nature, his natural propensity to wrest what he desires
and win what he aims at, from the most unwilling opponent, does its very utmost and
does it in vain. His steady straining, his dexterous feints, his quick gusts of vehement
assault, make no impression on this combatant and move him not one foot off his
ground. Time after time his crafty nature puts out all its various resources, now letting
his grasp relax and feigning defeat, and then with gathered strength hurling himself on
the stranger, but all in vain. What Jacob had often surmised during the last twenty years,
what had flashed through him like a sudden gleam of light when he found himself-
married to Leah, that he was in the hands of one against whom it is quite useless to
struggle, he now again begins to suspect. And as the first faint dawn appears, and he
begins dimly to make out the face, the quiet breathing of which he had felt on his own
during the contest, the man with whom he wrestles touches the strongest sinew in
Jacob’s body, and the muscle on which the wrestler most depends shrivels at the touch
and reveals to the falling Jacob how utterly futile had been all his skill and obstinacy,
and how quickly the stranger might have thrown and mastered him.
All in a moment, as he falls, Jacob sees how it is with him, and Who it is that has met
him thus. As the hard, stiff, corded muscle shrivelled, so shrivelled his obdurate,
persistent self-confidence. And as he is thrown, yet cleaves with the natural tenacity of a
wrestler to his conqueror; so, utterly humbled before this Mighty One whom now he
recognises and owns, he yet cleaves to Him and entreats His Blessing. It is at this touch,
which discovers the Almighty power of Him with whom he has been contending, that the
whole nature of Jacob goes down before God. He sees how foolish and vain has been his
obstinate persistence in striving to trick God out of His blessing, or wrest it from Him,
and now he owns his utter incapacity to advance one step in this way, he admits to
himself that he is stopped, weakened in the way, thrown on his back, and can effect
nothing, simply nothing, by what he thought would effect all; and, therefore, he passes
from wrestling to praying, and with tears, as Hosea says, sobs out from the broken heart
of the strong man, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me." In making this transition
from the boldness and persistence of self-confidence to the boldness of faith and
humility, Jacob becomes Israel-the supplanter, being baffled by his conqueror, rises a
Prince. Disarmed of all other weapons, he at last finds and uses the weapons wherewith
God is conquered, and with the simplicity and guilelessness now of an Israelite indeed,
face to face with God, hanging helpless with his arms around Him, he supplicates the
blessing he could not win.
Thus, as Abraham had to become God’s heir in the simplicity of humble dependence on
God; as Isaac had to lay himself on God’s altar with absolute resignation, and so become
the heir of God, so Jacob enters on the inheritance through the most thorough
humbling. Abraham had to give up all possessions and live on God’s promise; Isaac had
to give up life itself; Jacob had to yield his very self, and abandon all dependence on his
own ability. The new name he receives signalizes and interprets this crisis in his life. He
enters his land not as Jacob, but as Israel. The man who crossed the Jabbok was not the
same as he who had cheated Esau and outwitted Laban and determinedly striven this
morning with the angel He was Israel, God’s prince, entering on the land freely bestowed
on him by an authority, none could resist; a man who had learned that in order to
receive from God, one must ask.

27. Very significant to Jacob in his after life must. have been the lameness consequent on
this night’s struggle. He, the wrestler, had to go halting all his days. He who had carried
all his. weapons in his own person, in his intelligent watchful eye and tough right arm,
he who had felt sufficient for all emergencies and a match for all men, had now to limp
along as one who had been worsted and baffled and could not hide his shame from men.
So it sometimes happens that a man never recovers the severe handling he has received
at some turning point in his life. Often there is never again the same elastic step, the
same free and confident bearing, the same apparent power, the same appearance to our
fellow-men of completeness in our life; but, instead of this, there is a humble decision
which, if it does not walk with so free a gait, yet knows better what ground it is treading
and by what right. To the end some men bear the marks of the heavy stroke by which
God first humbled them. It came in a sudden shock that broke their health, or in a
disappointment which nothing now given can ever quite obliterate the trace of, or in
circumstances painfully and permanently altered. And the man has to say with Jacob, I
shall never now be what I might have been; I was resolved to have my own way, and
though God in His mercy did not suffer me to destroy myself, yet to drive me from my
purpose He was forced to use a violence, under the effects of which I go halting all my
days, saved and whole, yet maimed to the end of time. I am not ashamed of the mark, at
least when I think of it as God’s signature I am able to glory in it, but it never fairs to
remind me of a perverse wilfulness I am ashamed of. With many men God is forced to
such treatment; if any of us are under it, God forbid we should mistake its meaning and
lie prostrate and despairing in the darkness instead of clinging to Him Who has smitten
and will heal us.
For the treatment which Jacob received at Peniel must not be set aside as singular or
exceptional. Sometimes God interposes between us and a greatly-desired possession
which we have been counting upon as our right and as the fair and natural consequence
of our past efforts and ways. The expectation of this possession has indeed determined
our movements and shaped our life for some time past, and it would not only be
assigned to us by men as fairly ours, but God also has Himself seemed to encourage us to
win it. Yet when it is now within sight, and when we are rising to pass the little stream
which seems alone to separate us from it, we are arrested by a strong, an irresistible
hand. The reason is, that God wishes us to be in such a state of mind that we shall
receive it as His gift, so that it becomes ours by an indefeasible title.
Similarly, when advancing to a spiritual possession, such checks are not without their
use. Many men look with longing to what is eternal and spiritual, and they resolve to win
this inheritance. And this resolve they often make as if its accomplishment depended
solely on their own endurance. They leave almost wholly out of account that the
possibility of their entering the state they long for is not decided by their readiness to
pass through any ordeal, spiritual or physical, which may be required of them, but by
God’s willingness to give it. They act as if by taking advantage of God’s promises, and by
passing through certain states of mind and prescribed duties, they could, irrespective of
God’s present attitude toward them and constant love, win eternal happiness. In the life
of such persons there must therefore come a time when their own spiritual energy seems
all to collapse in that painful, utter way in which, when the body is exhausted, the
muscles are suddenly found to be cramped and heavy and no longer responsive to the
will. They are made to feel that a spiritual dislocation has taken place, and that their
eagerness to enter life everlasting no longer stirs the active energies of the soul.
In that hour the man learns the most valuable truth he can learn, that it is God Who is
wishing to save him, not he who must wrest a blessing from an unwilling God. Instead of
any longer looking on himself as against the world, he takes his place as one who has the

28. whole energy of God’s will at his back, to give him rightful entrance into all blessedness.
So long as Jacob was in doubt whether it was not some kind of man that was opposing
him, he wrestled on; and our foolish ways of dealing with God terminate, when we
recognise that He is not such a one as ourselves. We naturally act as if God had some
pleasure in thwarting us-as if we could, and even ought to, maintain a kind of contest
with God. We deal with Him as if He were opposed to our best purposes and grudged to
advance us in all good, and as if He needed to be propitiated by penitence and cajoled by
forced feelings and sanctimonious demeanour. We act as if we could make more way
were God not in our way, as if our best prospects began in our own conception and we
had to win God over to our views. If God is unwilling, then there is an end: no device nor
force will get us past Him. If He is willing, why all this unworthy dealing with Him., as if
the whole idea and accomplishment of salvation did not proceed from Him?
2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the
camp of God!” So he named that place
Mahanaim.[b]
CLARKE, "Mahanaim - The two hosts, if read by the points, the angels forming
one, and Jacob and his company forming another; or simply hosts or camps in the
plural. There was a city built afterwards here, and inhabited by the priests of God, Jos_
21:38. For what purpose the angels of God met Jacob, does not appear from the text;
probably it was intended to show him that he and his company were under the care of an
especial providence, and consequently to confirm his trust and confidence in God.
The doctrine of the ministration of angels has been much abused, not only among the
heathens, but also among Jews and Christians, and perhaps most among the latter.
Angels with feigned names, titles, and influences, have been and still are invoked and
worshipped by a certain class of men; because they have found that God has been
pleased to employ them to minister to mankind; and hence they have made
supplications to them to extend their protection, to shield, defend, instruct, etc. This is
perfectly absurd.

29. 1. They are God’s instruments, not self-determining agents.
2. They can only do what they are appointed to perform, for there is no evidence that
they have any discretionary power.
3. God helps man by ten thousand means and instruments; some intellectual, as
angels; some rational, as men; some irrational, as brutes; and some merely
material, as the sun, wind, rain, food, raiment, and the various productions of the
earth. He therefore helps by whom he will help, and to him alone belongs all the
glory; for should he be determined to destroy, all these instruments collectively
could not save. Instead therefore of worshipping them, we should take their own
advice: See thou do it not - Worship God.
GILL, "And when Jacob saw them,.... These appeared in a visible form, most
probably human, and in the habit, and with the accoutrements of soldiers, and therefore
afterwards called an host or army. Aben Ezra thinks that Jacob alone saw them, as
Elisha first saw the host of angels before the young man did that was with him, 2Ki_6:17,
he said, this is God's host: or army, hence he is often called the Lord of hosts; angels
have this name from their number, order, strength, and military exploits they perform:
and he called the name of the place Mahanaim; which signifies two hosts or
armies; either his own family and company making one, and the angels another, as Aben
Ezra observes; or they were the angels, who very probably appeared in two companies,
or as two armies, and one went on one side of Jacob and his family, and the other on the
other side; or the one went before him, and the other behind him; the latter to secure
him from any insult of Laban, should he pursue after him, and distress him in the rear,
and the former to protect him from Esau, near whose country Jacob now was, and of
whom he was in some fear and danger; thus seasonably did God appear for him. The
Jewish writers (t) say, the host of God is 60,000, and that the Shechinah, or divine
Majesty, never dwells among less, and that Mahanaim, or two hosts, are 120,000; there
was afterwards a city of this name near this place, which very likely was so called in
memory of this appearance, Jos_21:38; and there seems to be an allusion to it in the
account of the church, Son_6:13; it was in the land of Gilead, and tribe of Gad, forty four
miles from Jerusalem to the southeast (u).
HE RY, "And when Jacob saw them,.... These appeared in a visible form, most
probably human, and in the habit, and with the accoutrements of soldiers, and therefore
afterwards called an host or army. Aben Ezra thinks that Jacob alone saw them, as
Elisha first saw the host of angels before the young man did that was with him, 2Ki_6:17,
he said, this is God's host: or army, hence he is often called the Lord of hosts; angels
have this name from their number, order, strength, and military exploits they perform:
and he called the name of the place Mahanaim; which signifies two hosts or
armies; either his own family and company making one, and the angels another, as Aben
Ezra observes; or they were the angels, who very probably appeared in two companies,
or as two armies, and one went on one side of Jacob and his family, and the other on the
other side; or the one went before him, and the other behind him; the latter to secure
him from any insult of Laban, should he pursue after him, and distress him in the rear,

30. and the former to protect him from Esau, near whose country Jacob now was, and of
whom he was in some fear and danger; thus seasonably did God appear for him. The
Jewish writers (t) say, the host of God is 60,000, and that the Shechinah, or divine
Majesty, never dwells among less, and that Mahanaim, or two hosts, are 120,000; there
was afterwards a city of this name near this place, which very likely was so called in
memory of this appearance, Jos_21:38; and there seems to be an allusion to it in the
account of the church, Son_6:13; it was in the land of Gilead, and tribe of Gad, forty four
miles from Jerusalem to the southeast (u).
JAMIESO , "Mahanaim — “two hosts,” or “camps.” The place was situated
between mount Gilead and the Jabbok, near the banks of that brook.
HAWKER, "Mahanaim, signifies two bands, or camps. See Son_6:13; Heb_1:14; Psa_
34:7.
BE SO , "Genesis 32:2. This is God’s host — Or army; so the angels are justly called,
because of their great number, their excellent order, their mighty power, and the service they
perform for God and his church, for the protection of which they are sent. A good man may see by
faith what Jacob saw with his bodily eyes. To preserve the remembrance of this favour Jacob
named the place Mahanaim, two hosts, or two camps. Probably they appeared to him in two
hosts, one on either side, or one in the front and the other in the rear, to protect him from Laban
behind and Esau before, and be a complete guard: or Jacob’s family made one army,
representing the church militant and itinerant on earth, and the angels another army, representing
the church triumphant, and at rest in heaven.
PULPIT, "And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host:—Mahaneh Elohim; i.e. the
army (cf. Genesis 1:9; Exodus 14:24) or camp (1 Samuel 14:15; Psalms 27:3) of God, as
opposed to the Mahanoth, or bands of Jacob himself (vide Genesis 32:7, Genesis 32:10)—and he
called the name of that place Manahan.—i.e. Two armies or camps, from the root ‫ַה‬‫נ‬ָ‫ח‬ decline or
bend, and hence to fix oneself down or encamp; meaning either a multitudinous host, reading the
dual for a plural (Malvenda), or two bands of angels, one before, welcoming him to Canaan, and
another behind, conducting him from Mesopotamia (Jarchi and others), or one on either side to
typify the completeness of his protection, as in Psalms 34:8 (Calvin, Bush, Gerlach, 'Speaker's
Commentary'), or, as the best expositors interpret, his own company and the heavenly host (Abort
Ezra, Clericus, Dathe, Keil, Lange, Rosenmüller, Kalisch, Murphy). Mahanaim, afterwards a
distinguished city in the territory of Gad (Joshua 13:26), and frequently referred to in subsequent
Scripture (2 Samuel 2:8; 2 Samuel 17:24; 27; 2 Samuel 19:32; 1 Kings 4:14), as well as
mentioned by Josephus ('Ant.' 7. 9, 8), as a strong and beautiful city, has been identified with
Mahneh, a deserted ruin six or seven miles north-west by north of Ajlun (Mount Gilead), and about
twenty miles from the Jabbok; but the narrative appears to say that Mahanaim lay not north of Ga-
leed, but between that place and Jabbok. Hence Porter suggests Gerasa, the most splendid ruin
east of the Jordan, and bordering on the Jabbok, as occupying the site of Mahanaim.
TRAPP, "Ver. 2. This is God’s host.] So called, for their number, order, obedience, strength, &c.
God hath a complete host of horse and foot. Angels, and heavenly bodies, are his horse, as it
were; "horses and chariots of fire"; [2 Kings 6:17] yea, both horse and foot: for there are whole
"legions" of them. [Matthew 26:53] Now a legion is judged to be six thousand foot, and seven
hundred horse. Daniel tells us, there be millions of angels, [Daniel 7:10] yea, "an innumerable
company," saith the author to the Hebrews. [Hebrews 12:22] The Greek poet could say, There
were thirty thousands of them here upon earth, keepers of mortal men, and observers of their
works: (a) some think they are meant in the parable, by the ninety and nine sheep; as if they were
ninety and nine times as many as mankind in number. All these, how many soever, pitch camp
round about the godly, [Psalms 34:7] make a lane for them, as they did here for Jacob at

31. Mahanaim (which signifies a double camp), fight in battle array against their enemies, [Daniel
10:20] and convey them at death, as they did Lazarus, through their enemies’ country, the air, into
Abraham’s bosom. [Luke 16:22] So that all God’s children may call death, as Jacob did this place,
Mahanaim; because there the angels meet them. And as the palsied man, in the gospel, was let
down with his bed through the tiling before Jesus, [Luke 5:19] so is every good soul taken up in a
heavenly couch (or coach, rather) through the roof of his house, and carried into Christ’s
presence, by the blessed angels.
MACLAREN, "MAHANAIM: THE TWO CAMPS
This vision came at a crisis in Jacob’s life. He has just left the house of Laban, his father-
in-law, where he had lived for many years, and in company with a long caravan,
consisting of wives, children, servants, and all his wealth turned into cattle, is journeying
back again to Palestine. His road leads him close by the country of Esau. Jacob was no
soldier, and he is naturally terrified to meet his justly incensed brother. And so, as he
plods along with his defenceless company trailing behind him, as you may see the Arab
caravans streaming over the same uplands to-day, all at once, in the middle of his march,
a bright-harnessed army of angels meets him. Whether visible to the eye of sense, or, as
would appear, only to the eye of faith, they are visible to this troubled man; and, in a
glow of confident joy, he calls the name of that place ‘Mahanaim,’ two camps. One camp
was the little one of his down here, with the helpless women and children and his own
frightened and defenceless self, and the other was the great one up there, or rather in
shadowy but most real spiritual presence around about him, as a bodyguard making an
impregnable wall between him and every foe. We may take some very plain and
everlastingly true lessons out of this story.
1. First, the angels of God meet us on the dusty road of common life. ‘Jacob went on his
way, and the angels of God met him.’
As he was tramping along there, over the lonely fields of Edom, with many a thought on
his mind and many a fear at his heart, but feeling ‘There is the path that I have to walk
on,’ all at once the air was filled with the soft rustle of angel wings, and the brightness
from the flashing armour of the heavenly hosts flamed across his unexpecting eye. And
so is it evermore. The true place for us to receive visions of God is in the path of the
homely, prosaic duties which He lays upon us. The dusty road is far more likely to be
trodden by angel feet than the remote summits of the mountain, where we sometimes
would fain go; and many an hour consecrated to devotion has less of the manifest
presence of God than is granted to some weary heart in its commonplace struggle with
the little troubles and trials of daily life. These make the doors, as it were, by which the
visitants draw near to us.
It is the common duties, ‘the narrow round, the daily task,’ that not only give us ‘all we
ought to ask,’ but are the selected means and channels by which, ever, God’s visitants
draw near to us. The man that has never seen an angel standing beside him, and driving
his loom for him, or helping him at his counter and his desk, and the woman that has
never seen an angel, according to the bold realism and homely vision of the old German
picture, working with her in the kitchen and preparing the meal for the household, have
little chance of meeting such visitants at any other point of their experience or event of
their lives.
If the week be empty of the angels, you will never catch sight of a feather of their wings
on the Sunday. And if we do not recognise their presence in the midst of all the prose,
and the commonplace, and the vulgarity, and the triviality, and the monotony, the dust
of the small duties, we shall go up to the summit of Sinai itself and see nothing there but

32. cold grey stone and everlasting snows. ‘Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God
met him.’ The true field for religion is the field of common life.
And then another side of the same thought is this, that it is in the path where God has
bade us walk that we shall find the angels round us. We may meet them, indeed, on
paths of our own choosing, but it will be the sort of angel that Balaam met, with a sword
in his hand, mighty and beautiful, but wrathful too; and we had better not front him! But
the friendly helpers, the emissaries of God’s love, the apostles of His grace, do not haunt
the roads that we make for ourselves. They confine themselves rigidly to ‘the paths in
which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.’ A man has no right to
expect, and he will not get, blessing and help and divine gifts when, self-willedly, he has
taken the bit between his teeth, and is choosing his own road in the world. But if he will
say, ‘Lord! here I am; put me where Thou wilt, and do with me what Thou wilt,’ then he
may be sure that that path, though it may be solitary of human companionship, and
leading up amongst barren rocks and over bare moorlands, where the sun beats down
fiercely, will not be unvisited by a better presence, so that in sweet consciousness of
sufficiency of rich grace, he will be able to say, ‘I, being in the way, the Lord met me.’
2. Still further, we may draw from this incident the lesson that God’s angels meet us
punctually at the hour of need.
Jacob is drawing nearer and nearer to his fear every step. He is now just on the borders
of Esau’s country, and close upon opening communications with his brother. At that
critical moment, just before the finger of the clock has reached the point on the dial at
which the bell would strike, the needed help comes, the angel guards draw near and
camp beside him. It is always so. ‘The Lord shall help her, and that right early.’ His hosts
come no sooner and no later than we need. If they appeared before we had realised our
danger and our defencelessness, our hearts would not leap up at their coming, as men in
a beleaguered town do when the guns of the relieving force are heard booming from afar.
Often God’s delays seem to us inexplicable, and our prayers to have no more effect than
if they were spoken to a sleeping Baal. But such delays are merciful. They help us to the
consciousness of our need. They let us feel the presence of the sorrow. They give
opportunity of proving the weakness of all other supports. They test and increase desire
for His help. They throw us more unreservedly into His arms. They afford room for the
sorrow or the burden to work its peaceable fruits. So, and in many other ways, delay of
succour fits us to receive succour, and our God makes no tarrying but for our sakes.
It is His way to let us come almost to the edge of the precipice, and then, in the very nick
of time, when another minute and we are over, to stretch out His strong right hand and
save us. So Peter is left in prison, though prayer is going up unceasingly for him-and no
answer comes. The days of the Passover feast slip away, and still he is in prison, and
prayer does nothing for him. The last day of his life, according to Herod’s purpose,
dawns, and all the day the Church lifts up its voice-but apparently there is no answer,
nor any that regarded. The night comes, and still the vain cry goes up, and Heaven seems
deaf or apathetic. The night wears on, and still no help comes. But in the last watch of
that last night, when day is almost dawning, at nearly the last minute when escape would
have been possible, the angel touches the sleeping Apostle, and with leisurely calmness,
as sure that he had ample time, leads him out to freedom and safety. It was precisely
because Jesus loved the Household at Bethany that, after receiving the sisters’ message,
He abode still for two days in the same place where He was. However our impatience
may wonder, and our faithlessness venture sometimes almost to rebuke Him when He
comes, with words like Mary’s and Martha’ s-’Lord, if Thou hadst been here, such and
such sorrows would not have happened, and Thou couldst so easily have been here’-we

33. should learn the lesson that even if He has delayed so long that the dreaded blow has
fallen, He has come soon enough to make it the occasion for a still more glorious
communication of His power. ‘Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, and He shall give
thee the desires of thine heart.’
3. Again, we learn from this incident that the angels of God come in the shape which we
need.
Jacob’s want at the moment was protection. Therefore the angels appear in warlike
guise, and present before the defenceless man another camp, in which he and his
unwieldy caravan of women and children and cattle may find security. If his special want
had been of some blessing of another kind, no doubt another form of appearance, suited
with precision to his need, would have been imposed upon these angel helpers. For
God’s gifts to us change their character; as the Rabbis fabled that the manna tasted to
each man what each most desired. The same pure heavenly bread has the varying savour
that commends it to varying palates. God’s grace is Protean. It takes all the forms that
man’s necessities require. As water assumes the shape of any vessel into which it is put,
so this great blessing comes to each of us, moulded according to the pressure and taking
the form of our circumstances and necessities. His fulness is all-sufficient. It is the same
blood that, passing to all the members, ministers to each according to the needs and
fashion of each. And it is the same grace which, passing to our souls, in each man is
shaped according to his present condition and ministers to his present wants.
So, dear brethren, in that great fulness each of us may have the thing that we need. The
angel who to one man is protection, to another shall be teaching and inspiration; to
another shall appear with chariots of fire and horses of fire to sweep the rapt soul
heavenward; to another shall draw near as a deliverer from his fetters, at whose touch
the bonds shall fall from off him; to another shall appear as the instructor in duty and
the appointer of a path of service, like that vision that shone in the castle to the Apostle
Paul, and said, ‘Thou must bear witness for me at Rome’; to another shall appear as
opening the door of heaven and letting a flood of light come down upon his darkened
heart, as to the Apocalyptic seer in his rocky Patmos. And ‘all this worketh that one and
the self-same’ Lord of angels ‘dividing to every man severally as He will,’ and as the man
needs. The defenceless Jacob has the manifestation of the divine presence in the guise of
armed warriors that guard his unwarlike camp.
I add one last word. Long centuries after Jacob’s experience at Mahanaim, another
trembling fugitive found himself there, fearful, like Jacob, of the vengeance and anger of
one who was knit to him by blood. When poor King David was flying from the face of
Absalom his son, the first place where he made a stand, and where he remained during
the whole of the rebellion, was this town of Mahanaim, away on the eastern side of the
Jordan. Do you not think that to the kingly exile, in his feebleness and his fear, the very
name of his resting-place would be an omen? Would he not recall the old story, and
bethink himself of how round that other frightened man
‘Bright-harnessed angels stood in order serviceable’
and would he not, as he looked on his little band of friends, faithful among the faithless,
have his eyesight cleared to behold the other camp? Such a vision, no doubt, inspired the
calm confidence of the psalm which evidently belongs to that dark hour of his life, and
made it possible for the hunted king, with his feeble band, to sing even then, ‘I will both
lay me down in peace and sleep, for Thou, Lord, makest me dwell in safety, solitary
though I am.’
Nor is the vision emptied of its power to stay and make brave by all the ages that have

34. passed. The vision was for a moment; the fact is for ever. The sun’s ray was flashed back
from celestial armour, ‘the next all unreflected shone’ on the lonely wastes of the desert-
but the host of God was there still. The transitory appearance of the permanent realities
is a revelation to us as truly as to the patriarch; and though no angel wings may winnow
the air around our road, nor any sworded seraphim be seen on our commonplace march,
we too have all the armies of heaven with us, if we tread the path which God has marked
out, and in our weakness and trembling commit ourselves to Him. The heavenly
warriors die not, and hover around us to-day, excelling in the strength of their immortal
youth, and as ready to succour us as they were all these centuries ago to guard the
solitary Jacob.
Better still, the ‘Captain of the Lord’s host’ is ‘come up’ to be our defence, and our faith
has not only to behold the many ministering spirits sent forth to minister to us, but One
mightier than they, whose commands they all obey, and who Himself is the companion
of our solitude and the shield of our defencelessness. It was blessed that Jacob should be
met by the many angels of God. It is infinitely more blessed that ‘the Angel of the Lord’-
the One who is more than the many-’encampeth round about them that fear Him, and
delivereth them.’
The postscript of the last letter which Gordon sent from Khartoum closed with the
words, ‘The hosts are with me-Mahanaim.’ Were they not, even though death was near?
Was that sublime faith a mistake-the vision an optical delusion? No, for their ranks are
arrayed around God’s children to keep them from all evil while He wills that they should
live, and their chariots of fire and horses of fire are sent to bear them to heaven when He
wills that they should die.
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his
brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of
Edom.
CLARKE, "Jacob sent messengers - ‫מלאכים‬ malachim, the same word which is
before translated angels. It is very likely that these messengers had been sent some time
before he had this vision at Mahanaim, for they appear to have returned while Jacob
encamped at the brook Jabbok, where he had the vision of angels; see Gen_32:6, Gen_
32:23.
The land of Seir, the country of Edom - This land, which was, according to Dr.
Wells, situated on the south of the Dead Sea, extending from thence to the Arabian Gulf,
1Ki_9:26, was formerly possessed by the Horites, Gen_14:6; but Esau with his children

35. drove them out, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead, Deu_2:22; and thither Esau
went from the face of his brother Jacob, Gen_36:6, Gen_36:7. Thus we find he verified
the prediction, By thy sword shalt thou live, Gen_27:40.
GILL, "And Jacob sent messengers before him unto Esau his brother,.... Or
"angels": not angels simply, as Jarchi, for these were not under the command, and in the
power of Jacob to send, nor would they have needed any instruction from him
afterwards given, but these were some of his own servants. Esau it seems was removed
from his father's house, and was possessed of a country after mentioned, called from his
name; and which Aben Ezra says lay between Haran and the land of Israel; but if it did
not directly lie in the road of Jacob, yet, as it was near him, he did not choose to pass by
without seeing his brother; and therefore sent messengers to inform him of his coming,
and by whom he might learn in what temper and disposition of mind he was towards
him:
unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom: which had its first name from Seir the
Horite; and Esau having married into his family, came into the possession of it, by virtue
of that marriage; or rather he and his sons drove out the Horites, the ancient possessors
of it, and took it to themselves, from whom it was afterwards called Edom, a name of
Esau, which he had from the red pottage he sold his birthright for to his brother Jacob,
Gen_25:30; perhaps it is here called Edom by an anticipation, not having as yet that
name, though it had in Moses's time, when this history was wrote; see Gen_36:18.
HE RY, "Now that Jacob was re-entering Canaan God, by the vision of angels,
reminded him of the friends he had when he left it, and thence he takes occasion to
remind himself of the enemies he had, particularly Esau. It is probable that Rebekah had
sent him word of Esau's settlement in Seir, and of the continuance of his enmity to him.
What shall poor Jacob do? He longs to see his father, and yet he dreads to see his
brother. He rejoices to see Canaan again, and yet cannot but rejoice with trembling
because of Esau.
I. He sends a very kind and humble message to Esau. It does not appear that his way
lay through Esau's country, or that he needed to ask his leave for a passage; but his way
lay near it, and he would not go by him without paying him the respect due to a brother,
a twin-brother, an only brother, an elder brother, a brother offended. Note, 1. Though
our relations fail in their duty to us, yet we must make conscience of doing our duty to
them. 2. It is a piece of friendship and brotherly love to acquaint our friends with our
condition, and enquire into theirs. Acts of civility may help to slay enmities. Jacob's
message to him is very obliging, v. 4, 5. (1.) He calls Esau his lord, himself his servant, to
intimate that he did not insist upon the prerogatives of the birthright and blessing he
had obtained for himself, but left it to God to fulfil his own purpose in his seed. Note,
Yielding pacifies great offences, Ecc_10:4. We must not refuse to speak in a respectful
an submissive manner to those that are ever so unjustly exasperated against it (2.) He
gives him a short account of himself, that he was not a fugitive and a vagabond, but,
though long absent, had had a certain dwelling-place, with his own relations: I have
sojourned with Laban, and staid there till now; and that he was not a beggar, nor did he
come home, as the prodigal son, destitute of necessaries and likely to be a charge to his
relations; no, I have oxen and asses. This he knew would (if any thing) recommend him
to Esau's good opinion. And, (3.) He courts his favour: I have sent, that I might find
grace in thy sight. Note, It is no disparagement to those that have the better cause to

36. become petitioners for reconciliation, and to sue for peace as well as right.
JAMIESO , "Gen_32:3-32. Mission to Esau.
Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau — that is, “had sent.” It was a
prudent precaution to ascertain the present temper of Esau, as the road, on approaching
the eastern confines of Canaan, lay near the wild district where his brother was now
established.
land of Seir — a highland country on the east and south of the Dead Sea, inhabited
by the Horites, who were dispossessed by Esau or his posterity (Deu_11:12). When and
in what circumstances he had emigrated thither, whether the separation arose out of the
undutiful conduct and idolatrous habits of his wives, which had made them unwelcome
in the tent of his parents, or whether his roving disposition had sought a country from
his love of adventure and the chase, he was living in a state of power and affluence, and
this settlement on the outer borders of Canaan, though made of his own free will, was
overruled by Providence to pave the way for Jacob’s return to the promised land.
CALVI , "3.And Jacob sent messengers. It now happened, by the providence of
God, that Esau, having left his father, had gone to Mount Seir of his own accord;
and had thus departed from the land of promise, by which means the possession of
it would remain void for the posterity of Jacob, without slaughter among brethren.
For it was not to be believed that he had changed his habitation, either because he
was compelled by his father’s command, or because he was willing to be accounted
inferior to his brother. I rather conjecture that he had become greatly enriched, and
that this induced him to leave his father’s house. For we know that profane persons
and men of this world so vehemently pant for present advantages, that when
anything offers itself in accordance with their desire, they are hurried towards it
with a brutish impetuosity. Esau was imperious and ferocious; he was incensed
against his mother; had shaken off all reverence for his father, and knew that he
was himself also obnoxious to them both: his wives were engaged in incessant
contentions; it seemed to him hard and troublesome, to be in the condition of a child
in the family, when he was now advancing to old age; for proud men do not regard
themselves as free, so long as any one has the preeminence over them. Therefore, in
order to pass his life free from the authority of others, he chose to live in a state of
separation from his father; and, allured by this attraction, he disregarded the
promised inheritance, and left the place for his brother. I have said that this was
done by the divine will: for God himself declares by Malachi, that it was by a species
of banishment that Esau was led to Mount Seir. (Malachi 1:3) (101) For although he
departed voluntarily, yet, by the secret counsel of God was he deprived of that land
which he had earnestly desired. But, attracted by the present lust of dominion, he
was blinded in his choice; since the land of Seir was mountainous and rugged,
destitute of fertility and pleasantness. Moreover, he would appear to himself a great
man, in giving his own name to the country. evertheless, it is probable that Moses
called that country the land of Edom by the figure prolepsis, because it afterwards
began to be so called. The question now occurs, Whence did Jacob know that his
brother dwelt in that region? Though I assert nothing as certain; yet the conjecture
is probable, that he had been informed of it by his mother; for, in the great number

37. of her servants, a faithful messenger would not be wanting. And it is easily gathered
from the words of Moses, that Jacob, before he had entered the land, knew the fact
respecting the new residence of his brother. And we know that many things of this
kind were omitted by Moses, which may easily suggest themselves to the mind of the
reader.
PULPIT, "And Jacob sent messengers (with the messengers of Jacob, the messengers of Elohim
form a contrast which can scarcely have been accidental) before him to Esau his brother unto the
land of Seir,—vide on Genesis 14:6. Seir, nearly equivalent in force to Esau (Ewald), and meaning
the rough or bristling mountain (Gesenius), was originally occupied by the Horites, but afterwards
became the seat of Esau and his descendants (Deuteronomy 2:4; 2 Chronicles 20:10), though as
yet Esau had not withdrawn from Canaan (Genesis 36:5-8)—the country (literally, plain or level
tract = Padan (male Hoses Genesis 12:13) of Edom, as it was afterwards called.
COFFMAN, "Verse 3
"And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of
Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy
servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now: and I have oxen, and asses
and flocks, and men-servants, and maid-servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find
favor in thy sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau,
and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly
afraid and was distressed: and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and the
herds, and the camels, into two companies; and he said, If Esau come to one company and smite
it, then the company which is left shall escape. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and
God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, who saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy
kindred, and I will do thee good: I am not worthy of the least of all the loving-kindness, and all of
the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan;
and now I am become two companies. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from
the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. And
thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be
numbered for multitude."
Reassured by the vision of angels, Jacob took the initiative in his projected confrontation with
Esau. He sent a message, which is a model of humility, making clear that he desired a friendly
reception. However, he was greatly distressed and filled with fear when the word came back from
his messengers that Esau was indeed coming to meet him with four hundred armed men! When
Jacob left home, his mother Rebekah had promised to send word when Esau's anger had cooled,
but no word ever came. Thus Jacob naturally felt the greatest alarm. It is of interest that the
messengers were able to find Esau so easily, indicating that Esau had become a mighty chieftain,
known throughout the area where he chose to live in Seir, "the field of Edom." This was the region
south and eastward from the Dead Sea. Esau's presence apparently so near where the brothers
met might have resulted from his being on some kind of military mission against his enemies.
Jacob did two things:
(1) He took every possible precaution human wisdom could suggest, dividing the companies, etc.
(2) Then he prayed one of the greatest prayers of his life, consisting of "an invocation (Genesis
32:10), thanksgiving (Genesis 32:11), petition (Genesis 32:12), and appeal to the divine
faithfulness (Genesis 32:12), a classic model of O.T. devotion."[3] His confession of unworthiness
should be included (Genesis 32:10). One is surprised that anyone could find fault with this prayer,
but Unger wrote: "Jacob uttered it only after his own plans and schemes were exhausted."[4] So
he did, but we think that Morris made a better evaluation:
"He realized that they would require God's protection, and he fully intended to call on the Lord. But
he realized it was wise, as well as in keeping with God's will, to take what natural precautions
were opened to him as quickly as possible, after which he could pray in good faith, knowing that
he had done all that he could and that the Lord would have to take over the rest of the way."[5]

38. "The mother with the children ..." "This was a proverbial expression descriptive of a total
annihilation from which no one would escape. It is equivalent to our statement with no
survivors."[6] The sins of Jacob, committed long previously, were the basis of his pitiful fear, a
condition that always results when sin is committed. As a matter of fact, Esau had long ago
forgiven Jacob and had probably longed to see him. Josephus preserved the tradition that, "When
Esau received the messengers from Jacob, he was very glad."[7] Of course, Jacob did not know
that.
ELLICOTT, "JACOB’S RECONCILIATION WITH ESAU.
(Genesis 32:3 to Genesis 33:16.)
(3) Jacob sent messengers.—As Jacob travelled homewards to Hebron the news somehow
reached him that Esau, at the head of a large body of retainers, was engaged in an expedition
against the Horites. These, as we have seen on Genesis 14:6, were a miserable race of cave-
men, utterly unable to cope with Esau and his trained servants. We learn from Genesis 36:6 that
Esau’s home was still with Isaac at Hebron, and probably this was a mere marauding expedition,
like that against the people of Gath, which a century later cost Ephraim the lives of so many of his
sons (1 Chronicles 7:21); but it revealed to Esau the weakness of the in habitants, and also that
the land was admirably adapted for his favourite pursuit of hunting. He seems also to have taken
a Horite wife (Genesis 36:5), and being thus connected with the country, upon Isaac’s death he
willingly removed into it, and it then became “the country,” Heb. the field of Edom. Its other name,
Seir, i.e. rough, hairy, shows that it was then covered with forests, and the term field that it was an
uncultivated region. It was entirely in the spirit of the adventurous Esau to make this expedition,
and on his father’s death to prefer this wild land to the peaceful pastures at Hebron, where he was
surrounded by powerful tribes of Amorites and Hittites. The land of Seir was a hundred miles
distant from Mahanaim, but Esau apparently had been moving up through what were afterwards
the countries of Moab and Ammon, and was probably, when Jacob sent his messengers, at no
very great distance. At all events, Jacob remained at Mahanaim till his brother was near, when he
crossed the brook Jabbok, and went to meet him.
COKE, "Genesis 32:3. Jacob sent messengers, &c.— It was very natural for Jacob to conceive
fearful apprehensions of Esau, and very prudential in him to take all proper methods to conciliate
his favour; and this consistently with the firmest dependance upon the protection of that God who
had so graciously revealed himself to him: for it never has appeared that God's providential care
is intended to supersede our own just and proper endeavours. As, therefore, he was about to
pass over Jordan, he sent a message to his brother, Genesis 32:4 that, as Dr. Shuckford
observes, he might found his inclination to him, mollify his resentment, if any remained, and win
his friendship by complaisance and respect. Nor was it only in order to reconcile Esau that he sent
these messengers to him, but also to apprize him that he brought his subsistence with him from
Haran, and that he was not going into Canaan to do him any injury: whereas, had he returned
home without Esau's knowledge, Esau might have thought that Jacob had got the greatest part of
his substance from his father; and when he came, at Isaac's death, to take away with him to
Edom what his father had to leave him, he might have looked upon Jacob as having defrauded
him of his right.
The land of Seir, the country of Edom, was situated on the south of the Dead-Sea, thence
extending to the Arabian Gulph, 1 Kings 9:26. It was distant from Galeed, where Jacob now was,
about one hundred and twenty miles. It took its name Seir from a considerable person of that
name among the Horites, who possessed it before Esau: but Esau, it seems, having conquered it
in Jacob's absence, verified his father's prediction, by thy sword shalt thou live, ch. Genesis 27:40.
and from him it was called, the country of Edom. See Wells's Geogr. vol. 1: p. 354.
CONSTABLE, "Verses 3-12
Why did Jacob initiate contact with Esau (Genesis 32:3)?
"He knows that there can be no peace and quiet until his relations with Esau are assured and put
on a proper footing. Not until that matter was settled could Jacob feel certain of his future." [Note:

39. Thomas, p. 293. Cf. Matthew 5:23-25a.]
Esau may have had a large army because he had had to subjugate the Horite (Hurrian) population
of Seir (Genesis 32:6). His soldiers probably consisted of his own servants plus the Canaanite
and Ishmaelite relations of his wives.
Jacob's reaction to Esau's apparently hostile advance against him was to try to protect himself
(Genesis 32:7-8). This was Jacob's standard response to trouble. Yet this time he knew it would
not be enough. So, he called on God for help (Genesis 32:9-12). We need to be right with God
before we can be right with our brothers.
Jacob's prayer (his first recorded prayer) reflects his deeply felt need for God's help and his own
humility (Genesis 32:9-12). One writer likened its form to the penitential psalms. [Note: Waltke,
Genesis, p. 443.] He reminded God of His past dealings with his forefathers and with himself
(Genesis 32:9). He confessed his personal unworthiness and lack of any claim upon God's favor
(Genesis 32:10). By calling himself "your servant" he became ready to serve others. He requested
divine deliverance and acknowledged his own fear (Genesis 32:11). Finally he claimed God's
promise of a continuing line of descendants (Genesis 32:12). This is an excellent model prayer.
PETT, "Events in Jacob’s Life Up To the Death of Isaac (Genesis 32:3 to Genesis 35:1)
Jacob Meets With His Brother Esau (Genesis 32:3 to Genesis 33:17).
This section is built around two covenants. The covenant made with God at Peniel and the
covenant of peace made between Esau and Jacob. It is probable that the covenant with God was
the central one. But Jacob being a careful man (compare Genesis 25:33 and the passage built
around it) would certainly want on record the details of his covenant of peace with Esau.
Even after so long a time Jacob is wary of his brother Esau. He does not know what fate Esau
plans for him nor what will be his reaction to his return. But we note that he is aware of his
brother’s whereabouts. He has clearly kept in touch with his family who have kept him informed.
For Esau, recognising that he now had no part in the rulership of the family tribe (Genesis 27:39-
40), had aligned himself by marriage with the confederate tribes of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). He
moved to the desert region and there built up his own tribe, no doubt with Ishmael’s assistance
and had thus became a minor ruler over a band of warriors with whom he lived out the active life
that he had always desired. With their assistance he was able to build up his wealth. Many rich
caravans would pass near their territory on the King’s Highway (see Numbers 20:14-21) which by
one means or another would contribute to their treasury (either by toll or by robbery) and they
necessarily built up flocks and herds for their own survival.
Eventually they would gain ascendancy over neighbouring peoples until the land becomes known
as the land of Edom (Genesis 36:16-17; Genesis 36:21; Genesis 36:31) i.e. of Esau (Genesis
25:30; Genesis 36:1; Genesis 36:19; Genesis 36:43), although originally called the land of Seir
(here and Genesis 37:30). The latter name is connected with the Horites who originally lived there
(Genesis 36:20) who were clearly absorbed into the clan or confederacy.
Verses 3-5
Events in Jacob’s Life Up To the Death of Isaac (Genesis 32:3 to Genesis 35:1)
Jacob Meets With His Brother Esau (Genesis 32:3 to Genesis 33:17).
This section is built around two covenants. The covenant made with God at Peniel and the
covenant of peace made between Esau and Jacob. It is probable that the covenant with God was
the central one. But Jacob being a careful man (compare Genesis 25:33 and the passage built
around it) would certainly want on record the details of his covenant of peace with Esau.
Even after so long a time Jacob is wary of his brother Esau. He does not know what fate Esau
plans for him nor what will be his reaction to his return. But we note that he is aware of his

40. brother’s whereabouts. He has clearly kept in touch with his family who have kept him informed.
For Esau, recognising that he now had no part in the rulership of the family tribe (Genesis 27:39-
40), had aligned himself by marriage with the confederate tribes of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). He
moved to the desert region and there built up his own tribe, no doubt with Ishmael’s assistance
and had thus became a minor ruler over a band of warriors with whom he lived out the active life
that he had always desired. With their assistance he was able to build up his wealth. Many rich
caravans would pass near their territory on the King’s Highway (see Numbers 20:14-21) which by
one means or another would contribute to their treasury (either by toll or by robbery) and they
necessarily built up flocks and herds for their own survival.
Eventually they would gain ascendancy over neighbouring peoples until the land becomes known
as the land of Edom (Genesis 36:16-17; Genesis 36:21; Genesis 36:31) i.e. of Esau (Genesis
25:30; Genesis 36:1; Genesis 36:19; Genesis 36:43), although originally called the land of Seir
(here and Genesis 37:30). The latter name is connected with the Horites who originally lived there
(Genesis 36:20) who were clearly absorbed into the clan or confederacy.
Genesis 32:3-5
‘And Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau, to the land of Seir, the part
possessed by (‘the field of’) Edom. And he commanded them saying, “Thus shall you say to my
lord Esau. ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. And
I have oxen and asses and flocks and menservants and maidservants, and I have sent to tell my
lord that I may find grace in your sight.’ ” ’
Jacob sends to Esau offering terms of peace. He wants Esau to know that he is wealthy on his
own account, and that he can therefore expect generous gifts. There may also be the hint that he
is well able to defend himself - ‘menservants and maidservants’, those who serve in the family
tribe. We may remember that from the equivalent Abraham was able to raise three hundred and
eighteen trained fighting men.
“The land of Seir, the part possessed by Edom.” The land where Seir the Horite and his tribe and
descendants dwelt, part of which was now controlled by Esau’s men. See remarks above. Esau
appears to lead an itinerant life, partly at home with his father who was blind and needed his
assistance, and where he had his own herds and flocks, and partly out with his men adventuring
in the season of such activities when the demands of farming were less. It was only after the
death of his father that he finally forsook the family tribe (Genesis 36:6).
“My lord Esau.” A title of respect due to an important personage.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR 3-9, "And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother.
The alarm
I. We will consider, in the first place, THE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES WHICH
JACOB ADOPTED. In the first instance, as soon as he heard of the evil which apparently
awaited him, he immediately divided” the people that were with him into two bands,” in
the hope that if one company was suddenly surprised and smitten, the other might in the
interim escape.
II. But in the second place, let us notice WHAT WAS JACOB’S CHIEF RESOURCE IN
THIS PRESSING EXIGENCY. It was the throne of grace. Prayer is, in fact, the peculiar
privilege and the natural habit of a truly pious mind. Prayer also is a very powerful proof
of the state of the heart. If we see men, who profess and call themselves Christians,
struggling and contending in their own strength, with second causes, as the source of
their sorrows, in the hope of overcoming them, and not affectionately, earnestly,
spontaneously spreading their case before the Lord, we have reason to doubt the
sincerity of their religious profession.

41. III. But, with these prefatory remarks, let us now examine THE NATURE OF JACOB’S
PRAYER. It is a very beautiful example of real prayer. It is simple, full, and energetic. We
will glance briefly at its leading topics.
1. There is, first, a simple and vindicatory statement of the circumstances in which
Jacob was placed. He had not brought himself thoughtlessly or wilfully into this
difficulty. “Thou saidest unto me, return unto thy country and thy kindred.” “I am
here, in obedience to Thy command.” There is a very wide distinction between those
trials and sufferings into which a man is brought by wilfulness and sin, and those
which come upon him independently of his own control, and in respect to which, his
mind must necessarily be free from guilt.
2. But, secondly, though in this instance Jacob was free to appeal to the knowledge
of God for his acquittal from any wilful trangression in those steps which had led
him into danger, yet he did not hesitate, in other respects, to take at once the only
ground upon which a human creature can consistently stand before God; and,
consequently, we find the justification of his conduct in his present circumstances,
immediately followed by an humble acknowledgment of his utter unworthiness
before God. “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, that
Thou hast showed unto Thy servant.” How different is this from the proud feeling of
independence with which men generally regard their property in this life I The
language of a prosperous man among his fellows, as well as in his heart, is too
frequently, “My power, and the might of my hand, have gotten me this wealth.”
3. But, thirdly, in the midst of humiliating confession, Jacob did not forget His
mercies. He thankfully records them. He extols the mercy and the faithfulness of
God. “With my staff I passed over this Jordan, and lo, I am become two bands.” If we
would secure the continuance of our blessings, we should be free to remember them.
But once more we notice, that Jacob continues his prayer by an affectionate
enunciation of God’s promises. “I fear lest Esau come and smite me, and the mother
with the children; and
Thou saidst I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which
cannot be numbered for multitude.” We are always safe when we can grasp the promises
of God, and convert them into prayers. “Thou hast said, a new heart will I give thee, and
a new spirit will I put within thee. O Lord, create in me a clean heart, and renew a right
spirit within me.”
4. Lastly, Jacob evidently showed that he placed an unfeigned and implicit
confidence in the covenant, the promises, and the mercies of God. All the language of
his prayer, tends to call up before him an animating view of the character of Him
whom he addressed. This is precisely the spirit in which the Christian is now
encouraged to approach the Lord. He has purer light, and greater knowledge. (E.
Craig.)
Jacob’s preparation for meeting his angry brother
I. HE TOOK THOSE MEASURES DICTATED BY HUMAN PRUDENCE.
1. He sends messengers of peace.
2. He divides his company into two bands.
3. He sends a present.

42. II. HE TOOK THOSE MEASURES DICTATED BY RELIGION. Prayer.
1. He appeals to God as the Covenant God and Father (Gen_32:9).
2. He pleads God’s gracious promise to himself. “The Lord which saidst unto me,
“Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee.”
3. He confesses his own unworthiness, and God’s goodness and faithfulness (Gen_
32:10).
4. He presents his special petition expressing his present want (Gen_32:11). He
prays to be delivered from his brother’s anger, the possible consequences of which
were fearful to contemplate.
5. He cleaves to God’s word of promise (Gen_32:12). God had promised to do him
good, and to make his seed as the sand of the sea for multitude. And Jacob pleads as
if he said, how could this promise be fulfilled if himself and his family were slain?
This prayer shows the kind husband, the tender father, the man of faith and piety.
(T. H. Leale.)
Jacob’s return from Padan-aram
I. In regard to THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH JACOB WAS PLACED, we may
observe that he was surrounded by a numerous family, to whom he was strongly
attached, and some of whom were of a very tender age; and that he saw the whole of
them, with himself, liable, in the course of a few transitory hours, to be cut off by the
sword of an enraged brother.
II. THE CONDUCT WHICH JACOB ADOPTED UPON THIS OCCASION IS FULL OF
INTEREST AND INSTRUCTION. It was equally removed from presumption and
despair; and presents one of the most edifying examples of sanctified affliction.
1. He did everything in his power to avert his brother’s wrath, and conciliate his
favour.
2. He made an arrangement in regard to his family, which was calculated at least to
save some of them.
3. He had recourse to earnest prayer.
(1) It was addressed to the God of his fathers. Jacob had descended from
ancestors distinguished by their piety; and he avails himself of that circumstance
to raise his drooping faith.
(2) In Jacob’s prayer we observe an humble acknowledgment of his absolute
demerit before God.
(3) When asking of God the favour of protection, Jacob gratefully acknowledges
the blessings he had already received.
(4) The prayer which is now under our consideration contains an encouraging
reference to the Divine direction, which Jacob was then in the very act of
obeying.
(5) In this most impressive prayer the patriarch pleads the promise of God in
regard to his posterity. The facts which have now occupied our attention contain
many practical lessons of general application. They remind us, in a very

43. impressive manner—
1. Of the established connection between sin and punishment.
2. The history of Jacob suggests the immense importance of genuine piety.
3. The example of Jacob, on the occasion described in the text, teaches the important
lesson, that to obtain from God the blessing we desire, it is our duty to use the
requisite means, and at the same time to place an absolute reliance upon His mercy.
(T. Jackson.)
Lessons
1. Providence ordereth returns of messages sometimes to be cross to the expectation
of His saints.
2. Messages of peace are delivered to wicked men from saints sometimes without
answerable return.
3. Faithful messengers will perform their charge whatever the issue be Pro_25:13).
4. Wicked men though intreated, may show themselves in their power and terror to
the saints (verse 6).
5. Creature-terrors are apt to stir up fears vehemently in the hearts of God’s dearest
ones.
6. Fears in saints are not so violent, but that they rationally provide for their safety
under them.
7. It is good prudence to save part from ruin when the whole is in danger.
8. Military order in setting troops in place, is not unbeseeming saints (verse Gen_
14:15).
9. God’s armies do not quiet saints sometimes, when sense worketh on outward
danger.
10. Smitings of some by enemies are reasonable warnings for others to escape (verse
8). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Faith in prayer to God is the saints’ immediate help against fear in the hour of
temptation.
2. The saints’ providence for themselves is but in order to their refuge in God.
3. God in gracious relations to poor souls is the proper object of prayer.
4. Saints may be bold to fly to God for help in the execution of His commands.
5. God in the promise of grace to His people is the special object of their faith and
prayer.
6. Special faith evidencing and applying promises is very necessary to effectual
prayer in temptation (Gen_32:9). (G. Hughes, B. D.)

44. Jacob at Mahanaim
I. JACOB’S PLAN.
1. How it originated.
(1) In the report he heard of Esau’s approach at the head of four hundred men
(Gen_32:6).
(2) His fear lest Esau might intend to carry out his old purpose of revenge (Gen_
32:7; Gen_27:42).
(3) His perplexity. Not having strength to resist such a force (Gen_32:7).
(4) His desire to save, if possible, the half of his property (Gen_32:8).
2. In what it consisted. In the division of his flocks and herds, &c., into two
companies. It must have been a huge company at the first, for him to think, after the
message he sent (Gen_32:4-5), that his brother would imagine the half was all he
had. He thought that one half, hearing the attack upon the other, might in the
confusion escape while Esau was driving off his plunder.
3. The plan was well contrived. A little of the old Jacob is here planning and
scheming.
4. How he wronged his brother by his unjust suspicions.
5. How he wronged God, by not in the first place seeking His guidance and help. His
old method of taking the plan into his own hands. Still relying too much on human
sagacity.
II. JACOB’S PRAYER.
1. Having made his plans, according to his own wisdom, then he asked God to bless
him; and in the end found that his plans were all needless. Prayer at the first would
have saved him much perplexity and fear.
2. When he did pray he displayed great humility of soul and dependence upon God.
(1) He approached God in His covenant relation as the God of Abraham.
(2) He reminds his Divine friend of his own obedience in obeying His call to
return.
(3) He mentions the promise, “I will deal well with thee.”
(4) He protests his own great unworthiness.
(5) He gratefully acknowledges the good hand of God in so increasing his
substance.
(6) He supplicates present help in his time of need.
(7) He reminds God of the covenant promise. Having presented this his prayer,
he proceeds to select a present for his brother.
III. JACOB’S CONDUCT. All being ready, his company divided, the present prepared,
Jacob sent the present forward in divisions, each drove with servants, and each servant
with a message; one part of the message being that Jacob was himself about to follow the
gift. The spirit of the gift conciliatory. Conciliation his avowed purpose (Gen_32:20).

45. The present was designed to break down every feeling of revenge and anger supposed
still to exist in the mind of Esau. Jacob himself would remain that night, which at one
time he feared would be his last, with his company. Growing more confident as the night
advanced, he arose and sent over his wives and children. Thus committed to the care of
God all that he had. Learn:
1. That the fruit of past sins is sure to spring up in our way. Jacob cannot forget the
evil he had done; nor return, after this long absence from home, without confronting
its results.
2. That, prayer is the best means of meeting great difficulties. Our best plans
ineffective without that blessing which prayer secures. Prayer puts the heart into the
best condition for enduring trial. (J. C. Gray.)
4 He instructed them: “This is what you are to say
to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have
been staying with Laban and have remained there
till now.
BAR ES,"Gen_32:4-9
Jacob now sends a message to Esau apprising him of his arrival. Unto the land of Seir.
Arabia Petraea, with which Esau became connected by his marriage with a daughter of
Ishmael. He was now married 56 years to his first two wives, and 20 to his last, and
therefore, had a separate and extensive establishment of children and grandchildren.
Jacob endeavors to make amends for the past by an humble and respectful approach to
his older brother, in which he styles himself, “thy servant” and Esau, “my lord.” He
informs him of his wealth, to intimate that he did not expect anything from him. “Four
hundred men with him.” This was a formidable force. Esau had begun to live by the
sword Gen_27:40, and had surrounded himself with a numerous body of followers.
Associated by marriage with the Hittites and the Ishmaelites, he had rapidly risen to the
rank of a powerful chieftain. It is vain to conjecture with what intent Esau advanced at
the head of so large a retinue. It is probable that he was accustomed to a strong escort,
that he wished to make an imposing appearance before his brother, and that his mind
was in that wavering state, when the slightest incident might soothe him into good-will,
or arouse him to vengeance. Jacob, remembering his own former dealings with him, has
good cause for alarm. He betakes himself to the means of deliverance. He disposes of his
horde into two camps, that if one were attacked and captured, the other might
meanwhile escape. He never neglects to take all the precautions in his power.

46. CLARKE, "Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau - Jacob acknowledges the
superiority of his brother; for the time was not yet come in which it could be said, The
elder shall serve the younger.
GILL, "And he commanded them,.... Being his servants:
saying, thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; being not only a lord of a country,
but his eldest brother, and whom he chose to bespeak in this manner, to soften his mind,
and incline it to him; and that he might see he did not pique himself upon the birthright
and blessing he had obtained; and as if these were forgotten by him, though hereby he
does not give up his right in them:
thy servant Jacob saith thus, expressing great humility and modesty; for though his
father Isaac by his blessing had made him lord over Esau, the time was not come for this
to take place, his father not being yet dead; and besides, was to have its accomplishment
not in his own person, but in his posterity:
I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now; had been a sojourner
and a servant in Laban's family for twenty years past, and had had an hard master, and
therefore could not be the object of his brother's envy, but rather of his pity and
compassion.
JAMIESO , "Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau — The purport of the
message was that, after a residence of twenty years in Mesopotamia, he was now
returning to his native land, that he did not need any thing, for he had abundance of
pastoral wealth, but that he could not pass without notifying his arrival to his brother
and paying the homage of his respectful obeisance. Acts of civility tend to disarm
opposition and soften hatred (Ecc_10:4).
Thy servant Jacob — He had been made lord over his brethren (compare Gen_
27:29). But it is probable he thought this referred to a spiritual superiority; or if to
temporal, that it was to be realized only to his posterity. At all events, leaving it to God to
fulfil that purpose, he deemed it prudent to assume the most kind and respectful
bearing.
HAWKER, "Observe the humbleness of Jacob’s mind. He calls his brother Lord;
though by the father’s blessing of the birth-right given to him, he had the right of
inheritance. See Gen_27:29. Reader! of such humbleness of soul are all the spiritual seed
of Jacob.
CALVI , "4.Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau. Moses here relates the anxiety
of Jacob to appease his brother. For this suppliant deprecation was extorted only by
great and severe torture of mind. It seems, however, to be an absurd submission,
whereby he cedes to his brother that dominion for which he had contended at the
hazard of his life. For if Esau has the primogeniture, what does Jacob reserve for
himself? For what end did he bring upon himself such hatred, expose himself to
such dangers, and at length endure twenty years of banishment, if he does not refuse

47. to be in subjection to his brother? I answer, that though he gives up the temporal
dominion, he yields nothing of his right to the secret benediction. He knows that the
effect of the divine promise is still suspended: and therefore, being content with the
hope of the future inheritance, he does not hesitate, at present, to prefer his brother
in honor to himself, and to profess himself his brother’s servant. or was there
anything feigned in these words; because he was willing to bear his brother on his
shoulders; so that he might not lose his own future right, which was as yet
concealed.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:4. Speak unto my lord Esau — He calls Esau his lord, and himself his
servant, to intimate that he did not insist on the prerogatives of the birthright and blessing which
he had obtained for himself, but left it to God to fulfil his own purpose in his seed. And he gives
him a short account of himself and of his property, and where he had sojourned, expressing withal
a desire for his favour and friendship.
PULPIT, "And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant
Jacob saith thus;—the expression "my lord "may have been designed to intimate to Esau that he
(Jacob) did not intend to assert that superiority or precedency which had been assigned him by
Isaac's blessing (Genesis 27:29), at least so far as to claim a share in Isaac's wealth (Calvin,
Bush, Gerlach), but was probably due chiefly to the extreme courtesy of the East (Gerlach), or to
a desire to conciliate his brother (Keil), or to a feeling of personal contrition for his misbehavior
towards Esau (Kalisch), and perhaps also to a secret apprehension of danger from Esau's
approach (Alford, Inglis)—I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed— ‫ר‬ַ‫ח‬ֵ‫א‬ the fut. Kal. of ‫ר‬ַ‫ָאח‬
occurring only here, is a contraction for ‫ר‬ַ‫ח‬ֱ‫א‬ֶ‫,א‬ like ‫ק‬ֵ‫ֹס‬ ‫ּת‬ for ‫ק‬ֵ‫ֹאס‬ ‫ּת‬ (Psalms 104:29; vide Gesenius, §
68, 2)—there until now: and I have (literally, there are to me, so that I stand in need of no further
wealth from either thee or Isaac) oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and women
servants:—cf. Genesis 12:16 (Abraham); Genesis 26:13, Genesis 26:14 (Isaac)—and I have sent
to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight (cf. Genesis 33:8, Genesis 33:15; Genesis 39:4;
and vide Genesis 6:8; Genesis 18:3).
TRAPP, "Ver. 4. Unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob, &c.] This was not baseness of spirit,
much less a renouncing of his birthright and blessing; but a necessary submission for a time, such
as was that of David to Saul, [1 Samuel 24:7; 1 Samuel 24:9] till the prophecy of his superiority
should be fulfilled. That was baseness in the Samaritans, that in writing to Antiochus Epiphanes,
that great king of Syria, because he tormented the Jews, to excuse themselves that they were no
Jews they styled him, Antiochus the mighty God: (a) the Scripture styles him "a vile person".
[Daniel 11:21] So was that also in Teridates, king of the Parthians, who, with bended knee and
hands held up, worshipped Nero, and thus bespake that monster of mankind: To thee I come as
to my god; and thee I adore as I do the sun: what thou decreest of me, I will be and do; for thou
art to me both fate and fortune &c. (b) And what shall we think of those superstitious Sicilians,
who, when they were excommunicated by Pope Martin IV, laid themselves prostrate at his feet,
and cried; - O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace. The
Venetians also, being excommunicated by Pope Clemens V, (c) could not be absolved till such
time as their ambassador Dandalus had not only fallen at the Pope’s feet, but lain also under his
table as a dog with an iron chain about his neck, feeding on such scraps as were cast unto him.
(d) Had this dog dealt by the Pope as the Earl of Wiltshire’s spaniel did, he had served him but
right. This earl, with Doctor Cranmer, and others, being sent ambassador to Rome about King
Henry’s divorce; when he should have kissed the Pope’s foot, his spaniel, as though he had been
of purpose appointed thereunto, went and caught the Pope by the great toe, which the spaniel
haply mistook for some kind of repast. (e) But this by the way only. What hard servitude kings and
emperors were forced to undergo in former times, and how basely to avile (f) themselves to the
beast of Rome, is better known than that it need to be here related. Henry II of England, Henry IV
of France, and Henry, the fourth Emperor of Germany, for instance. This last came, in the midst of
a sore winter, upon his bare feet, to the gates of the Castle of Canusium, and stood there fasting
from morning to night for three days together, waiting for the Pope’s judicial sentence, and craving
his pardon: which yet he could not obtain by his own or others’ tears, or by the intercession of any

48. saint, save only of a certain harlot, with whom the Pope was then taking his carnal pleasure. (g)
The good emperor mistook who thought that the Pope could be pacified by fasting and prayer.
This god required another kind of sacrifice than these. And here that of Solomon was fulfilled, "I
have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth". [Ecclesiastes
10:7]
5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male
and female servants. ow I am sending this
message to my lord, that I may find favor in your
eyes.’”
BAR ES,"
CLARKE, "
GILL, "
HE RY, "
JAMIESO , "
CALVI , "5.I have oxen. Jacob does not proclaim his riches for the sake of
boasting, but that by this method Esau might be inclined to humanity. For it would
have been exceedingly disgraceful, cruelly to drive away one who had been
enriched, by the favor of God, in a distant land. Besides, he cuts off occasion of
future emulation: for if he had come empty and famishing, Esau might conceive
fresh indignation against him, through fear of the expense which might be entailed
on himself. Therefore Jacob declares, that he does not come for the purpose of
consuming his father’s substance, nor of being made rich by his brother’s ruin: as if
he had said, “Let thy earthly inheritance be secure; thy claim shall not be injured by
me; only suffer me to live.” By this example we are taught in what way we are to
cultivate peace with the wicked. The Lord does not indeed forbid us to defend our
own right, so far as our adversaries allow; but we must rather recede from that
right, than originate contention by our own fault.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:5. I have sent to tell my lord — This message of Jacob shows great
prudence in him; for had he returned into Canaan without informing his brother, and making him
acquainted with the substance he had brought with him from Haran, Esau, who lived at a distance
from his father Isaac, probably would have thought, when he came to take possession of Isaac’s
property on his death, that Jacob had obtained all his substance from his father, to Esau’s
prejudice, which might have created an irreconcilable misunderstanding between them.
HAWKER, "Probably he makes mention of his worldly substance, by way of showing his
brother that he needed nothing from him but his love and good-will.

49. 6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they
said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he
is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are
with him.”
CLARKE, "Esau - cometh - and four hundred men with him - Jacob,
conscious that he had injured his brother, was now apprehensive that he was coming
with hostile intentions, and that he had every evil to fear from his displeasure.
Conscience is a terrible accuser. It was a fine saying of a heathen,
Hic murus aheneus esto,
Nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa.
Hor. Ep., l. i., E. i., v. 60.
Be this thy brazen bulwark of defense,
Still to preserve thy conscious innocence,
Nor e’er turn pale with guilt.
Francis.
In other words, He that has a good conscience has a brazen wall for his defense; for a
guilty conscience needs no accuser; sooner or later it will tell the truth, and not only
make the man turn pale who has it, but also cause him to tremble even while his guilt is
known only to himself and God.
It does not appear that Esau in this meeting had any hostile intention, but was really
coming with a part of his servants or tribe to do his brother honor. If he had had any
contrary intention, God had removed it; and the angelic host which Jacob met with
before might have inspired him with sufficient confidence in God’s protection. But we
find that when he needed faith most, he appears to have derived but little benefit from
its influence, partly from the sense he had of the injury he had done to his brother, and
partly from not attending sufficiently to the assurance which God had given him of his
gracious protection.
GILL, "And the messengers returned to Jacob,.... After they had delivered their
message, with the answer they brought back:
saying, we came to thy brother Esau; which, though not expressed, is implied in

50. these words, and is still more manifest by what follows:
and also he cometh to meet thee; and pay a friendly visit, as they supposed:
and four hundred men with him; partly to show his grandeur, and partly out of
respect to Jacob, and to do honour to him; though some think this was done with an ill
design upon him, and which indeed seems probable; and it is certain Jacob so
understood it, as is evident by the distress it gave him, and by the methods he took for
his safety, and by the gracious appearance of God unto him, and the strength he gave
him on this occasion, not only to pray to and wrestle with him, but to prevail both with
God and men, as the following account shows. The Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem
call these four hundred men leaders or generals of armies, which is not probable; they
were most likely Esau's subjects, his tenants and servants.
HE RY, "II. He receives a very formidable account of Esau's warlike preparations
against him (Gen_32:6), not a word, but a blow, a very coarse return to his kind
message, and a sorry welcome home to a poor brother: He comes to meet thee, and four
hundred men with him. He is now weary of waiting for the days of mourning for this
good father, and even before they come he resolves to slay his brother. 1. He remembers
the old quarrel, and will now be avenged on him for the birthright and blessing, and, if
possible, defeat Jacob's expectations from both. Note, malice harboured will last long,
and find an occasion to break out with violence a great while after the provocations
given. Angry men have good memories. 2. He envies Jacob what little estate he had, and,
though he himself was now possessed of a much better, yet nothing will serve him but to
feed his eyes upon Jacob's ruin, and fill his fields with Jacob's spoils. Perhaps the
account Jacob sent him of his wealth did but provoke him the more. 3. He concludes it
easy to destroy him, now that he was upon the road, a poor weary traveller, unfixed, and
(as he thinks) unguarded. Those that have the serpent's poison have commonly the
serpent's policy, to take the first and fairest opportunity that offers itself for revenge. 4.
He resolves to do it suddenly, and before Jacob had come to his father, lest he should
interpose and mediate between them. Esau was one of those that hated peace; when
Jacob speaks, speaks peaceably, he is for war, Psa_120:6, Psa_120:7. Out he marches,
spurred on with rage, and intent on blood and murders; four hundred men he had with
him, probably such as used to hunt with him, armed, no doubt, rough and cruel like
their leader, ready to execute the word of command though ever so barbarous, and now
breathing nothing but threatenings and slaughter. The tenth part of these were enough
to cut off poor Jacob, and his guiltless helpless family, root and branch. No marvel
therefore that it follows (Gen_32:7), then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed,
perhaps the more so from having scarcely recovered the fright Laban had put him in.
Note, Many are the troubles of the righteous in this world, and sometimes the end of one
is but the beginning of another. The clouds return after the rain. Jacob, though a man of
great faith, yet was now greatly afraid. Note, A lively apprehension of danger, and a
quickening fear arising from it, may very well consist with a humble confidence in God's
power and promise. Christ himself, in his agony, was sorely amazed.
JAMIESO , "The messengers returned to Jacob — Their report left Jacob in
painful uncertainty as to what was his brother’s views and feelings. Esau’s studied
reserve gave him reason to dread the worst. Jacob was naturally timid; but his
conscience told him that there was much ground for apprehension, and his distress was
all the more aggravated that he had to provide for the safety of a large and helpless

51. family.
HAWKER, "Observe, no sooner is Jacob delivered from distress, by reason of Laban,
but he falls into a similar, or greater trouble, from the fear of Esau. Reader! the world is
full of Labans and Esaus, in the experience of the faithful followers of the Lamb. Jer_
30:7.
CALVI , "6.And the messengers returned. Esau advances to meet his brother with
a feeling of benevolence: but Jacob, reflecting on his cruel ferocity, inflated spirits,
and savage threats, expects no humanity from him. And the Lord willed that the
mind of his servant should be oppressed by this anxiety for a time, although without
any real cause, in order the more to excite the fervor of his prayer. For we know
what coldness, on this point, security engenders. Therefore, lest our faith, being
stirred up by no stimulants, should become torpid, God often suffers us to fear
things which are not terrible in themselves. For although he anticipates our wishes,
and opposes our evils, he yet conceals his remedies until he has exercised our faith.
Meanwhile it is to be noted, that the sons of God are never endued with a constancy
so steadfast, that the infirmity of the flesh does not betray itself in them. For they
who fancy that faith is exempt from all fear, have had no experience of the true
nature of faith. For God does not promise that he will be present with us for the
purpose of removing the sense of our dangers, but in order that fear may not
prevail, and overwhelm us in despair. Moreover our faith is never so firm at every
point, as to repel wicked doubts and sinful fears, in the way that might be wished.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:6-7. He cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him — He is
now weary of waiting for the days of mourning for his father, and before they come resolves to
slay thee. Then was Jacob greatly afraid and distressed — He was conscious how deeply he had
offended his brother, and remembered the enmity which his brother cherished against him, and
hence was not without an apprehension that he might now execute the threatened revenge. We
see here how a consciousness of sin tends to weaken faith, and to produce fear and dread. For,
notwithstanding the repeated experience Jacob had had of the divine protection; though he had
just seen himself surrounded with a host of guardian angels; though he had undertaken his
journey in obedience to God’s express command, and had God’s renewed promise to assure him
of a safe return, (Genesis 28:15; Genesis 31:13,) yet a consciousness of having injured his
brother, and of his brother’s having it in his power, should God permit him, to avenge himself,
damps his faith, and fills him with the most painful and distressing apprehensions. A lively sense
of danger, however, may very well consist with a degree of confidence in God’s power and
goodness.
PETT, "Verse 6
‘And the messengers returned to Jacob saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and moreover he
comes to meet you and four hundred men with him.” ’
The fact that the messengers were allowed to return without a threatening reply should have
assured him that Esau’s intentions were not evil. And indeed had they been so Esau and his men
would have arrived first. The only purpose then in allowing the messengers to return first would
have been to tell Jacob what would happen to him. Esau necessarily comes accompanied by his
men. He wants his brother to know that he is powerful and respected. But there is nothing like a
guilty conscience for distorting the facts. What is natural behaviour takes on an ominous
significance for Jacob.

52. “Four hundred men.” A round number meaning a goodly company. The ‘four’ may indicate that
Esau’s men are seen as being outside the covenant community. (Compare on the four kings in
Genesis 14).
PULPIT, "And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also
he cometh to meet thee (vide Genesis 33:1), and four hundred men with him. That Esau was
attended by 400 armed followers was a proof that he had grown to be a powerful chieftain. If the
hypothesis be admissible that he had already begun to live by the sword (Genesis 27:40), and
was now invading the territory of the Horites, which he afterwards occupied (Delitzsch, Keil,
Kurtz), it will serve to explain his appearance in the land of Seir, while as yet he had not finally
retired from Canaan. That he came with such a formidable force to meet his brother has been set
down to personal vanity, or a desire to show how powerful a prince he had become (Lyra,
Menochius); to fraternal kindness, which prompted him to do honor to his brother (Poole, Calvin,
Clarke), to a distinctly hostile intention (Willet, Ainsworth, Candlish), at least if circumstances
should seem to call for vengeance (Keil), though it is probable that Esau's mind, on first hearing of
his brother's nearness, was simply excited, and "in that wavering state which the slightest incident
might soothe into good will, or rouse into vengeance" (Murphy).
TRAPP, "Ver. 6. And four hundred men with him.] Four hundred cut-throats, as appears, Genesis
32:8. And here, good Jacob is brought again into the briars. When he was well rid of his father-in-
law, he thought all safe; and his joy was completed by the sight of that army of angels. Presently
upon this, he is so damped and terrified with this sad message of Esau’s approach and hostile
intentions, that he knows not what course to take to. Out of heaven he is thrust suddenly, as it
were, into hell, saith Pareus. (a) This is the godly man’s case while here. Fluctus fluclum trudit:
one trouble follows in the neck of another. (b) Ripen we apace, and so get to heaven, if we would
be out of the gunshot, The ark was transportative, till settled in Solomon’s Temple; so, till we
come to heaven, shall we be tossed up and down and turmoiled: "within" will be "fears, without
fightings," [2 Corinthians 7:5] while we are in hoc exilio, in hoc ergastulo, in hac peregrinatione, in
hac valle lachrymarum , as Bernard hath it; in this exile, in this purgatory, in this pilgrimage, in this
vale of tears.
7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the
people who were with him into two groups,[c] and
the flocks and herds and camels as well.
CLARKE, "He divided the people, etc. - His prudence and cunning were now
turned into a right channel, for he took the most effectual method to appease his
brother, had he been irritated, and save at least a part of his family. This dividing and
arranging of his flocks, family, and domestics, has something in it highly characteristic.
To such a man as Jacob such expedients would naturally present themselves.

53. GILL, "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed,.... Knowing what he had
done to his brother in getting the birthright and blessing from him, and what an enmity
he had conceived in his mind against him on that account, and remembering what he
had said he would do to him; and therefore might fear that all his professions of respect
to him were craftily and cunningly made to take him off of his guard, and that he might
the more easily fall into his hands, and especially when he heard there were four
hundred men with him; this struck a terror into him, and made him suspicious of an ill
design against him; though herein Jacob betrayed much weakness and want of faith,
when God has promised again and again that he would he with him, and keep him, and
protect him, and return him safe to the land of Canaan; and when he had just had such
an appearance of angels to be his helpers, guardians, and protectors:
and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds,
and the camels, into two bands: some of his servants and shepherds, with a part of
the flocks and herds, in one band or company, and some with the rest of them, and the
camels, and his wives, and his children, in the other.
HE RY, "III. He puts himself into the best posture of defence that his present
circumstances will admit. It was absurd to think of making resistance, all his contrivance
is to make an escape, Gen_32:7, Gen_32:8. He thinks it prudent not to venture all in one
bottom, and therefore divides what he had into two companies, that, if one were smitten,
the other might escape. Like a tender careful master of a family, he is more solicitous for
their safety than for his own. He divided his company, not as Abraham (Gen_14:15), for
fight, but for flight.
SBC, "Gen_32:7, Gen_32:11, Gen_32:24, Gen_32:28
From this description of a day and a night in the life of Jacob we learn three things. (1)
This is a crisis, a turning-point in his career. His experience at the ford of Jabbok is his
"conversion" from the craft and cunning and vulturous greed of years to the sweet
subjection of his will to the Eternal, and consequent victory over himself and his brother.
(2) God is in this crisis from first to last and at every moment of these twenty-four hours.
(3) The crisis closes in the victory of the patient and loving Lord over the resisting
selfishness of Jacob. Note these points:—
I. It must have been a welcome fore-gleam of approaching victory, and a pledge of the
sustaining presence of Jehovah in the "valley of the shadow of death," that as this day of
crisis broke on the pilgrim the angels of God met him.
II. What is the significance of this terrific conflict? It means this assuredly. Jacob having
gone to God in quaking fear, God holds him and will not let him go; goads and harrows
his soul, till his heart swells and is ready to break; urges him to such a relentless and
soul-consuming struggle with his self-will that he feels as though he is held in the grip of
a giant and cannot escape. He resists, he struggles, he writhes, and in his furious
contortions is at last lamed and helpless, and therefore compelled to trust himself and
his all to God.
III. Jacob wrestled against God, but at last yielding, his soul is suffused with the
blessedness of the man whose trust is in the Lord. Faber asks, with mingled beauty and
force, "What is it will make us real?" and answers, "The face of God will do it." It is so.
Israel is a new creation: Jacob is dead. Dark as the night was, Jacob passed through it,
saw the Face of God at day-dawn, and became himself, met his brother with serenity,

54. and spent the rest of his days in the love and service of God.
J. Clifford, Daily Strength for Daily Living, p. 39.
CALVI , "7.And he divided the people. Moses relates that Jacob formed his plans
according to the existing state of affairs. He divides his family into two parts, (102)
and puts his maids in the foremost place, that they may bear the first assault, if
necessary; but he places his free wives further from the danger. Hence indeed we
gather, that Jacob was not so overcome with fear as to be unable to arrange his
plans. We know that when a panic seizes the mind, it is deprived of discretion; and
they who ought to look after their own concerns, become stupid and inanimate.
Therefore it proceeded from the spirit of faith that Jacob interposed a certain space
between the two parts of his family, in order that if any destruction approached, the
whole seed of the Church might not perish. For by this scheme, he offered the half of
his family to the slaughter, that, at length, the promised inheritance might come to
the remainder who survived.
ELLICOTT, "(7) Jacob was greatly afraid.—Jacob’s message to his brother had been very
humble, for he calls Esau his lord, and himself a servant. He hopes also to “find grace in his
sight,” and by enumerating his wealth shows that he required no aid, nor need claim even a share
of Isaac’s property. But Esau had given no answer, being probably undecided as to the manner in
which he would receive his brother. The “four hundred men with him” formed probably only a part
of the little army with which he had invaded the Horite territory. Some would be left with the spoil
which he had gathered, but he took so many with him as to place Jacob completely in his power.
And Jacob’s extreme distress, in spite of the Divine encouragement repeatedly given him, shows
that his faith was very feeble; but it was real, and therefore he sought refuge from his terror in
prayer.
COKE, "Genesis 32:7. Jacob was greatly afraid, &c.— When the messengers returned with the
information that Esau was advancing to meet Jacob, with four hundred men, having no idea of his
brother's kind and honourable intentions to him, Jacob apprehended little less than destruction.
He resolved, however, to make use of every prudent measure; and accordingly, not only divided
his train into two distinct bands, but sent magnificent presents, disposed in striking order, to
soothe his brother; and had recourse in a most humble and fervent prayer to the God who had
graciously engaged to protect him, Genesis 32:9. His prayer is a pattern for all grateful minds, and
testifies at once the most humble and most thankful disposition, I am not worthy, &c.
PETT 7-8, "Jacob is seized with terror and he decides on a strategy to deceive his brother. He
divides his possessions into ‘two companies’. There may well be a deliberate contrast here with
verse 2 where Mahanaim also meant two companies. He has forgotten that his reliance is on God
and his angelic messengers. But his policy is to let Esau arrive and think he has captured all
Jacob’s possessions not knowing that there is a second which hopefully survives.
PULPIT, "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed:—literally, it was narrow to him; i.e. he
was perplexed. Clearly the impression left on Jacob's mind by the report of his ambassadors was
that he had nothing to expect but hostility—and he divided the people that was with him, and the
flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;—according to Gerlach, caravans are
frequently divided thus in the present day, and for the same reason as Jacob assigns—And said,
If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
It is easy to blame Jacob for want of faith in not trusting to God instead of resorting to his own
devices (Candlish), but his behavior in the circumstances evinced great self-possession, non ita
expavefactum fuisse Jacob quin res suns eomponeret (Calvin), considerable prudence (Lange), if
not exalted chivalry (Candlish), a peaceful disposition which did not wish vim armata repellere
(Rosenmüller), and a truly-religious spirit ('Speaker's Commentary'), since in his terror he betakes
himself to prayer.

55. TRAPP, "Ver. 7. Then Jacob was greatly afraid.] This was his weakness, and may be ours in like
case, as looking to the present peril, and "forgetting the consolation," as the apostle speaketh,
Hebrews 12:5, that he might have drawn from the promise of God, and presence of angels. Faith
quelleth and killeth distrustful fears: but Satan, in a distress, hides from us that which should
support us, and greatens that that may appal us. But what saith the Spanish proverb? The lion is
not so fierce as he is painted; nor danger, usually, so great as it is represented. Some hold that
Esau was here wronged, by being presumed an enemy, when he was a friend. Pessimus in dubiis
augur Timor.
8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one
group,[d] the group[e] that is left may escape.”
GILL, "And said, if Esau come to the one company, and smite it,.... The first,
which perhaps consisted only of some servants, with a part of his cattle; so that if Esau
should come in an hostile manner, and fall upon that, and slay the servants, and take the
cattle as a booty:
then the other company which is left shall escape; by flight, in which most
probably were he himself, his wives and children, and the camels to carry them off who
would have notice by what should happen to the first band; but one would think, that,
notwithstanding all this precaution and wise methods taken, there could be little
expectation of escaping the hands of Esau, if he came out on such an ill design; for
whither could they flee? or how could they hope to get out of the reach of four hundred
men pursuing after them, unless it could be thought, or might be hoped, that the first
company falling into his hands, and the revenge on them, and the plunder of them,
would satiate him, and he would proceed no further? but Jacob did not trust to these
methods he concerted, but betakes himself to God in prayer, as follows.
HAWKER, "Observe, the refuge of the saints! Where shall a child in his distress go, but
to his father? And where shall the exercised believer flee, but to his God in Christ?
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father

56. Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who
said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your
relatives, and I will make you prosper,’
CLARKE, "O God of my father Abraham, etc. - This prayer is remarkable for its
simplicity and energy; and it is a model too for prayer, of which it contains the essential
constituents: - 1. Deep self-abasement. 2. Magnification of God’s mercy. 3. Deprecation
of the evil to which he was exposed. 4. Pleading the promises that God had made to him.
And, 5. Taking encouragement from what God had already wrought.
GILL, "O God of my father Abraham, etc. - This prayer is remarkable for its
simplicity and energy; and it is a model too for prayer, of which it contains the essential
constituents: - 1. Deep self-abasement. 2. Magnification of God’s mercy. 3. Deprecation
of the evil to which he was exposed. 4. Pleading the promises that God had made to him.
And, 5. Taking encouragement from what God had already wrought.
HE RY, "Our rule is to call upon God in the time of trouble; we have here an example
to this rule, and the success encourages us to follow this example. It was now a time of
Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it; and here we have him praying for that
salvation, Jer_30:7. In his distress he sought the Lord, and he heard him. Note, Times of
fear should be times of prayer; whatever frightens us should drive us to our knees, to our
God. Jacob had lately seen his guard of angels, but, in this distress, he applied to God,
not to them; he knew they were his fellow-servants, Rev_22:9. Nor did he consult
Laban's teraphim; it was enough for him that he had a God to go to. To him he addresses
himself with all possible solemnity, so running for safety into the name of the Lord, as a
strong tower, Pro_18:10. This prayer is the more remarkable because it won him the
honour of being an Israel, a prince with God, and the father of the praying remnant,
who are hence called the seed of Jacob, to whom he never said, Seek you me in vain.
Now it is worth while to enquire what there was extraordinary in this prayer, that it
should gain the petitioner all this honour.
II. The pleas are many, and very powerful; never was cause better ordered, Job_23:4.
He offers up his request with great faith, fervency, and humility. How earnestly does he
beg! Deliver me, I pray thee, Gen_32:11. His fear made him importunate. With what
holy logic does he argue! With what divine eloquence does he plead! Here is a noble copy
to write after.
1. He addresses himself to God as the God of his fathers, Gen_32:9. Such was the
humble self-denying sense he had of his own unworthiness that he did not call God his
own God, but a God in covenant with his ancestors: O God of my father Abraham, and
God of my father Isaac; and this he could the better plead because the covenant, by
divine designation, was entailed upon him. Note, God's covenant with our fathers may
be a comfort to us when were are in distress. It has often been so to the Lord's people,
Psa_22:4, Psa_22:5. Being born in God's house, we are taken under his special

57. protection.
2. He produces his warrant: Thou saidst unto me, Return unto thy country. He did not
rashly leave his place with Laban, nor undertake this journey out of a fickle humour, or a
foolish fondness for his native country, but in obedience to God's command. Note, (1.)
We may be in the way of our duty, and yet may meet with trouble and distress in that
way. As prosperity will not prove us in the right, so cross events will not prove us in the
wrong; we may be going whither God calls us, and yet may think our way hedged up with
thorns. (2.) We may comfortably trust God with our safety, while we carefully keep to
our duty. If God be our guide, he will be our guard.
JAMIESO 9-12, "Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham — In this great
emergency, he had recourse to prayer. This is the first recorded example of prayer in the
Bible. It is short, earnest, and bearing directly on the occasion. The appeal is made to
God, as standing in a covenant relation to his family, just as we ought to put our hopes of
acceptance with God in Christ. It pleads the special promise made to him of a safe
return; and after a most humble and affecting confession of unworthiness, it breathes an
earnest desire for deliverance from the impending danger. It was the prayer of a kind
husband, an affectionate father, a firm believer in the promises.
CALVI , "9.O God of my father Abraham. Having arranged his affairs as the
necessity of the occasion suggested, he now retakes himself to prayer. And this
prayer is evidence that the holy man was not so oppressed with fear as to prevent
faith from proving victorious. For he does not, in a hesitating manner, commend
himself and his family to God; but trusting both to God’s promises and to the
benefits already received, he casts his cares and his troubles into his heavenly
Father’s bosom. We have declared before, what is the point aimed at in assigning
these titles to God; in calling God the God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac, and
what the terms mean; namely, that since men are so far removed from God, that
they cannot, by their own power, ascend to his throne, he himself comes down to the
faithful. God in thus calling himself the God of Abraham and Isaac, graciously
invites their son Jacob to himself: for, access to the God of his fathers was not
difficult to the holy man. Again, since the whole world had sunk under superstition,
God would have himself to be distinguished from all idols, in order that he might
retain an elect people in his own covenant. Jacob, therefore, in expressly addressing
God as the God of his fathers, places fully before himself the promises given to him
in their person, that he may not pray with a doubtful mind, but may securely rely on
this stay, that the heir of the promised blessing will have God propitious towards
him. And indeed we must seek the true rule of prayer in the word of God, that we
may not rashly break through to Him, but may approach him in the manner in
which he has revealed himself to us. This appears more clearly from the adjoining
context, where Jacob, recalling the command and promise of God to memory, is
supported as by two pillars. Certainly the legitimate method of praying is, that the
faithful should answer to God who calls them; and thus there is such a mutual
agreement between his word and their vows, that no sweeter and more harmonious
symphony can be imagined. “O Lord,” he says, “I return at thy command: thou also
didst promise protection to me returning; it is therefore right that thou shouldest
become the guide of my journey.” This is a holy boldness, when, having discharged
our duty according to God’s calling, we familiarly ask of him whatsoever he has

58. promised; since he, by binding himself gratuitously to us, becomes in a sense
voluntarily our debtor. But whoever, relying on no command or promise of God,
offers his prayers, does nothing but cast vain and empty words into the air. This
passage gives stronger confirmation to what has been said before, that Jacob did not
falsely pretend to his wives, that God had commanded him to return. For if he had
then spoken falsely, no ground of hope would now be left to him. But he does not
scruple to approach the heavenly tribunal with this confidence, that he shall be
protected by the hand of God, under whose auspices he had ventured to return to
the land of Canaan.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:9. He has recourse to God in his distress by prayer, the only effectual
means of obtaining relief in trouble. And surely a finer model of genuine prayer can hardly be met
with or imagined. It was evidently dictated by the feelings of his heart in this trying season. He
addressed himself to God as the God of his fathers, not presuming to call him his own God,
because of the sense he had of his unworthiness. O God of my father Abraham, and father Isaac
— This he could better plead, because the government was entailed upon him. Thou saidst,
Return unto thy country — He had not rashly left his place with Laban; but in obedience to God’s
command.
ELLICOTT, "(9) Jacob said.—Jacob’s prayer, the first recorded in the Bible, is remarkable for
combining great earnestness with simplicity. After addressing God as the Elohim of his. fathers,
he draws closer to Him as the Jehovah who had personally commanded him to return to his
birthplace (Genesis 31:13). And next, while acknowledging his own unworthiness, he shows that
already he had been the recipient of the Divine favour, and prays earnestly for deliverance, using
the touching words “and smite me, mother upon children.” His mind does not rest upon his own
death, but upon the terrible picture of the mother, trying with all a mother’s love to protect her
offspring, and slain upon their bodies. In Hosea 10:14 this is spoken of as the most cruel and
pitiable of the miseries of war. But finally he feels that this sad end is impossible; for he has God’s
promise that his seed shall be numerous as the sand of the sea. In prayer to man it may be
ungenerous to remind another of promises made and favours expected, but with God each first
act of grace and mercy is the pledge of continued favour.
PETT 9-12, "Jacob speaks to Yahweh by name and as the God of his fathers Abraham and of his
father Isaac. This immediately links with his experience at Bethel (Genesis 28:13). (He does not
here call God ‘the Fear of Isaac’ as in Genesis 31:53. That name must not be overemphasised. It
was particular to Isaac and useful for communication to foreigners).
He now also aligns himself particularly closely with the covenant in relation to the family tribe and
reminds God of the particular promise made to him on his leaving Paddan-aram (Genesis 31:3).
As He has watched over him with regard to Laban, let Him now watch over him in the face of the
new threat.
The impact on his life of his experiences now comes out in a new humility. As he considers all he
has received at God’s hand (with a little help from himself) he is profoundly grateful. He
recognises that he is not worthy of it. He had started off personally owning nothing but a staff, and
now he is exceedingly rich and wealthy.
But he expresses the fear of what Esau intends to do to him. He thinks that he intends to slay
Jacob and all his family. (This will be necessary so that Esau can get back his inheritance). And
he points out that this would be contrary to what God had promised about the multitude of his
descendants.
This prayer is a pattern prayer. It begins with a sense of humility and unworthiness, it continues
with a reminder of the promises and faithfulness of God and it seeks help on the basis of those
promises. We too must ever remember that our prayers must be in accordance with the will and
purposes of God. Then, and then only, can we confidently claim His faithfulness. The prayer is a

59. sublimely personal and private prayer. There is nothing cultic about it. It is spontaneous and
heartfelt.
“The least of all your mercies and of all the truth ---.” The word truth should here be rendered
faithfulness. God has been merciful and faithful in what He has given Jacob.
“With only my staff --.” All he permanently possessed which was his own when he left Canaan
was his staff. The servants were not his. The goods and presents were not his. Only the staff he
carried was his.
“I passed over this Jordan --.” As he speaks he is looking at the river in front of him. This river is
probably the one which is later called the River Jabbok (Deuteronomy 2:37; Deuteronomy 3:16;
Joshua 12:2) but it is possible that as a tributary of the Jordan it was in Jacob’s time known only
as the Jordan. Jabbok is here the name of a particular ford over the river (Genesis 32:22), the
name which later became attached to the river.
“And now I am become two companies.” Now his possessions are so large that he can divide
them into two companies, each of which appears to be complete in itself.
PULPIT, "And Jacob said,—the combined beauty and power, humility and boldness, simplicity and
sublimity, brevity and comprehensiveness of this prayer, of which Kalisch somewhat hypercritically
complains that it ought to have been offered before resorting to the preceding precautions, has
been universally recognized—O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the
Lord—Jacob's invocation is addressed not to Deity in general, but to the living personal Elohim
who had taken his fathers Abraham and Isaac into covenant, i.e. to Jehovah who had enriched
them with promises of which he was the heir, and who had specially appeared unto himself (cf.
Genesis 28:13; Genesis 31:3, Genesis 31:13)—which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country,
and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:—here was a clear indication that Jacob had in
faith both obeyed the command and embraced the promise made known to him in Haran—I am
not worthy of the least of (literally, I am less than) all the mercies, and (of) all the truth, which thou
hast showed unto thy servant;—the profound humility which these words breathe is a sure
indication that the character of Jacob had either undergone a great inward transformation, if that
was not experienced twenty years before at Bethel, or had shaken off the moral and spiritual
lethargy under which he too manifestly labored while in the service of Laban—for with my staff
(i.e. possessing nothing but my staff) I passed over this Jordan (the Jabbok was situated near,
indeed is a tributary of the Jordan); and now I am become two bands (or Macha-noth). Deliver me,
I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau (thus passing from thanksgiving
to direct petition, brief, explicit, and fervent): for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me (i.e. my
whole clan, as Ishmael, Israel, Edom signify not individuals, but races), and the mother with the
children. Literally, mother upon the children, a proverbial expression for unsparing cruelty
(Rosenmüller, Keil), or complete extirpation (Kalisch), taken from the idea of destroying a bird
while sitting upon its young (cf. Hosea 10:14). And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good,—literally,
doing good, I will do good to thee (vide Genesis 28:13). Jacob here pleads the Divine promises at
Bethel (Genesis 28:13-15) and at Haran (Genesis 31:3), as an argument why Jehovah should
extend to him protection against Esau—conduct at which Tuch is scandalized as "somewhat
inaptly reminding God of his commands and promises, and calling upon him to keep his word; but
just this is what God expects his people to do (Isaiah 43:26), and according to Scripture the Divine
promise is always the petitioner's best warrant—and make thy seed as the sand of the sea,—this
was the sense, without the ipsissima verb? of the Bethel promise, which likened Jacob's
descendants to the dust upon the ground, as Abraham's seed had previously been compared to
the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16), the stars of heaven (Genesis 15:5), and the sand upon the
sea-shore (Genesis 22:17)—which cannot be numbered for multitude.
MACLAREN 9-12, "THE TWOFOLD WRESTLE - GOD'S WITH JACOB AND
JACOB'S WITH GOD
Jacob’s subtlety and craft were, as is often the case, the weapons of a timid as well as
selfish nature. No wonder, then, that the prospect of meeting his wronged and strong

60. brother threw him into a panic, notwithstanding the vision of the camp of angels by the
side of his defenceless caravan of women and children. Esau had received his abject
message of propitiation in grim silence, sent no welcome back, but with ominous haste
and ambiguous purpose began his march towards him with a strong force. A few hours
will decide whether he means revenge. Jacob’s fright does not rob him of his ready wit;
he goes to work at once to divide his party, so as to ensure safety for half of it. He
schemes first, and prays second. The order might have been inverted with advantage,
but is like the man-in the lowest phase of his character. His prayer shows that he is
beginning to profit by the long years of schooling. Though its burden is only deliverance
from Esau, it pleads with God on the grounds of His own command and promise, of
Jacob’s unworthiness of God’s past mercies, and of His firm covenant. A breath of a
higher life is stirring in the shifty schemer who has all his life been living by his wits.
Now he has come to a point where he knows that his own power can do nothing. With
Laban, a man of craft like himself, it was diamond cut diamond; and Jacob was equal to
the position. But the wild Bedouin brother, with his four hundred men, is not to be
managed so; and Jacob is driven to God by his conscious helplessness. It is the germ, but
only the germ, and needs much tending and growth before it matures. The process by
which this faint dawning of a better life is broadened into day is begun in the mysterious
struggle which forms the main part of this lesson, and is God’s answer to his prayer.
1. We have, first, the twofold wrestling. The silent night-long wrestle with the ‘traveller
unknown’ is generally regarded as meaning essentially the same thing as the wonderful
colloquy which follows. But I venture to take a somewhat different point of view, and to
suggest that there are here two well-marked stages. In the first, which is represented as
transacted in unbroken silence, ‘a man’ wrestles with Jacob, and does not prevail; in the
second, which is represented as an interchange of speech, Jacob strives with the ‘man,’
and does prevail. Taken together, the two are a complete mirror, not only of the manner
of the transformation of Jacob into Israel, but of universal eternal truths as to God’s
dealings with us, and our power with Him.
As to the former stage, the language of the narrative is to be noted, ‘There wrestled a
man with him.’ The attack, so to speak, begins with his mysterious antagonist, not with
the patriarch. The ‘man’ seeks to overcome Jacob, not Jacob the man. There, beneath
the deep heavens, in the solemn silence of night, which hides earth and reveals heaven,
that strange struggle with an unknown Presence is carried on. We have no material for
pronouncing on the manner of it, whether ecstasy, vision, or an objective and bodily fact.
The body was implicated in the consequences, at all events, and the impression which
the story leaves is of an outward struggle. But the purpose of the incident is the same,
however the question as to its form be answered. Nor can we pronounce, as some have
done, on the other question, of the personality of the silent wrestler. Angel, or ‘the angel
of the covenant,’ who is a transient, and possibly only apparent, manifestation in human
form of Him who afterwards became flesh and dwelt among us, or some other
supernatural embodiment, for that one purpose, of the divine presence,-any of these
hypotheses is consistent with the intentionally reticent text. What it leaves unspoken, we
shall wisely leave undetermined. God acts and speaks through ‘the man.’ That is all we
can know or need.
What, then, was the meaning of this struggle? Was it not a revelation to Jacob of what
God had been doing with him all his life, and was still doing? Was not that merciful
striving of God with him the inmost meaning of all that had befallen him since the far-off
day when he had left his father’s tents, and had seen the opened heavens, and the ladder,
which he had so often forgotten? Were not his disappointments, his successes, and all
the swift changes of life, God’s attempts to lead him to yield himself up, and bow his

61. will? And was not God striving with him now, in the anxieties which gnawed at his heart,
and in his dread of the morrow? Was He not trying to teach him how crime always
comes home to roost, with a brood of pains running behind it? Was not the weird duel in
the brooding stillness a disclosure, which would more and more possess his soul as the
night passed on, of a Presence which in silence strove with him, and only desired to
overcome that He might bless? The conception of a Divine manifestation wrestling all
night long with a man has been declared ‘crude,’ ‘puerile,’ and I know not how many
other disparaging adjectives have been applied to it. But is it more unworthy of Him, or
derogatory to His nature, than the lifelong pleading and striving with each of us, which
He undoubtedly carries on? The idea of a man contending with God has been similarly
stigmatised; but is it more mysterious than that awful power which the human will does
possess of setting at naught His counsels and resisting His merciful strivings?
The close of the first stage of the twofold wrestle is marked by the laming of Jacob. The
paradox that He, who could not overcome, could yet lame by a touch, is part of the
lesson. If His finger could do that, what would the grip of His hand do, if He chose to put
out His power? It is not for want of strength that He has not crushed the antagonist, as
Jacob would feel, with deepening wonder and awe. What a new light would be thus
thrown on all the previous struggle! It was the striving of a power which cared not for a
mere outward victory, nor put forth its whole force, lest it should crush him whom it
desired to conquer only by his own yielding. As Job says, ‘Will He plead against me with
His great power?’ No; God mercifully restrains His hand, in His merciful striving with
men. Desiring to overcome them, He desires not to do so by mere superior power, but by
their willing yielding to Him.
That laming of Jacob’s thigh represents the weakening of all the life of nature and self
which had hitherto been his. He had trusted to his own cunning and quick-wittedness;
he had been shrewd, not over-scrupulous, and successful. But he had to learn that ‘by
strength shall no man prevail,’ and to forsake his former weapons. Wrestling with his
hands and limbs is not the way to prevail either with God or man. Fighting with God in
his own strength, he is only able to thwart God’s merciful purpose towards him, but is
powerless as a reed in a giant’s grasp if God chooses to summon His destructive powers
into exercise. So this failure of natural power is the turning-point in the twofold wrestle,
and marks as well as symbolises the transition in Jacob’s life and character from reliance
upon self and craft to reliance upon his divine Antagonist become his Friend. It is the
path by which we must all travel if we are to become princes with God. The life of nature
and of dependence on self must be broken and lamed in order that, in the very moment
of discovered impotence, we may grasp the hand that smites, and find immortal power
flowing into our weakness from it.
2. So we come to the second stage, in which Jacob strives with God and does prevail. ‘Let
me go, for the day breaketh.’ Then did the stranger wish to go; and if he did, why could
not he, who had lamed his antagonist, loose himself from his grasp? The same
explanation applies here which is required in reference to Christ’s action to the two
disciples at Emmaus: ‘He made as though He would have gone further.’ In like manner,
when He came to them on the water, He appeared as though He ‘would have passed by.’
In all three cases the principle is the same. God desires to go, if we do not desire Him to
stay. He will go, unless we keep Him. Then, at last, Jacob betakes himself to his true
weapons. Then, at last, he strangely wishes to keep his apparent foe. He has learned, in
some dim fashion, whom he has been resisting, and the blessedness of having Him for
friend and companion. So here comes in the account of the whole scene which Hosea
gives (Hos_12:4): ‘He wept, and made supplication unto Him.’ That does not describe
the earlier portion, but is the true rendering of the later stage, of which our narrative

62. gives a more summary account. The desire to retain God binds Him to us. All His
struggling with us has been aimed at evoking it, and all His fulness responds to it when
evoked. Prayer is power. It conquers God. We overcome Him when we yield. When we
are vanquished, we are victors. When the life of nature is broken within us, then from
conscious weakness springs the longing which God cannot but satisfy. ‘When I am weak,
then am I strong.’ As Charles Wesley puts it, in his grand hymn on this incident:-
‘Yield to me now, for I am weak,
But confident in self-despair.’
And God prevails when we prevail. His aim in all the process of His mercy has been but
to overcome our heavy earthliness and selfishness, which resists His pleading love. His
victory is our yielding, and, in that yielding, obtaining power with Him. He delights to be
held by the hand of faith, and ever gladly yields to the heart’s cry, ‘Abide with me.’ I will
not let Thee go, except Thou bless me,’ is music to His ear; and our saying so, in earnest,
persistent clinging to Him, is His victory as well as ours.
3. We have, next, the new name, which is the prize of Jacob’s victory, and the sign of a
transformation in his character. Before this time he had been Jacob, the worker with
wiles, who supplanted his brother, and met his foes with duplicity and astuteness like
their own. He had been mainly of the earth, earthy. But that solemn hour had led him
into the presence-chamber, the old craft had been mortally wounded, he had seen some
glimpse of God as his friend, whose presence was not ‘awful,’ as he had thought it long
ago, nor enigmatical and threatening, as he had at first deemed it that night, but the
fountain of blessing and the one thing needful. A man who has once learned that lesson,
though imperfectly, has passed into a purer region, and left behind him his old
crookedness. He has learned to pray, not as before, prayers for mere deliverance from
Esau and the like, but his whole being has gone out in yearning for the continual
nearness of his mysterious antagonist-friend. So, though still the old nature remains, its
power is broken, and he is a new creature. Therefore he needs a new name, and gets it
from Him who can name men, because He sees the heart’s depths, and because He has
the right over them. To impose a name is the sign of authority, possession, insight into
character. The change of name indicates a new epoch in a life, or a transformation of the
inner man. The meaning of ‘Israel’ is ‘He (who) strives with God’; and the reason for its
being conferred is more accurately given by the Revised Version, which translates, ‘For
thou hast striven with God and with men,’ than in the Authorised rendering. His victory
with God involved the certainty of his power with men. All his life he had been trying to
get the advantage of them, and to conquer them, not by spear and sword, but by his
brains. But now the true way to true sway among men is opened to him. All men are the
servants of the servant and the friend of God. He who has the ear of the emperor is
master of many men.
Jacob is not always called Israel in his subsequent history. His new name was a name of
character and of spiritual standing, and that might fluctuate, and the old self resume its
power; so he is still called by the former appellation, just as, at certain points in his life,
the apostle forfeits the right to be ‘Peter,’ and has to hear from Christ’s lips the old name,
the use of which is more poignant than many reproachful words; ‘Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan hath desired to have you.’ But in the last death-bed scene, when the patriarch
lifted himself in his bed, and with prophetic dignity pronounced his parting benediction
on Joseph’s sons, the new name reappears with solemn pathos.
That name was transmitted to his descendants, and has passed over to the company of
believing men, who have been overcome by God, and have prevailed with God. It is a

63. charter and a promise. It is a stringent reminder of duty and a lofty ideal. A true
Christian is an ‘Israel.’ His office is to wrestle with God. Nor can we forget how this
mysterious scene was repeated in yet more solemn fashion, beneath the gnarled olives of
Gethsemane, glistening in the light of the paschal full moon, when the true Israel prayed
with such sore crying and tears that His body partook of the struggle, and ‘His sweat was
as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ The word which describes
Christ’s agony is that which is often rendered ‘wrestling,’ and perhaps is selected with
intentional allusion to this incident. At all events, when we think of Jacob by the brook
Jabbok, and of a ‘greater than our father Jacob’ by the brook Kedron, we may well learn
what persistence, what earnestness and effort of the whole nature, go to make up the
ideal of prayer, and may well blush for the miserable indifference and torpor of what we
venture to call our prayers. These are our patterns, ‘as many as walk according to this
rule,’ and are thereby shown to be ‘the Israel of God,’-upon them shall be peace.
4. We have, as the end of all, a deepened desire after closer knowledge of God, and the
answer to it. Some expositors (as, for instance, Robertson of Brighton, in his impressive
sermon on this section) take the closing petition, ‘Tell me, I pray thee, Thy name,’ as if it
were the centre point of the whole incident. But this is obviously a partial view. The
desire to know that name does not come to Jacob, as we might have expected, when he
was struggling with his unknown foe in the dark there. It is the end, and, in some sense,
the issue, of all that has gone before. Not that he was in any doubt as to the person to
whom he spoke; it is just because he knows that he is speaking with God, who alone can
bless, that he longs to have some deeper, clearer knowledge still of Him. He is not asking
for a word by which he may call Him; the name is the expression of the nature, and his
parting request is for something far more intimate and deep than syllables which could
be spoken by any lips. The certain sequel of the discovery of God as striving in mercy
with a man, and of yielding to him, is the thirst for deeper acquaintance with Him, and
for a fuller, more satisfying knowledge of His inmost heart. If the season of mysterious
intercourse must cease, and day hide more than it discloses, and Jacob go to face Esau,
and we come down from the mount to sordid cares and mean tasks, at least we long to
bear with us as a love-token some whisper in our inmost hearts that may cheer us with
the peaceful truth about Him and be a hidden sweetness. The presence of such a desire is
a sure consequence, and therefore a good test, of real prayer.
The Divine answer, which sounds at first like refusal, is anything but that. Why dost thou
ask after My name? surely I need not to give thee more revelation of My character. Thou
hast enough of light; what thou needest is insight into what thou hast already. We have
in what God has made known of Himself already to us-both in His outward revelation,
which is so much larger and sweeter to us than it was to Jacob, but also in His
providences, and in the inward communion which we have with Him if we have let Him
overcome us, and have gained power to prevail with Him-sources of certain knowledge
of Him so abundant and precious that we need nothing but the loving eye which shall
take in all their beauty and completeness, to have our most eager desires after His name
more than satisfied. We need not ask for more sunshine, but take care to spread
ourselves out in the full sunshine which we have, and let it drench our eyes and fire our
hearts. ‘And He blessed him there.’ Not till now was he capable of receiving the full
blessing. He needed to have self beaten out of him; he needed to recognise God as
lovingly striving with Him; he needed to yield himself up to Him; he needed to have his
heart thus cleansed and softened, and then opened wide by panting desire for the
presence and benediction of God; he needed to be made conscious of his new standing,
and of the higher life budding within him; he needed to experience the yearning for a
closer vision of the face, a deeper knowledge of the name,-and then it was possible to

64. pour into his heart a tenderness and fulness of blessing which before there had been no
room to receive, and which now answered in sweetest fashion the else unanswered
desire, ‘Tell me, I pray thee, Thy name.’
In like manner we may each be blessed with the presence and benediction of Him whose
merciful strivings, when we knew Him not, came to us in the darkness; and to whom, if
we yield, there will be peace and power in our hearts, and upon us, too, the sun will rise
as we pass from the place where our foe became our friend, and by faith we saw Him face
to face, and drank in life by the gaze.
10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and
faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had
only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now
I have become two camps.
BAR ES 10-13,"Gen_32:10-13
Next, he betakes himself to prayer. He appeals to the God of Abraham and Isaac, to
Yahweh the God of promise and performance. “I am less than;” unworthy of all the
mercy and truth of God. “With my staff.” Jacob seems to have left his home without
escort and without means. It was evidently intended that he should return in a short
time; but unforeseen circumstances lengthened the period. “Me, the mother with the
children.” Me is used here in that pregnant sense which is familiar in Scripture, to
include his whole clan; as Ishmael, Israel, Edom, often stand for their respective races.
He then pleads the express promise of God Gen_28:13-15; Gen_31:3.
CLARKE, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies - The marginal
reading is more consistent with the original: ‫האמת‬ ‫ומכל‬ ‫החסדים‬ ‫מכל‬ ‫קטנתי‬ katonti miccol
hachasadim umiccol haemeth, I am less than all the compassions, and than all the
faithfulness, which thou hast showed unto thy servant. Probably St Paul had his eye on
this passage when he wrote, Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints. A man
who sees himself in the light of God will ever feel that he has no good but what he has
received, and that he deserves nothing of all that he has. The archangels of God cannot
use a different language, and even the spirits of just men consummated in their
plenitude of bliss, cannot make a higher boast.
For with my staff - i.e., myself alone, without any attendants, as the Chaldee has
properly rendered it.

65. GILL, "I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies,.... Or of any of them,
according to his humble sense of things his mind was now impressed with; he was not
worthy of the least mercy and favour that had been bestowed upon him; not even of any
temporal mercy, and much less of any spiritual one, and therefore did not expect any
from the hands of God, on account of any merit of his own: or "I am less than all thy
mercies" (w); Jacob had had many mercies and favours bestowed upon him by the Lord,
which he was sensible of, and thankful for, notwithstanding all the ill usage and hard
treatment he had met with in Laban's house, and those were very great ones; he was not
worthy of all, nor any of them; he was not deserving of the least of them, as our version
truly gives the sense of the words:
and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; in performing
promises made to him; grace, mercy, and goodness are seen making promises, and truth
and faithfulness in the performance of them; Jacob had had a rich experience of both,
and was deeply affected therewith, and which made him humble before God:
for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; the river Jordan, near to which he
now was, or at least had it in view, either with the eyes of his body, or his mind; this river
he passed over when he went to Haran with his staff in his hand, and that only, which
was either a shepherd's staff, or a travelling one, the latter most likely: he passed "alone"
over it, as Onkelos and Jonathan add by way of illustration; unaccompanied by any,
having no friend with him, nor servant to attend him. Jarchi's paraphrase is,"there was
not with me neither silver nor gold, nor cattle, but my staff only."
And now I am become two bands; into which he had now divided his wives,
children, servants, and cattle; this he mentions, to observe the great goodness of God to
him, and the large increase he had made him, and how different his circumstances now
were to what they were when he was upon this spot, or thereabout, twenty years ago.
HE RY, "3. He humbly acknowledges his own unworthiness to receive any favour
from God (Gen_32:10): I am not worthy; it is an unusual plea. Some would think he
should have pleaded that what was now in danger was his own, against all the world, and
that he had earned it dear enough; no, he pleads, Lord, I am not worthy of it. Note, Self-
denial and self-abasement well become us in all our addresses to the throne of grace.
Christ never commended any of his petitioners so much as him who said, Lord, I am not
worthy (Mat_8:8), and her who said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
fall from their master's table, Mat_15:27. Now observe here, (1.) How magnificently and
honourably he speaks of the mercies of God to him. We have here, mercies, in the plural
number, and inexhaustible spring, and innumerable streams; mercies and truth, that is,
past mercies given according to the promise, and further mercies secured by the
promise. Note, What is laid up in God's truth, as well as what is laid out in God's
mercies, is the matter both of the comforts and the praises of active believers. Nay,
observe, it is all the mercies, and all the truth; the manner of expression is copious, and
intimates that his heart was full of God's goodness. (2.) How meanly and humbly he
speaks of himself, disclaiming all thought of his own merit: “I am not worthy of the least
of all thy mercies, much less am I worthy of so great a favour as this I am now suing for.”
Jacob was a considerable man, and, upon many accounts, very deserving, and, in
treating with Laban, had justly insisted on his merits, but not before God. I am less than

66. all thy mercies; so the word is. Note, The best and greatest of men are utterly unworthy
of the least favour from God, and just be ready to own it upon all occasions. It was the
excellent Mr. Herbert's motto, Less than the least of all God's mercies. Those are best
prepared for the greatest mercies that see themselves unworthy of the least.
4. He thankfully owns God's goodness to him in his banishment, and how much it had
outdone his expectations: “With my staff I passed over this Jordan, poor and desolate,
like a forlorn and despised pilgrim;” he had no guides, no companions, no attendants, no
conveniences for travel, but his staff only, nothing else to stay himself upon; “and now I
have become two bands, now I am surrounded with a numerous and comfortable
retinue of children and servants:” though it was his distress that had now obliged him to
divide his family into two bands, yet he makes use of that for the magnifying of the
mercy of his increase. Note, (1.) The increase of our families is then comfortable indeed
to us when we see God's mercies, and his truth, in it. (2.) Those whose latter end greatly
increases ought, with humility and thankfulness, to remember how small their beginning
was. Jacob pleads, “Lord, thou didst keep me when I went out with only my staff, and
had but one life to lose; wilt thou not keep me now that so many are embarked with me?”
HAWKER 10-12. "Hebrews I am less than all thy mercies:, etc.
Observe the sweet order of the Patriarch’s prayer. First, he calls upon God, as his
Covenant God, engaged to him by word, and oath, and promises. Gen_17:1-7. Secondly.
He reminds God, that where he now is, in the troubles with which he is surrounded, he
is in the path of duty, by the Lord’s own appointment. Gen_31:3-13. Reader! do not
forget that we may always rely upon the Lord’s aid, when we are in the Lord’s way. That
promise is absolute: Pro_3:6. Thirdly, Jacob acknowledgeth his utter unworthiness of
receiving the blessing, in the very moment he asketh it. Oh! it is true grace in exercise, to
lie low in the dust before God; and while imploring favor, to know that we merit wrath.
Gen_18:27. Fourthly. The mercy asked, is the Covenant mercy promised, namely,
deliverance from the oppressor. Here a soul finds sure ground to tread upon. Psa_12:5.
Lastly. Jacob strengthens the whole, by reminding God of what God had reminded him,
Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good. Gen_28:13-15. We never can pray better than in
telling God what he hath told us. And when we offer all by the Spirit’s influence, through
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, on the Covenant faithfulness of God our Father,
what is there that we can ask believing which we shall not receive? Reader! make this
whole subject spiritual; and beg of God the Holy Ghost to make it personal, as it may suit
your own circumstances, and it will be a sweet scripture indeed. Rom_8:32; Psa_119:49.
SBC, "I. The contrast here presented between the early loneliness and poverty of life
and its growing riches is universal. (1) What is life but a constant gathering of riches?
Compare the man and the woman of forty with their childhood. They have made
themselves a name and a place in life; they are centres of attraction to troops of friends.
How rich has life become to them! how full its storehouses of knowledge, power, and
love! (2) That which is stored in the mind, that which is stored in the heart, is the true
treasure; the rest is mere surplusage. To know and to love: these are the directions in
which to seek our riches. (3) There is no other way to make life a progress, but to root it
in God.
II. Consider the higher development of the law of increase, the deeper and more solemn
sense in which, through the ministry of the angel of death, we become "two bands." (1)
Through death there has been a constant progress in the forms and aspects of creation.

67. The huge, coarse, unwieldy types which ruled of old in both the animal and vegetable
worlds have vanished, and out of their ashes the young phoenix of creation has sprung
which is the meet satellite of man. (2) This is the counsel of God: to make the darkness
of death beautiful for us; to make it the one way home; to show us that the progress is
not rounded, but prolonged and completed, and that the increase is not gathered, but
consecrated by death as the possession of eternity. To bring heaven easily within our
reach God separates the bands,—part have crossed the flood, part are on the hither side,
and the instinct of both tells them that they are one. At the last great day of God they
shall be one band once more, met again and met for ever.
J. Baldwin Brown, Aids to the Development of the Divine Life, No. VII.
"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast
shewed unto Thy servant"
Thankfulness is eminently a Christian grace, and is enjoined on us in the New
Testament. Jacob knew not of those great and wonderful acts of love with which God has
visited the race of men since his day. But he knew that Almighty God had shown him
great mercies and great truth.
I. Jacob’s distinguishing grace was a habit of affectionate musing upon God’s providence
towards him in times past and of overflowing thankfulness for it. Abraham appears ever
to have been looking forward in hope—Jacob looking back in memory; the one rejoicing
in the future, the other in the past; the one making his way towards the promises, the
other musing over their fulfilment. Abraham was a hero; Jacob was a plain man,
dwelling in tents.
II. It would be well for us if we had the character of mind instanced in Jacob and
enjoined on his descendants,—the temper of dependence on God’s providence and
thankfulness under it and careful memory of all He has done for us. We are not our own,
any more than what we possess is our own. We are God’s property by creation, by
redemption, by regeneration. It is our happiness thus to view the matter. We are
creatures, and being such, we have two duties: to be resigned, and to be thankful.
III. Let us view God’s providence towards us more religiously than we have hitherto
done. Let us humbly and reverently attempt to trace His guiding hand in the years which
we have already lived. He has not made us for nought; He has brought us thus far in
order to bring us farther, in order to bring us on to the end. We may cast all our care
upon Him who careth for us.
J. H. Newman, Selection from Parochial and Plain Sermons, p. 52; also vol. v., p. 72.
CALVI , "10.I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies (103) Although this
expression sounds harsh to Latin ears, the sense is not obscure. Jacob confesses, that
greater mercies of God had been heaped upon him than he had dared to hope for:
and therefore, far be it from him that he should plead anything of dignity or merit,
for the purpose of obtaining what he asks. He therefore says, that he is less than
God’s favors; because he felt himself to be unworthy of those excellent gifts which
the Lord had so liberally bestowed upon him. Moreover, that the design of the holy
patriarch may more clearly appear, the craft of Satan is to be observed: for, in
order to deter us from praying, through a sense of our unworthiness, he would
suggest to us this thought, “Who art thou that thou shouldst dare to enter into the
presence of God?” Jacob early anticipates this objection, in declaring beforehand

68. that he is unworthy of God’s former gifts, and at the same time acknowledges that
God is not like men, in ever becoming weary to continue and increase his acts of
kindness. Meanwhile, Jacob collects materials for confidence from the fact, that he
has so often found God benignant towards him. Therefore, he had a double end in
view; first, because he wished to counteract the distrust which might steal upon him
in consequence of the magnitude of God’s gifts; and then, he turns those gifts to a
different purpose, to assure himself that God would be the same to him that he had
hitherto been. He uses two words, mercies and truth, to show that God is inclined by
his mere goodness to benefit us; and in this way proves his own faithfulness. This
combination of mercy with truth frequently occurs in the Scriptures, to teach us
that all good things flow to us through the gratuitous favor of God; but that we are
made capable of receiving them, when by faith we embrace his promises.
For with my staff (104) Jacob does not enumerate separately the mercies of God, but
under one species comprises the rest; namely, that whereas he had passed over
Jordan, a poor and solitary traveler, he now returns rich, and replenished with
abundance. The antithesis between a staff and two troops is to be noticed; in which
he compares his former solitude and poverty with his present affluence.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:10. I am not worthy — It is a surprising plea. One would think he should
have pleaded that what was now in danger was his own against all the world, and that he had
earned it dear enough; no, he pleads, Lord, I am not worthy of it. Of the least of all thy mercies —
Much less am I worthy of so great a favour as this I am now suing for. For with my staff I passed
over this Jordan — Poor and desolate, like a forlorn and despised pilgrim; having no guides, no
companions, no attendants. And now I am become two bands — Now I am surrounded with a
numerous retinue of children and servants. Those whose latter end doth greatly increase, ought
with humility and thankfulness to remember how small their beginning was.
COKE, "Genesis 32:10. With my staff, &c.— When this expression is properly considered, it will
not be found to contradict the opinion we have advanced in our note on ch. 28: Genesis 32:5 for it
simply means, "I passed this Jordan without family, or social connections, a single man, and
unpossessed of wife, family, or possessions; with all which it hath pleased the Lord now so to
bless me, that I, the individual who crossed the river, am become two bands." He might say this
with great truth, supposing him to have been accompanied with servants and attendants from his
father's house. It is very evident that Jacob had the most formidable sense of Esau's revengeful
temper, from the expression he uses at the end of the 11th verse, which expression implies such
an instance of cruelty, as shocks human nature; I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and
the mother with, or upon the children, i.e.. lest he will totally destroy and extirpate me and mine.
See Hosea 10:14. Jeremiah 13:14.
REFLECTIONS.—Justly apprehensive of Esau's old grudge, he endeavours to pacify him by a
kind and humble message, acquainting him with his return, and the prosperity God had given him.
Note; 1. Yielding pacifies wrath. It is often wise to make submissions to superiors, though unjustly
exasperated against us. 2. Abundance, which should make a good brother rejoice, often proves to
a wicked one an occasion of greater envy and displeasure.
We have in the next place,
1. The Messenger's return; and an alarming answer he brought back. Note; What would become
of the poor church of Christ, if some support more than human did not attend it?
2. Jacob's fear. And reason enough he had for it. Note; (1.) Repeated trials must be expected by
every Christian. (2.) There may be some fear of approaching danger, where there is yet much
confidence in the promise.

69. 3. His disposition of his family. At least one part may escape, if the other be smitten. Note; Though
God hath given us his promise, we are nevertheless called to the use of all prudent means.
Jacob having now made the best disposition his circumstances would admit of, depended more,
notwithstanding, on the effects of prayer, than upon the arm of flesh. Accordingly we find him
pouring out his distress before God. Note; The more danger presses us, the more loud should be
our cry to God; for in him is our help. A glorious prayer this was, and well worth notice: his plea is
urgent, and his arguments forcible. He approaches God as his Covenant-God, as having the
entail of the blessings promised to Abraham and Isaac. He pleads God's warrant for his journey,
and therefore God's honour engaged for his protection. He acknowledges his own unworthiness
of any favour, yet with thankfulness mentions the great mercies he had received, as an argument
to hope for more. He then speaks his fears and distress from his apprehensions of Esau; and, as
he had no prospect of help elsewhere, commits his cause with earnest importunity into his hand
who was able to save him, and closes with the plea of God's faithfulness; not so much perhaps to
remind him of his promise, as to encourage his own heart to depend upon it. Learn hence, 1. In all
your trials, to spread them before the Lord. 2. To come to God as your Covenant-God, believing
his readiness to hear and help you. 3. When we are in the way of our duty, we may boldly claim
the fulfilment of the promises. 4. Never let us forget our own vileness and sinfulness: Nor, 5. the
great and repeated mercies we have already received, that no present distress may prevent our
grateful acknowledgments. 6. We cannot be too particular in our prayers, mentioning to God
persons and circumstances, as to a friend who can be touched with the feeling of our distresses.
7. We should rise from our knees with full faith and confidence in the promises and faithfulness of
God.
TRAPP, "Ver. 10. I am not worthy of the least, &c.] In prayer, we must avile ourselves before God
to the utmost; confessing our extreme both indigency and indignity of better. "I am dust and
ashes," saith Abraham. "I am a worm, and no man," saith David. "I am more brutish than any
man," saith Agur. "I am a man, a sinner" ( ανηρ αµαρτωλος, Luke 5:8), saith Peter. "I am not
worthy to be called thy son," saith the prodigal. Pharisaeus non vulnera, sed munera ostendit. The
proud Pharisee sets forth not his wants, but his worth: "God, I thank thee," &c. But if David were
so humbled before Saul that he called himself "a flea," [1 Samuel 26:20] what should we do to
God? Unworthy we should acknowledge ourselves of the least mercies we enjoy, with Jacob; and
yet not rest satisfied with the greatest things in the world, for our portion, as Luther. Valde
protestatas sum me nolle sic a Deo satiari: he deeply protested that God should not put him off
with these poor things below. (a)
For with my staff I passed over this Jordan.] Paupertatem baculinam commemorat. Jacob, though
now grown great, forgets not his former meanness, but cries out with that noble captain, ‘ Eξ οιων,
εις οια: From how small, to how great an estate am I raised! (b) So did Agathocles, who, of a
potter’s son, became King of Sicily; yet, would ever be served in earthen vessels. And in the year
of Christ 1011, one Willigis, bishop of Ments, being son to a wheelwright, caused wheels, and
such like things, to be hanged on the walls, up and down his palace, with these words written over
them, in capital letters; Willigis, Willigis, recole unde veneris. (c) Excellent was that counsel that
Placilla, the Empress, gave her husband Theodosius: Remember, O husbaud, what lately you
were, and what now you are: so shall you govern well the empire, and give God his due praise for
so great an advancement. (d)
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies
A pilgrim’s acknowledgment of God’s goodness
Here we have the typical nature of this narrative brought out before us, as applying, first,
to the material; secondly, to the mental; and thirdly, to the spiritual.
I. First, with regard to the MATERIAL. If we can show that it is typical; if it applies to

70. the human nature of the present day, then what we wish you to do is this, not to leave
the acknowledgment of God’s providence for future years and old age, when you will be
able to say, “It is all Thy doing”; but even now to acknowledge the goodness and
providence and omnipotence of God, and depending on Him to try and work in
commercial matters in a righteous and God-fearing spirit. Look at the matter as typically
understood. Jacob has prospered, and has come to a spot in his career when the
circumstances of his poverty are brought to mind, and he falls down in thankful
adoration. Are the types of this history died out in our own land? Is this narrative very
different to the narrative we could give one of another?
II. But the narrative also, we believe, IS TYPICAL IN A MENTAL, SENSE. A man is
about to study for a profession—no matter what it may be, he has toil, arduous labour,
before him. He begins with nothing but good wishes from his friends that he may be
successful, a good name and earnest determination; and he becomes eminently
successful. And when he is sitting on the Chancellor’s seat in the House of Lords, or has
otherwise acquired fame and fortune, will he not remember the Power that has done it
all, and, remembering, devoutly and most thankfully acknowledge that he was not
worthy of so great a mercy? If a man has reflection, honesty and common-sense, and
believes in the existence of a Deity, he is forced to admit that this is true; and therefore
we say, oh! what ingratitude not to thank Him for the health and strength supplied, and
the providential ordering of circumstances which produced the result! Now, if you go
thus far, you must go still farther. Ought you not to ask His blessing on everything you
do? And if you do this He will bless; and in your old age, when you take a review of the
past—of the circumstances under which you began life, the hopes and the fears that
passed through your mind, and the prosperity that attended your path, you will be able
to say, and to say with joy and happiness, “Surely goodness and mercy have followed me
all the days of my life, and now I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
III. But we want now to come to the SPIRITUAL. And here perhaps we shall be joined
by the experience of more than even the other two classes. It is not every one of us that
can become rich—not every one of us that can develop our mental powers to the highest;
but it is within the reach of all to be spiritually minded. Now, you have been a Christian
for many years; now your example has been a help to others, and you are filled with joy
and peace. You live in the Lord Jesus Christ; your “life is hid with Christ in God,” and
you are looking forward to the period when you shall enter the eternal world. In a little
time your body will be committed “dust to dust”; but you know and feel joyfully assured
that there is a glorious resurrection life beyond, in the many mansions purchased with
the blood of your Redeemer. Even now, in imagination, you join in the heavenly songs.
You have felt the pressure of the golden crown on your forehead, and your fingers have
seemed to sweep the strings of the golden harp. And sometimes you have felt to have a
more intimate communion with Christ than you ever expected while in the body. When
calling all this experience to mind, can you but remember the grace which has made you
to differ from others, and remembering, say—“I 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”? And feeling thus—
remembering what God has done for you—can you be content to go through life without
doing anything for Him,or without trying to serve Him? (W. Cuthbertson, B. A.)
Jacob’s character
I. THE ESTIMATE WHICH HE FORMED OF HIS OWN CHARACTER. “I am not

71. worthy of the least of all the mercies,” &c. This acknowledgment implies—
1. He was a believer in God.
2. He was a worshipper of God.
3. He was a follower of God.
II. His GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE DIVINE GOODNESS. “All the
mercies, and all the truth,” &c.
1. They were abundant mercies.
2. They were unceasing mercies.
3. They were covenant mercies.
III. His CONSCIOUS UNWORTHINESS OF SUCH PECULIAR BLESSINGS. “I am not
worthy of the least of all the mercies”; or rather, “I am less than all the compassions,” &c.
1. This is the language of conscious dependence.
2. This is the language of grateful recollection.
3. This is the language of deep self-abasement.
How amiable is this disposition; it is the characteristic distinction of all the righteous
(Gen_18:27; 1Ch_17:16-17; Eph 1Pe_5:5). We may infer—
1. The design and advantage of Scripture biography (Rom_15:4).
2. The duty of imitating the piety of the primitive saints (Heb_6:12).
3. The necessity of cultivating a spirit of humility and gratitude (Jas_4:10).
(Sketches of Sermons.)
Humility the friend of prayer
Jacob’s character was far from faultless, but equally removed from despicable. He was a
man full of energy, active, enduring, resolute, and hence his infirmities became more
conspicuous than they would have been in a quieter and more restful nature. Say what
you will of him, he was a master of the art of prayer, and he that can pray well is a
princely man. He that can prevail with God will certainly prevail with men. It seems to
me that when once a man is taught of the Lord to pray, he is equal to every emergency
that can possibly arise. The very first sentence of Jacob’s prayer has this peculiarity
about it, that it is steeped in humility; for he does not address the Lord as his own God at
the first, but as the God of Abraham and Isaac. The prayer itself, though it is very urgent,
is never presumptuous; it is as lowly as it is earnest.
I. Our first observation is that HUMILITY IS THE FIT ATTITUDE OF PRAYER.
Observe that he here speaks not as before man, but as before God; and he cries, “I am
not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies.” He had been talking with Laban—Laban who
had made a slave of him, who had used him in the most mercenary manner, and who
had now pursued him in fierce anger because he had quitted his service with his wives
and children that he might go back to his native country. To Laban he does not say, “I
am not worthy of what I possess,” for, as far as churlish Laban was concerned, he was
worthy of a great deal more than had ever been rendered to him in the form of wage. To
Laban he uses many truthful sentences of self-vindication and justification. The same

72. man who speaks in that fashion to Laban turns round and confesses to his God, “I am
not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies.” This is perfectly consistent and truthful.
Humility is not telling falsehoods against yourself: humility is forming a right estimate of
yourself. As towards Laban it was a correct estimate for a man who had worked so hard
for so little to claim that he had a right to what God had given him; and yet as before God
it was perfectly, honest and sincere of Jacob to say, “I am not worthy of the least of all
the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto Thy servant.” Now,
whenever you go to prayer, if you have previously been compelled to say some rather
strong thing as to your own integrity and industry; or, if you have heard others speak in
your praise, forget it all; for you cannot pray if it has any effect upon you. A man cannot
pray with a good opinion of himself: all he can manage is just to mutter, “God, I thank
Thee, that I am not as other men are,” and that is no prayer at all.
2. Brethren, it would ill become any of us to use the language of merit before God;
for merit we have none; and if we had any, we should not need to pray. It has been
well observed by an old divine, that the man who pleads his own merit does not pray,
but demands his due.
3. Let me add, also, that in times of great pressure upon the heart there is not much
fear of self-righteousness intruding. Jacob was greatly afraid and sore distressed;
and when a man is brought into such a state the lowliest language suits him. They
that are filled with bread may boast, but the hungry beg. Let the proud take heed lest
while the bread is yet in their mouths the wrath of God come upon them.
4. I call your attention to the present tense as it is used in the text—Jacob does not
say, as we might half have thought he would have said, “I was not worthy of the least
of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast made to pass before Thy
servant,” but he says “I am not worthy.” He does not merely allude to his
unworthiness when he crossed this Jordan with a staff in his hand, a poor solitary
banished man: he believes that he was unworthy then; but even now, looking upon
his flocks and his herds and his great family, and all that he had done and suffered,
he cries, “I am not worthy.” What! Has not all God’s mercy made you worthy?
Brethren, free grace is neither the child nor the father of human worthiness. If we get
all the grace we ever can get we shall never be worthy of that grace; for grace as it
enters where there is no worthiness, so it imparts to us no worthiness afterwards as
we are judged before God. When we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; we
have only done what it was our duty to have done.
II. Secondly, the same thought will be kept up, but put in a somewhat differing light,
while we note that THOSE CONSIDERATIONS WHICH MAKE TOWARDS HUMILITY
ARE THE STRENGTH OF PRAYER
1. Observe, first, that Jacob in this prayer showed his humility by a confession of the
Lord’s working in all his prosperity. He says with a full heart, “All the mercies and all
the truth which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant.” Well, but Jacob, you have
immense flocks of sheep, but you earned them, and through your care they greatly
increased—do you not consider that those flocks are entirely your own procuring?
Surely you must see that you were highly industrious, prudent, and careful, and thus
grew wealthy? No; he takes a survey of his great estate, and he speaks of it all as
mercies—mercies which the Lord had showed unto His servant. I do not object to
books about self-made men, but I am afraid that self-made men have a great
tendency to worship him that made them. It is very natural they should. But,
brethren, if we are self-made, I am sure we had a very bad maker, and there must be
a great many flaws in us. It would be better to be ground back to dust again, and

73. made over anew so as to become God-made men.
2. The next point is a consideration of God’s mercies. For my part, nothing ever sinks
me so low as the mercy of God, and next to that I am readily subdued by the kindness
of men. The man who has a due sense of his own character will be laid low by words
of commendation. When we remember the loving kindness of the Lord to us we
cannot but contrast our littleness with the greatness of His love, and feel a sense of
self-debasement. I have a dear brother in Christ who is now sore sick, the Rev. Mr.
Curme, the vicar of Sandford, in Oxfordshire, who has been my dear friend for many
years. He is the mirror of humility, and he divides his name into two words, Cur me?
which means, “Why me?” Often did he say, in my hearing, “Why me, Lord? Why
me?” Truly I can say the same, Cur me? Tills exceeding kindness of the Lord all tends
to promote humility, and at the same time to help us in prayer; for if the Lord be so
greatly good, we may adopt the language of the Phoenecian woman when the Master
said to her, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs,” She
answered, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’
table.” So we will go and ask our Lord to give us crumbs of mercy, and they will be
enough for us poor dogs. God’s crumbs are bigger than man’s loaves; and if He gives
us what to Him may be a crumb, it shall be a meal to us. Oh, He is a great Giver! He
is a glorious Giver! We are not equal to His least gift.
3. Again, a comparison of our past and our present will tend to humility and also to
helpfulness in prayer. Jacob at first is described thus, “With my staff I passed over
this Jordan.” He is all alone, no servant attends him; he has no goods, not even a
change of linen in a parcel, nothing but a staff to walk with; now, after a few years,
here is Jacob coming back, crossing the river in the opposite direction, and he has
with him two bands. He is a large grazier with great wealth in all manner of cattle.
What a change! I would have those men whom God has prospered never to be
ashamed of what they used to be; they ought never to forget the staff with which they
crossed this Jordan. I had a good friend who preserved the axle-tree of the truck in
which he wheeled home his goods when he first came to London. It was placed over
his front door, and he never blushed to tell how he came up from the country,
worked hard, and made his way in the world. I like this a deal better than the affected
gentility which forgets the lone half-crown which pined in solitude in their pockets
when they entered this city.
III. And now, as time flies, we must dwell upon the third point, still hammering the
same nail on the head: TRUE HUMILITY SUPPLIES US WITH ARGUMENTS IN
PRAYER.
1. Look at the first one, “I am not worthy of all Thy mercies”; nay, “I am not worthy
of the least of all the many mercies which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant. Thou
hast kept Thy word and been true to me, but it was not because I was true to Thee. I
am not worthy of the truth which Thou hast shown to Thy servant.” Is there not
power in such a prayer? Is not mercy secured by a confession of worthiness?
2. Then please to notice that while Jacob thus pleads his own unworthiness he is not
slow to plead God’s goodness. He speaks in most expressive words, wide and full of
meaning. “I am not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies. I cannot enumerate them,
the list would be too long! It seems to me as if Thou hadst given me all kinds of
mercies, every sort of blessing. Thy mercy endureth for ever, and Thou hast given it
all to me.” How he extols God as with a full mouth when he says, “All Thy mercies.”
He does not say, “all Thy mercy”—the word is in the plural—“the least of all Thy
mercies.” For God has many bands of mercies; favours never come alone, they visit

74. us in troops.
3. Notice, next, how he says “Thy servant.” A plea is hidden away in that word. Jacob
might have called himself by some other name on this occasion. He might have said,
“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast
showed unto Thy child”, it would have been true, it would not have been fitting.
Suppose it had run—“Unto Thy chosen,” it would have been true, but not so lowly; or
“unto Thy covenanted one”—that would have been correct, but not so humble an
expression as Jacob felt bound to use in this time of his distress, when the sins of his
youth were brought to his mind. He seemed to say, “Lord, I am Thy servant. Thou
didst bid me come hither, and hither I have come because of that bidding: therefore
protect me.” Surely a king will not see his servant put upon when engaged in the
royal service. Jacob was in the path of duty, and God would make it the path of
safety. If we make God our guide, He will be our guard. If He be our Commander He
will be our Defender.
4. Jacob had yet another plea which showed his humility, and that was the argument
of facts. “With my staff,” says he, “I passed over this Jordan.” “This Jordan,” which
flowed hard by, and received the Jabbok. It brings a thousand things to his mind, to
be on the old spot again. When he crossed it before he was journeying into exile, but
now he is coming back as a son, to take his place with loved Rebekah and father
Isaac, and he could not but feel it a great mercy that he was now going in a happier
direction than before. He looked at his staff, and he remembered how in fear and
trembling he had leaned upon it as he pursued his hasty, lonely march. “With this
staff—that is all I had.” He looks upon it, and contrasts his present condition and his
two camps with that day of poverty, that hour of hasty flight. This retrospect
humbled him, but it must have been a strength to him in prayer. “O God, if Thou
hast helped me from abject want to all this wealth, Thou canst certainly preserve me
in the present danger. He who has done so much is still able to bless me, and He will
do so.”
5. In closing, I think I discover one powerful argument here in Jacob’s prayer. Did he
not mean that, although God had increased him so greatly, there had come with it all
the greater responsibility? He had more to care for than when he owned less. Duty
had increased with increased possessions. He seems to say, “Lord, when I came this
way before I had nothing, only a staff; that was all I had to take care of; and if I had
lost that staff I could have found another. Then I had Thy dear and kind protection,
which was better to me than riches. Shall I not have it still? When I was a single man
with a staff Thou didst guard me, and now that I am surrounded by this numerous
family of little children and servants, wilt Thou not spread Thy wings over me? Lord,
the gifts of Thy goodness increase my necessity: give me proportionately Thy
blessing. I could before run away and escape from my angry brother; but now the
mothers and the children bind me, and I must abide with them and die with them
unless Thou preserve me.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Jacob’s remembrance of past blessings
I. JACOB’S THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE OF HIS PAST BLESSINGS.
II. THE SOURCE TO WHICH JACOB HERE TRACES HIS BLESSINGS,
1. He refers his blessings first to the mercy of God; for observe, he calls them

75. mercies, and this shows us that he traced them all to God’s free bounty and grace.
2. But the patriarch mentions also here, the truth of God. He couples it, you observe,
with mercy, and this blending together of these two things as the source of our
mercies is very remarkable in Scripture. “Not unto us, O Lord,” says David, “not unto
us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.” “God will
send forth His mercy and truth.” “Mercy and truth are met together.” “All the paths
of the Lord are mercy and truth.” And in Jacob’s case the connection between these
two things is very plain. He deserved nothing of God; whatever, therefore, God
bestowed on him came from God’s mercy. But God promised to bestow many
blessings on him; these blessings, therefore, when bestowed might be said to come
also from God’s truth. Mercy made the promise and prepared the blessings; truth
fulfilled the promise and sent the blessings.
III. THE TIME WHEN JACOB THUS REMEMBERED HIS BLESSINGS. We well know
when we remember mercies; it is generally when they are first given us, and the heart is
warmed and glowed by the first possession of them. And very little disappointment and
vexation will, almost at any time, drive away all our thankfulness for them. Men,
generally, never dream, when they get into trouble, of taking up the language of praise.
But look back to the circumstances under which this patriarch thus thinks of mercy and
truth. If we went no farther than the text, we should say he has just received some new
proof of God’s love to him. There he is, we should say, once again travelling, with joy and
gladness, his native plains, and pitching his tent there in security and peace. But not
exactly thus; he is in an extremity, and a very painful one. And yet, before any
deliverance or any prospect of deliverance appears, we hear Jacob talking of mercy and
truth; and he blesses God for His past goodness.
IV. THE EFFECT PRODUCED IN JACOB BY THE REMEMBRANCE OF HIS
MERCIES—OR ONE OF THE EFFECTS. I allude to this, a deep sense of his own
unworthiness and nothingness. “I am less than all Thy mercies”—less, not only than the
most signal of them, but less than any, the least of them; I cannot think of any one of
them that is not larger than I am. He seems to dwindle away to nothing in his own view
as he contemplates God’s mercy towards him. There is no proportion between these
mercies and myself; it is not only mercy, but abundant, marvellous mercy, that has
bestowed them on me. And what has brought him into this state of feeling is, doubtless,
a vivid remembrance at this time of those mercies. As his mind ran over them from year
to year, tracing their multitudes and ways, there was something connected with them
which he could not pass over—the vileness and nothingness of the creature on whom
they had been bestowed. He thought, perhaps, of the baseness of his conduct which had
driven him at first from his father’s house; but, if that did not enter his mind, he
thought, doubtless, of the ingratitude and many sins that had stained him since. A sense
of God’s love towards you lays you humble; and there is a tradition among the Jews, that
all through his life this man was kept down. It is said, as a proof of his humility, that he
had in his hand the staff which he carried with him over Jordan, when he went to Padan-
aram; that he never afterwards parted with his staff; that it was upon this he leaned
when he blessed the sons of Joseph, and that it was lying by him when he died. Now, let
me ask you, Do you understand this truth? Have you ever experienced anything like it?
Have the mercies of God towards yourselves ever made you shiver, as it were, from a
sense of your guiltiness and nothingness? (C. Bradley, M. A.)
Jacob’s experience illustrative of the life of a child of God

76. I. JACOB’S CONDITION AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS JOURNEY TO
PADANARAM. “With my staff I passed over this Jordan.” It is difficult to imagine a state
of greater destitution. And well did the patriarch bear it in mind. It was engraven deeply
upon his memory, and he could not forget it. It would have been his sin and his shame, if
he could have banished it from his recollection. O, my dear friends, who haw the God of
Jacob for your refuge, but who know Him under an immeasurably dearer relation, as”
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” “look to the rock from whence ye are
hewn, and the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” What was your natural condition? A
spiritual state immeasurably more dark and dreary than were the circumstances of
Jacob, when he set forwards on him journey.
II. BUT WHILE JACOB REVERTED TO HIS PAST WRETCHEDNESS, HE
CONTRASTED IT WITH THE PROSPERITY INTO WHICH GOD HAD BROUGHT
HIM. “Now I am become two bands.” He had thus divided his wives and children, and
servants and cattle, that if one were smitten, the other might escape; and the separation
proved his wealth. Thus it is, that they whom the grace of God hath brought manifestly
within the covenant, must compare the wretchedness of the past with the mercies and
the blessedness of the present, for His glory who graciously made the change. It is for
each of them to say, as I trust may be said by each of many among yourselves, “One thing
I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”
III. WELL, THEN, DID JACOB ACT IN GIVING UTTERANCE TO THE HOLY
GRATITUDE AND DEEP HUMILITY OF HIS SOUL. “I am not worthy of the least of all
the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant.” O, never
should one who hath experienced the gospel of Christ to be the power of God unto
salvation, in believing—never should one in whom Christ hath been “formed the hope of
glory,” forget to own the Hand from whence all his blessings come; and his own
unworthiness, who yet is privileged so largely and so freely to receive them. Observe the
language of Jacob; “not merely the mercy, but all the mercies”; everything from the
greatest to the least, and everything in the riches of absolute grace. The spring is
inexhaustible, and the streams are many, suited to every need of every individual
member in the Church of the Most High. There are mercies past, for which to thank a
covenant Father, according to His promise; and there are mercies yet to come, secured
to them by the promise. O, it is true grace in exercise, to lie low in the dust before God,
acknowledging our vileness, and to know that we merit wrath, while yet we are
emboldened to plead for mercy, and to expect it.
IV. THE CONDUCT OF JACOB WILL NOW SHOW US THE DUTY OF ONE WHO
HATH ACCESS TO A COVENANT GOD IN THE TIME OF TRIAL. Jacob’s refuge was
the throne of grace, and we find him pre-eminently a man of prayer. O, let trials,
temptations, conflicts, sorrows, sins, shortcomings, lead you, dear brethren, thither. (R.
P. Buddicom.)
Jacob’s prayer
1. In the prayer itself, consider how sweet it is in the child’s woe, for him to be able to
remember that his parents were godly and in favour with the Lord. Then conceiveth
he comfort, that he which loved the stock, will not east away the branch, but
graciously respect him. A great cause to make parents godly if there were no other,
that their children ever may pray as did Jacob, O God of my father Abraham, and
God of my father Isaac, look upon me, &c.

77. 2. Consider how he groundeth both prayer and hope, upon word and promise,
saying, “Lord, which saidst unto me, return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and
I will do thee good.” So let us do, and not first do rashly what we had no warrant for,
and then pray to God for help wherein we have no promise: yea, if you mark it, he
repeateth this promise over again in the twelfth verse, it was such strength unto him
to consider it.
3. Not merit, but want of merit is his plea; I am not worthy of the least of all Thy
mercies, and all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant. (Bp.
Babington.)
Jacob’s prayer
1. He approaches God as the God of his father; and, as such, a God in covenant. This
was laying hold of the Divine faithfulness: it was the prayer of faith.
2. As his own God, pleading what He had promised to him.
3. While he celebrates the great mercy and truth of God towards him, he
acknowledges himself unworthy of the least instance of either. The worthiness of
merit is what every good man, in every circumstance, must disclaim; but that which
he has in view, I conceive, is that of meekness. Looking back to his own unworthy
conduct, especially that which preceded and occasioned his passing over Jordan with
a “staff “ only in his hand, he is affected with the returns of mercy and truth which he
had met with from a gracious God. By sin he had reduced himself in a manner to
nothing; but God’s goodness had made him great. As we desire to succeed in our
approaches to God, we must be sure to take low ground; humbling ourselves in the
dust before Him, and sueing for relief as a matter of mere grace. Finally, having thus
prefaced his petition, he now presents it (Gen_32:11-12). This was doubtless the
petition of a kind husband, and a tender father; it was not as such only, nor
principally, however, but as a believer in the promises, that he presented it; the great
stress of the prayer turns on this hinge. It was as though he had said, “If my life, and
that of the mother, with the children, be cut off, how are Thy promises to be
fulfilled?” (A. Fuller.)
Lessons
1. An humble self-denying frame is best for prayer of faith to God in time of
temptation.
2. It is a special way to humble saints, by comparing themselves with God’s mercy
and truth.
3. The mercy and truth of God go always jointly together (Psa_25:10).
4. God’s servants have experience of His mercy and truth in their pilgrimages below.
5. Gracious souls judge themselves less than any mercy or truth of God.
6. It is good to keep souls low to remember their former empty conditions.
7. God can make the solitary a multitude and make the poor to be full.
8. The remembrance of such mercy from God should humble souls in their

78. approaches to God (Gen_32:10). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Mercies remembered
Bishop Hutton was travelling between Wensleydale and Ingleton, when he dismounted
and retired to a particular spot, where he knelt down and continued some time in prayer.
On his return, one of his attendants inquired his reason for this act. The bishop
informed him, that when he was a poor boy, he travelled over that cold and bleak
mountain without shoes or stockings, and that he remembered disturbing a cow on the
identical spot where he prayed, that the might warm his feet and legs on the place where
she had lain. His feelings of gratitude would not allow him to pass the place without
presenting his thanksgiving to God for His mercies to him. I am become two bands
I. THE CONTRAST HERE PRESENTED BETWEEN THE EARLY LONELINESS AND
POVERTY OF LIFE AND ITS GROWING RICHES IS UNIVERSAL.
1. What is life but a constant gathering of riches? Compare the man and the woman
of forty with their childhood. They have made themselves a name and a place in life;
they are centres of attraction to troops of friends. How rich has life become to them I
how full its storehouses of knowledge, power, and love!
2. That which is stored in the mind, that which is stored in the heart, is the true
treasure; the rest is mere surplusage. To know and to love: these are the directions in
which to seek our riches.
3. There is no other way to make life a progress, but to root it in God.
II. Consider THE HIGHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAW OF INCREASE, the deeper
and more solemn sense in which, through the ministry of the angel of death, we become
“two bands.”
1. Through death there has been a constant progress in the forms and aspects of
creation. The huge, coarse, unwieldy types which ruled of old in both the animal and
vegetable worlds have vanished, and out of their ashes the young phoenix of creation
has sprung which is the meet satellite of man.
2. This is the counsel of God: to make the darkness of death beautiful for us; to make
it the one way home; to show us that the progress is not rounded, but prolonged and
completed, and that the increase is not gathered, but consecrated by death as the
possession of eternity. To bring heaven easily within our reach God separates the
bands—part have crossed the flood, part are on the hither side, and the instinct of
both tells them that they are one. At the last great day of God they shall be one band
once more, met again and met for ever. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)
11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother

79. Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me,
and also the mothers with their children.
CLARKE, "And the mother with the children - He must have had an awful
opinion of his brother when he used this expression, which implies the utmost cruelty,
proceeding in the work of slaughter to total extermination. See Hos_10:14.
GILL, "Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand
of Esau,.... For though his brother, it was his brother Esau, that had formerly vowed
revenge upon him, and had determined to kill him, Gen_27:41, and he knew not but that
he was still of the same mind; and now having an opportunity, and in his power to do it,
being accompanied with four hundred men, he feared he would attempt it; and therefore
entreats the Lord, who was greater than he, to deliver him from falling into his hands,
and being destroyed by him:
for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the
children; for whom Jacob seems to be more concerned than for himself; the phrase
denotes the utter destruction of his family, and the cruelty and inhumanity that would be
exercised therein; which shows what an opinion he had of his brother, and of his savage
disposition.
HE RY, "I. The request itself is one, and very express: Deliver me from the hand of
my brother, Gen_32:11. Though there was no human probability on his side, yet he
believed the power of God could rescue him as a lamb out of the bloody jaws of the loin.
Note, 1. We have leave to be particular in our addresses to God, to mention the particular
straits and difficulties we are in; for the God with whom we have to do is one we may be
free with: we have liberty of speech (parresia) at the throne of grace. 2. When our
brethren aim to be our destroyers, it is our comfort that we have a Father to whom we
may apply as our deliverer.
He urges the extremity of the peril he was in: Lord, deliver me from Esau, for I fear
him, Gen_32:11. The people of God have not been shy of telling God their fears; for they
know he takes cognizance of them, and considers them. The fear that quickens prayer is
itself pleadable. It was not a robber, but a murderer, that he was afraid of; nor was it his
own life only that lay at stake, but the mothers' and the children's, that had left their
native soil to go along with him. Note, Natural affection may furnish us with allowable
acceptable pleas in prayer.
SBC, "From this description of a day and a night in the life of Jacob we learn three
things. (1) This is a crisis, a turning-point in his career. His experience at the ford of
Jabbok is his "conversion" from the craft and cunning and vulturous greed of years to
the sweet subjection of his will to the Eternal, and consequent victory over himself and
his brother. (2) God is in this crisis from first to last and at every moment of these

80. twenty-four hours. (3) The crisis closes in the victory of the patient and loving Lord over
the resisting selfishness of Jacob. Note these points:—
I. It must have been a welcome fore-gleam of approaching victory, and a pledge of the
sustaining presence of Jehovah in the "valley of the shadow of death," that as this day of
crisis broke on the pilgrim the angels of God met him.
II. What is the significance of this terrific conflict? It means this assuredly. Jacob having
gone to God in quaking fear, God holds him and will not let him go; goads and harrows
his soul, till his heart swells and is ready to break; urges him to such a relentless and
soul-consuming struggle with his self-will that he feels as though he is held in the grip of
a giant and cannot escape. He resists, he struggles, he writhes, and in his furious
contortions is at last lamed and helpless, and therefore compelled to trust himself and
his all to God.
III. Jacob wrestled against God, but at last yielding, his soul is suffused with the
blessedness of the man whose trust is in the Lord. Faber asks, with mingled beauty and
force, "What is it will make us real?" and answers, "The face of God will do it." It is so.
Israel is a new creation: Jacob is dead. Dark as the night was, Jacob passed through it,
saw the Face of God at day-dawn, and became himself, met his brother with serenity,
and spent the rest of his days in the love and service of God.
J. Clifford, Daily Strength for Daily Living, p. 39.
CALVI , "11.Deliver me. After he has declared himself to be bound by so many of
God’s benefits that he cannot boast of his own merits, and thus raised his mind to
higher expectation, he now mentions his own necessity, as if he would say, “O Lord,
unless thou choosest to reduce so many excellent gifts to nothing, now is the time for
thee to succor one, and to avert the destruction which, through my brother, is
suspended over me.” But having thus expressed his fear, he adds a clause
concerning the blessing promised him, that he may confirm himself in the promises
made to him. To slay the mother with the children, I suppose to have been a
proverbial saying among the Jews, which means to leave nothing remaining. It is a
metaphor taken from birds, when hawks seize the young with their dams, and
empty the whole nest. (105)
BENSON, "Genesis 32:11-12. Deliver me from my brother Esau, for I fear him — The fear that
quickens prayer is itself pleadable. It was not a robber, but a murderer that he was afraid of: nor
was it his own life only that lay at stake, but the mothers’, and the children’s. Thou saidst, I will
surely do thee good — God’s promises, as they are the surest guide of our desires in prayer, and
furnish us with the best petitions; so they are the firmest ground of our hopes, and furnish us with
the best pleas.
TRAPP, "Ver. 11. And the mother with the children.] It seems to be a metaphor taken from birds,
when fowlers take away the young and the dams together; which God forbade, Deuteronomy
22:6. See the like also of the ewe and the lamb, not to be slain in one day, Leviticus 22:28. But,
Homo homini lupus, nay, daemon. The Indians would say that it had been better for them that
their country had been given to the devils of hell, than to the Spaniards, such hath been their
cruelty towards those poor creatures; and that, if Spaniards went to heaven, they would never
come there. Three poor women were burnt at the Isle of Guernsey for religion; together with the
infant child falling out of the mother’s womb, and cruelly cast back into the flames. (a) Another
sweet child of eight or nine years old, coming to Bonner’s house, to see if he might speak with his
father, a prisoner in the Lollard’s Tower, was, for some bold answer that he gave the bishop’s
chaplain, so cruelly whipped, that he died within four days after. (b) At Merindol in France, besides

81. other execrable outrages and butcheries there done by Minerius, one of the Pope’s captains, the
paps of many women were cut off, which gave suck to their children; which, looking for suck at
their mother’s breasts, being dead before, died also for hunger. (c) Was not this, to "kill the
mother with the children?" And was not that a barbarous act of Pope Honorius III, in the year of
grace 1224, to cause four hundred Scots to be hanged up, and their children castrated! and all for
the death of Adam, bishop of Caithness, who was burned in his own kitchen, by his own citizens,
for that he had excommunicated some of them for non-payment of tithes. (d)
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother
Jacob’s prayer
Observe the spirit of Jacob’s prayer.
I. IT WAS A REVERENT SPIRIT.
II. A HUMBLE SPIRIT.
III. A THANKFUL SPIRIT.
IV. A SPIRIT DEEPLY SENSIBLE OF ITS DEPENDENCY UPON GOD.
V. A SPIRIT OF GREAT CONFIDENCE IN GOD. (Homilist.)
Lessons
1. The greatest fears do not drive away holy souls from prayer: faith looks to God for
help.
2. Jehovah alone is the rock of salvation to whom believing souls fly for deliverance.
3. Dismal is the danger by the hand of a brother engaged that is cruel and bloody.
4. Fears may possess the hearts of God’s ,covenanted ones in respect of such cruel
instruments and of danger by them to them and theirs (Gen_32:11).
5. God’s promise of salvation quickens faith and strengthens prayer in His saints
against their own unworthiness.
6. It is fit for faith to press God with the certainty and enlargedness of His promise
to His servants.
7. General promises of grace are to be drawn to special use in times of temptation.
8. Upon such promises saints dare trust God with themselves and children (Gen_
32:12). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
I fear him
Fear and faith
Jacob’s fear, and Jacob’s faith—“I fear him: and Thou saidst.” Whether is that a contrast,
or a connection, or both? I believe that it is both. And I have linked the two together as
the text, because they will be found to stand thus related by the double tie of contrast
and connection—deep, painful contrast, and yet strangely close kindredness also and

82. connection—the fear with the faith—“I fear him: and Thou saidst.”
I. JACOB’S FEAR AT THIS TIME—“I fear him,” said he.
1. My first remark respecting the fear is, that there was a great deal of unworthy
unbelief in it.
2. And yet, secondly, there was not wanting in it an element, kindred at least to faith.
True, he might have left the Divine promise—ought to have left it tranquilly—in the
keeping of the Divine power and faithfulness. Still, this is no mere craven dread of
his personal safety, nor of that even of his beloved family, simply as such, but for that
family as in relation to the Divine covenant, with which his own hopes for eternity,
and the welfare of all the families of the earth, were bound up. There was an element
in his fear, I say, kindred at least to faith.
3. And, thirdly, I observe on Jacob’s fear, that, amid all its unworthiness, it was a
fear told freely out to God—laid bare before the omniscient One—“I fear him,” says
he, speaking to Jehovah. A great lesson this, beloved, for us in reference to our
difficulties, temptations, fears—that we bring them all to the Lord—tell them freely
out to Him. It may be that our fears are weak and foolish—such as others might only
smile at. Or it may be that they are deeply unworthy, and such as we should be
ashamed to tell to others. But they shall be much more than safe with God. Let us tell
them to Him, hearing the voice, “Bring them hither to Me.”
4. As it was a fear told freely out to the Lord, so it shut up Jacob the more to the
Lord, and to His word of promise.
II. JACOB’S FAITH: “Thou saidst”—“I fear him: and Thou saidst.”
1. Well, the things that have been already said have prepared us for my first remark
on the faith, which is, that it is faith in conflict—faith in a struggle with unbelief and
fear.
2. And so, secondly, I observe, on Jacob’s faith here, that, if it is faith in conflict—in a
struggle with unbelief—it is faith prevailing, victorious, in the conflict, “I fear him:
and Thou saidst.” I pray you to note that that is Jacob’s closing word—he ends here.
He plants his foot on this rock of the promise, and here will abide, “Thou saidst.”
3. But, thirdly, I observe in Jacob’s faith, that it is faith in the midst of difficulties
taking simple hold of God in his word of promise.
4. Once more, I observe that this is faith exercised in immediate converse and
fellowship with God in prayer. Brethren, prayer and faith are entirely distinct; yet
they are most intimately connected together. For, as there is no true prayer without
some measure of faith, so faith is never better exercised than in prayer. (C. J. Brown,
D. D.)
Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good
The Master-key opening the gate of heaven
The possession of a God, or the non-possession of a God, makes the greatest possible
difference between man and man. Esau is a princely being, but he is “a profane person.”
Jacob is a weak, fallible, frail creature, but he has a God. Have you not heard of “the
mighty God of Jacob”? My dear hearers, you can divide yourselves without difficulty by
this rule: have you a God, or have you none? If you have no God, what have you? If you

83. have no God, what good have you to expect? What, indeed, can be good to you? If you
have no God, how can you face the past, the present, or the future? But if you have God
for your portion, your whole history is covered. The God of the past has blotted out your
sin, the God of the present makes all things work for your good, the God of the future
will never leave you nor forsake you.
In God you are prepared for every emergency. He shall guard thee from all evil; the Lord
shall preserve thy soul.
1. Because Jacob had a God, therefore he went to Him in the hour of his trouble. As
well have no God, as have an unreal God, who cannot be found in the midnight of
our need. But what a blessing it is to be able to go to our God at all times, and pour
out our hearts before Him; for our God will be our Helper, and that right early! He is
our near and dear Friend, in joy and in sorrow.
2. Make thou good use of thy God, and especially gain the fullest advantage from
Him by pleading with Him in prayer. In troublous times, our best communion with
God will be carried on by supplication. Tell Him thy case; search out His promise,
and then plead it with holy boldness. This is the best, the surest, the speediest way of
relief.
3. Beloved, we see that Jacob had a God, and that he made use of Him in prayer; but
the point I want to call your attention to at this time is, that the stress, the force, the
very sinew of Jacob’s prayer consisted in his pleading the promise of God with God.
When he came to real wrestling with the Lord, then he cried, “Thou saidst.” That is
the way to lay a hold upon the covenant angel—“Thou saidst.” The art of wrestling
lies much in a proper use of “Thou saidst.” Jacob, with all his mistakes, was a master
of the art of prayer: we justly call him “wrestling Jacob.” He said, “I will not let Thee
go.” He gets grip for his hands out of this “Thou saidst.” In handling my text, which
was Jacob’s prayer, I shall notice—
I. First, it ought to be OUR MEMORIAL. I mean that we ought to recollect much more
than we do what God has said. We should lay up His word in our hearts as men lay up
gold and gems in their caskets: it should be as dear to us as life itself. My heart stands in
awe of God’s word, and I am sorrowful because so many trifle with it. No good can come
of irreverence towards Scripture; we ought to cherish it in our heart of hearts.
1. We ought to do this, first, with regard to what God hath said. You notice that
Jacob puts it, “Thou saidst,” and then he quotes the words—“Surely I will do thee
good.” It is an essential part of the education of a Christian to learn the promises.
2. Moreover, Jacob also knew when God had spoken a promise, for he quotes twice
the fact that God had spoken to him, and said so-and-so. It is clear that he knew
when the promise was spoken. I have often found peculiar comfort, not only in a
promise, but in noticing the occasion for its being made.
3. There is another matter which it is important for us to know, namely, to whom
God made the promise. Jacob knew to whom it was spoken. He tells us in a previous
verse that God had spoken a certain promise to himself. “Which saidst unto me,
Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee.” A
promise that was made to another man will be of no service to me until I can
discover that I, being in the same condition as that other man, and being of like
character to that other man, and exercising like faith to that other man, do stand
before God in the same position as he did, and therefore the word addressed to him
is spoken also to me. Brethren, I entreat you continually to study God’s word to see

84. whether the promise is made to your character and condition, and so is made to
yourself, as much as if your name were written upon it.
II. Secondly, “Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good” this is GOD’S BOND. Nothing
holds a man like his word, and nothing so fully fixes the course of action of the Lord our
God as His own promise. From the necessity of His nature He will be faithful. What a
mighty thing, then, is a promise, since it is a bond which holds God Himself! How does it
do so?
1. I answer, it holds Him, first, by His truth. If a man says, “I will,” it is not in his
power, without a breach of truth, to refuse to make good his word. If a promise be
made by one man to another, it is considered to be a matter of honour to fulfil it.
Unless a man is willing to tarnish his honour, and disgrace his truthfulness, he will
certainly do as he has solemnly promised to do. Alas! many persons think lightly of
truthfulness: they even dare to swear lightly; but what do we think of such people?
To utter solemn promises, and then to disown them, is not the way to be esteemed
and honoured. It can never be so with God. None can impeach His veracity. None
shall ever be able to do so.
2. But, next, he who enters into an engagement is bound to keep his word, or he is
considered to be vacillating and changeable: the Lord is, therefore, held by His
immutability. He is God, and changes not.
3. But sometimes men make a promise, and they are unable to fulfil it from want of
power. Many a time it has cost honest minds great grief to feel that, though they are
willing enough to do what they have engaged to do, yet they have lost their ability to
perform their word. This is a grave sorrow to a sincere mind. This can never happen
to the Almighty God. He fainteth not, neither is weary. To Him there is no feebleness
of decline, or failure of decay. God All-sufficient is still His name.
4. Once more, the Lord’s wisdom also holds Him to His promise. Men make
engagements thoughtlessly, and before long they realize that it would he ruinous to
keep them. It is foolish to keep a foolish promise. Yet because wisdom is not in us we
make mistakes, and find ourselves in serious difficulties. It may so happen that a
person may feel compelled to say, “I promised to do that which, upon nacre careful
consideration, I find it would be wicked and unjust for me to do. My promise was
void from the beginning, for no man has a right to promise to do wrong.” Whatever
justification an erring man can find in his folly to excuse him from fulfilling his rash
promise, nothing of the kind can occur with God. He never speaks without
knowledge, for He sees the end from the beginning, and He is infallibly good and
wise.
5. I should not complete my statement if I did not add that to go to God through
Jesus Christ, is to use the best and most powerful of pleas.
III. So then, last of all, this may be, and this ought to be, in prayer OUR PLEA, as it was
Jacob’s plea—even this “Thou saidst.”
1. We may urge the gracious promise of the Lord as pleading against our own
unworthiness. This must win the suit. If a man has made me a promise, he cannot
refuse to keep it on the ground that I am unworthy; because it is his own character
that is at stake, not mine. However unworthy I am, he must not prove himself to be
unworthy by failing to keep his word.
2. This is also good pleading as against our present danger. See how Jacob puts it
with regard to his own peril. He sets out his very natural fear from his brother’s

85. anger: the mother, the children, everybody would be smitten by fierce Esau; and to
save himself from this threatened horror Jacob lifts the shield of the promise, and as
good as says to the Lord his God, “If this calamity should happen, how can Thy
promise be kept? Thou saidst, ‘Surely I will do thee good’; but, Lord, it is not good
for Esau’s sword to shed our blood! If Thou permit his anger to slay us, where is
Thine engagement to do good unto Thy servant?” This reminds one of the plea of
Moses, when he asked, “What will the Egyptions say?” If Israel were destroyed in the
wilderness, what would Jehovah do for His great name? This is a prevalent
argument.
3. Once more, as to future blessedness. Jacob used this argument, “Thou saidst, I
will surely do thee good,” as to all his future hopes, for he went on to say, “Thou
saidst, I will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for
multitude.” Not as much as he should, but still in a measure Jacob lived in the
future. He lived under the influence and expectation of the covenant blessing. Now,
brethren, what hope have you and I of getting to heaven? None, except that the Lord
has said, “I give unto my sheep eternal life; and they shall never perish.” I shall never
perish, for Jesus says I never shall. He has also said, “Where I am, there shall also
My servant be.” Therefore I shall be in the glory with Him, and that is enough for me.
(C. H. Spurgeon)
.
Good comes through difficulty
Now the highest and richest good often comes to men through difficulties and
disappointments, losses and crosses, sicknesses and sorrows. Men are very prone to
forget this, and to get discouraged in the hour of trial, but it is true nevertheless. The
vinedresser does the vine good, not only by manuring its roots and admitting sunshine
to its branches, but by sometimes opening his knife and cutting off superfluous leaves
and wanton shoots, for by this pruning he has enabled the tree to bear more abundant
fruit. The doctor does the patient good, sometimes by kindly looks and hopeful words,
and soothing powders, but at other times by prohibiting favourite foods administering
nauseous medicines, and even by using the sharp lancet. The father does his child good,
not by gratifying all his desires and humouring all his whims, but rather sometimes by
prohibiting certain pleasures, enjoying special tasks, and occasionally using the rod. The
heavenly Vinedresser, Doctor and Father, deals with us on similar principles. He does
not say to any one of us, I will always consult thy wishes, gratify thy tastes, and gladden
thine heart, but I will always do thee good. And many have found that pain ministers to
profit, that the sickness of the body promotes the health of the soul, that the cutting off
of temporal comforts opens the way for the inflowing of spiritual blessings; and that the
removal of earthly friends brings them into closer sympathy and communion with Jesus
Christ the heavenly Friend; so that with David they have been able to say, “It is good for
me that I have been afflicted, for before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I know Thy
law”; and with Paul, “These light afflictions which are but for a moment work out for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

86. 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you
prosper and will make your descendants like the
sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”
CLARKE, "Make thy seed as the sand - Having come to the promise by which
the covenant was ratified both to Abraham and Isaac, he ceased, his faith having gained
strong confirmation in a promise which he knew could not fail, and which he found was
made over to him, as it had been to his father and grandfather.
GILL, "And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good,.... All kind of good, most
certainly and constantly; so Jacob rightly interpreted the promise, "I will be with thee",
Gen_31:3; for the promise of God's presence includes and secures all needful good to his
people; and from this general promise Jacob draws an argument for a special and
particular good, the preservation of him and his family, he was now pleading for; and the
rather he might hope to succeed, since the following promise was also made him:
and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for
multitude; which could not be fulfilled, if he and his family were cut off at once, as he
feared; but God is faithful who has promised.
HE RY, "6. He insists especially upon the promise God had made him (Gen_32:9):
Thou saidst, I will deal well with thee, and again, in the close (Gen_32:12): Thou saidst,
I will surely do thee good. Note, (1.) The best we can say to God in prayer is what he has
said to us. God's promises, as they are the surest guide of our desires in prayer, and
furnish us with the best petitions, so they are the firmest ground of our hopes, and
furnish us with the best pleas. “Lord, thou saidst thus and thus; and wilt thou not be as
good as thy word, the word upon which thou had caused me to hope?” Psa_119:49. (2.)
The most general promises are applicable to particular cases. “Thou saidst, I will do thee
good; Lord, do me good in this matter.” He pleads also a particular promise, that of the
multiplying of hes seed. “Lord, what will become of that promise, if they be all cut off?”
Note, [1.] There are promises to the families of good people, which are improvable in
prayer for family-mercies, ordinary and extraordinary, Gen_17:7; Psa_112:2; Psa_
102:28. [2.] The world's threatenings should drive us to God's promises.
TRAPP, "Ver. 12. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good.] So Jacob interprets that promise,
"I will be with thee": [Genesis 28:15] which, indeed, hath in it whatsoever heart can wish, or need
require. This promise was so sweet to the patriarch, that he repeats and ruminates it, rolling it as
sugar in his mouth, and hiding it under his tongue. God "spake it once, he heard it twice"; as
David, [Psalms 62:11] in another case. "He sucks, and is satisfied with these breasts of
consolation"; he presseth and oppresseth them - such a metaphor there is in that text, [Isaiah

87. 66:11] - as a rich man doth the poor man, till he hath gotten out of him all that he hath. A fly can
make little of a flower; but a bee will not off till he hath the sweet thyme out of it. The promises are
precious spices, which, being beaten to the smell, by the preaching of the Word, yield a heavenly
and supernatural scent in the souls of God’s people. Oh! it is a sweet time with them, when Christ
"brings them into his banqueting house" of the Holy Scriptures, and there "stays them with
flagons" of divine consolations, and bolsters them up "with apples" of heavenly doctrines. When
these, by the Spirit, are applied to the love sick soul, then is Christ’s left hand under their head,
and his right hand - which "teacheth him terrible things" - doth [Psalms 14:5] embrace them. All in
Christ, is for their support and succour: his love also is displayed over them, as a banner. And this
doth so fully satisfy their souls, and transport them with joy, that now they are content to wait
God’s leisure for deliverance; and would not have their "Beloved wakened, until he please." See
all this, Song of Solomon 2:4-7.
13 He spent the night there, and from what he had
with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau:
CLARKE, "And took of that which came to his hand - ‫בידו‬ ‫הבא‬ habba beyado,
which came under his hand, i.e., what, in the course of God’s providence, came under his
power.
GILL, "And he lodged there that same night,.... At Mahanaim, or some place
near it:
and took of that which came to his hand; not what came next to hand, for what he
did was with great deliberation, judgment, and prudence; wherefore the phrase signifies
what he was possessed of, or was in his power, as Jarchi rightly interprets it:
a present for Esau his brother: in order to pacify him, gain his good will, and avert
his wrath and displeasure, see Pro_18:16; though Jacob had prayed to God, committed
himself and family to him, and left all with him, yet he thought it proper to make use of
all prudential means and methods for his safety: God frequently works in and by means
made use of: the account of the present follows.
HE RY, "Jacob, having piously made God his friend by a prayer, is here prudently
endeavouring to make Esau his friend by a present. He had prayed to God to deliver him
from the had of Esau, for he feared him; but neither did his fear sink into such a despair
as dispirits for the use of means, nor did his prayer make him presume upon God's

88. mercy, without the use of means. Note, When we have prayed to God for any mercy, we
must second our prayers with our endeavours; else, instead of trusting god, we tempt
him; we must so depend upon God's providence as to make use of our own prudence.
“Help thyself, and God will help thee;” God answers our prayers by teaching us to order
our affairs with discretion. To pacify Esau,
I. Jacob sent him a very noble present, not of jewels or fine garments (he had them not),
but of cattle, to the number of 580 in all, Gen_32:13-15. Now, 1. It was an evidence of the
great increase with which God had blessed Jacob that he could spare such a number of
cattle out of his stock. 2. It was an evidence of his wisdom that he would willingly part
with some, to secure the rest; some men's covetousness loses them more than ever it
gained them, and, by grudging a little damage; skin for skin, and all that a man has, if
he be a wise man, he will give for his life. 3. It was a present that he thought would be
acceptable to Esau, who had traded so much in hunting wild beasts that perhaps he was
but ill furnished with tame cattle with which to stock his new conquests. And we may
suppose that the mixed colours of Jacob's cattle, ring-straked, speckled, and spotted,
would please Esau's fancy. 4. He promised himself that by this present he should gain
Esau's favour; for a gift commonly prospers, which way soever it turns (Pro_17:8), and
makes room for a man (Pro_18:16); nay, it pacifies anger and strong wrath, Pro_21:14.
Note, [1.] We must not despair of reconciling ourselves even to those that have been
most exasperated against us; we ought not to judge men unappeasable, till we have tried
to appease them. [2.] Peace and love, though purchased dearly, will prove a good bargain
to the purchaser. Many a morose ill-natured man would have said, in Jacob's case, “Esau
has vowed my death without cause, and he shall never be a farthing the better for me; I
will see him far enough before I will send him a present:” but Jacob forgives and forgets.
JAMIESO , "took ... a present for Esau — Jacob combined active exertions with
earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and
interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and
foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is
estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted of five
hundred fifty head of cattle, of different kinds, such as would be most prized by Esau. It
was a most magnificent present, skilfully arranged and proportioned. The milch camels
alone were of immense value; for the she camels form the principal part of Arab wealth;
their milk is a chief article of diet; and in many other respects they are of the greatest
use.
CALVI , "13.And took of that which came to his hand. In endeavoring to appease
his brother by presents, he does not act distrustfully, as if he doubted whether he
should be safe under the protection of God. This, indeed, is a fault too common
among men, that when they have prayed to God, they turn themselves hither and
thither, and contrive vain subterfuges for themselves: whereas the principal
advantage of prayer is, to wait for the Lord in silence and quietness. But the design
of the holy man was not to busy and to vex himself, as one discontented with the sole
help of God. For although he was certainly persuaded that to have God propitious
to him would alone be sufficient, yet he did not omit the use of the means which
were in his power, while leaving success in the hand of God. For though by prayer
we cast our cares upon God, that we may have peaceful and tranquil minds; yet this
security ought not to render us indolent. For the Lord will have all the aids which he

89. affords us applied to use. But the diligence of the pious differs greatly from the
restless activity of the world; because the world, relying on its own industry,
independently of the blessing of God, does not consider what is right or lawful;
moreover it is always in trepidation, and by its bustling, increases more and more its
own disquietude. The pious, however, hoping for the success of their labor, only
from the mercy of God, apply their minds in seeking out means, for this sole reason,
that they may not bury the gifts of God by their own torpor. When they have
discharged their duty, they still depend on the same grace of God; and when nothing
remains which they can attempt, they nevertheless are at rest.
ELLICOTT, "(13) He lodged there.—That is, at Mahanaim. On the first news of Esau’s approach
in so hostile a manner, Jacob had divided his possessions into two main divisions, in the hope of
saving at least one. He now, quieted by his prayer, makes more exact arrangements, selects a
present for Esau of five hundred and fifty head of cattle, sends them forward with intervals
between, that repeated impressions might soften his brother’s fierce mood, sees all his followers
safely across the Jabbok, and remains alone behind to pray. As he thus placed everything in
Esau’s power, faith seems to have regained the ascendancy over his fears, though he still takes
every prudent measure for the safety of those whom he loved.
Of that which came to his hand.—Heb., of that which came in his hand. Some Jewish interpreters
take the phrase literally, and suppose that it was precious stones; more truly it means “what he
possessed,” or what he had with him. The phrase “which came to his hand” would imply that he
made no selection, but took what came first in his way.
COKE, "Genesis 32:13. Which came to his hand— Not any thing which offered itself by chance,
as this phrase seems to import: for it is very evident, that the present was selected with great
care, and was of the choicest kind: milch-camels in particular were a very exquisite present, as
their milk was held in the greatest estimation: see Bochart Hieroz. p. 1. But the phrase means,
which was in his power, which he had to present him with, see 1 Samuel 25:8. This whole
transaction and disposition of the present shews the prudence and sagacity of Jacob.
REFLECTIONS.—Jacob having poured out his soul to God in prayer, in dependance on his care,
takes the most likely methods to appease his brother's resentment.
1. By a considerable present, so divided into several droves, as both to set them off, and to serve,
from their repeated reproach, to stay Esau for inquiry: thus giving him time to think, and such
matter to muse upon, as might allay the fury of his anger. Note; (1.) We cannot buy peace too
dear, if we sell not our conscience. (2.) It is wisdom to present a part, if that can preserve the
whole. Some through covetousness to spare a shilling, often lose a pound.
2. By a submissive message. Esau must be called my lord, and Jacob his servant. Alas! it tickles
vain minds to have their titles repeated to them. Every servant pays his respects in Jacob's name,
and adds, that Jacob himself was behind. Note; Apparent confidence in a man's goodness lays
him under a kind of obligation to shew it.
CONSTABLE, "Verses 13-21
Though he hoped for God's help, Jacob did not fail to do all he could to appease his brother
(Genesis 32:13-15). He offered his magnanimous gifts diplomatically to pacify his offended
brother.
"As the narrative unfolds, however, it was not Jacob's plan that succeeded but his prayer. When
he met with Esau, he found that Esau had had a change of heart. Running to meet Jacob, Esau
embraced and kissed him and wept (Genesis 33:4). All of Jacob's plans and schemes had come
to naught. In spite of them all, God had prepared Jacob's way." [Note: Sailhamer, "Genesis," p.
209.]
Jacob's ability to give Esau 580 animals proves that God had made him enormously wealthy.

90. "Jacob's behavioral response was classically narcissistic." [Note: Shepperson, p. 183.]
In view of God's promises believers can pray with confidence for His deliverance and do not need
to give away His provisions to appease their enemies.
PETT 13-15, "The present was munificent. Again the numbers are round numbers indicating
approximate quantity, although he may have numbered them exactly. But exact counting was not
a feature of the times except among learned men and men of business and is therefore unlikely. It
is noteworthy that of the camels and donkeys he does not provide males (except possibly as colts
and foals). This may indicate that he had few of them, and those for breeding. This is evidence of
the accuracy and genuineness of the narrative.
TRAPP, "Ver. 13. And took of that which came to his hand, &c.] Or, that was in his power. Such
as he had, he sent. Silver and gold he had none; cattle he had, and of these he made no spare:
for he knew that "a gift" (such a rich gift, especially) "maketh room for a man, and bringeth him
before great ones". [Proverbs 18:16] And here Jacob, for our instruction, takes a right course,
observes a right method; which is, to pray, and use means; to use means, and pray. Ora et
labora, was the Emperor’s symbol; and, Admota manu invocanda est Minerva, the heathen’s
proverb. "Why criest thou unto me?" saith God to Moses; [Exodus 14:15] "speak unto the children
of Israel, that they go forward." There was a fault: Moses craved help, but was not forward in the
course whereby to make way for God’s help. So, "get thee up," saith God to praying Joshua;
"wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" Israel hath sinned, and thou must go search, &c.
[Joshua 7:10-11] So, he that would have knowledge, must not only beg for it, but "dig for it," saith
Solomon, out of his own experience. [Proverbs 2:3-5]
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "A present for Esau.
Jacob’s offering to Esau
1. Prudent disposition of presents must follow the preparation of them.
2. Good servants are fit helps unto good masters for ordering their affairs.
3. Order is as needful as matter unto prudence to pacifiy enraged enemies.
4. Wise masters must give instructions to servants for the prosperity of their own
affairs.
5. Lawful instructions from masters must be strictly observed by servants.
6. Humble presentations of saints to lords of the world is comely to procure peace.
7. Frequent and gradual expressions of such goodness and humility is most likely to
overcome them.
8. Faces of cruel men are hard to be reconciled unto the faces of the righteous.
9. By foregoing gifts and preventing grace from God, saints may gel a good look from
such men.
10. Jacob and Jacob’s children are forced so to seek peace in the world. (G. Hughes,
B. D.)
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male

91. goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
BAR ES,"Gen_32:14-22
Jacob sends forward a present to Esau. “He lodged there that night.” Mahanaim may
have been about twenty-five miles from the Jabbok. At some point in the interval he
awaited the return of his messengers. Abiding during the night in the camp, not far from
the ford of the Jabbok, he selects and sends forward to Esau his valuable present of five
hundred and fifty head of cattle. “That which was come into his hand,” into his
possession. The cattle are selected according to the proportions of male and female
which were adopted from experience among the ancients (Varro, de re rust. II. 3). “Every
drove by itself,” with a space between, that Esau might have time to estimate the great
value of the gift. The repetition of the announcement of the gift, and of Jacob himself
being at hand, was calculated to appease Esau, and persuade him that Jacob was
approaching him in all brotherly confidence and affection. “Appease him.” Jacob designs
this gift to be the means of propitiating his brother before he appears in his presence.
“Lift up my face,” accept me. “Lodged that night in the camp;” after sending this present
over the Jabbok. This seems the same night referred to in Gen_32:14.
CLARKE, "Two hundred she-goats, etc. - This was a princely present, and such
as was sufficient to have compensated Esau for any kind of temporal loss he might have
sustained in being deprived of his birthright and blessing. The thirty milch camels were
particularly valuable, for milch camels among the Arabs constitute a principal part of
their riches, the creature being every way so serviceable that the providence of God
appears peculiarly kind and wise in providing such a beast for those countries where no
other animal could be of equal service. “The she-camel gives milk continually, not
ceasing till great with young; the milk of which,” as Pliny has remarked, “when mixed
with three parts of water, affords the most pleasant and wholesome beverage.” Cameli
lac habent, donec iterum gravescant, suavissimumque hoc existimatur, ad unam
mensuram tribus aquae additis - Hist. Nat., lib. 11., chap. 41.
GILL, "Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes,
and twenty rams. And it seems this proportion of one he goat to ten she goats, and of
one ram to ten ewes, is a proper one, and what has been so judged in other times and
countries (x).
CALVI , "14.Two hundred she-goats. Hence we perceive the value which Jacob set
upon the promise given to him, seeing he does not refuse to make so great a sacrifice
of his property. We know that those things which are obtained with great toil and
trouble are the more highly esteemed. So that generally they who are enriched by
their own labor are proportionally sparing and tenacious. It was, however, no trivial
diminution even of great wealth, to give forty cows, thirty camels with their young,
twenty bulls, and as many asses with their foals, two hundred she-goats, and as
many sheep, with twenty rams, and the same number of he-goats. But Jacob freely

92. lays upon himself this tax, that he may obtains a safe return to his own country.
Certainly it would not have been difficult to find some nook where he might live
with his property entire: and an equally commodious habitations might have been
found elsewhere. But, that he might not lose the benefit of the promise, he
purchases, at so great a price, from his brother, a peaceable abode in the land of
Canaan. Therefore should we be ashamed of our effeminacy and tardiness, who
wickedly turn aside from the duty of our calling, as soon as any loss is to be
sustained. With a clear and loud voice the Lord commands us to do what he pleases;
but some, because they find it troublesome to take up their burdens, lie in idleness;
pleasures also keep back some; riches or honors impede others; finally, few follow
God, because scarcely one in a hundred will bear to be losers. In putting a space
between the messengers, and in sending them at different times from each other, he
does it to mitigate by degrees the ferocity of his brother: Whence we infer again,
that he was not so seized with fear, as to be unable prudently to order his affairs.
ELLICOTT, "(14, 15) Goats—ewes—camels—kine—asses.—As the kinds of cattle are arranged
according to their value, it is remarkable that kine should be prized above camels; for the milk of
cows was regarded as of little worth. This high estimation of them, therefore, must have arisen
from an increased regard for agriculture, the ploughing being done in the East by oxen. Asses of
course come last, as being the animal used by chieftains for riding, and therefore prized as
matters of luxury. (See Genesis 12:16; Judges 5:10.) Jacob selected “milch camels” because
their milk forms a valuable part of the daily food of the Arabs.
TRAPP, "Ver. 14. Two hundred she-goats, &c.] A very great present for a private person to send.
Five hundred and fifty beasts, of sundry sorts, for store. He spares no cost, that he may buy his
peace, and enjoy his birthright. Heaven, he knew (whereof Canaan was a type and pledge), would
pay for all. Get but a patriarch’s eye to see heaven afar off, and we shall be soon ready to buy it at
any rate. The pearl of price cannot be a dear bargain, though we part with all to purchase it.
Moses was forty years old, and therefore no baby, when "he preferred the reproach of Christ," the
worst thing about him, "before the treasures of Egypt". [Hebrews 11:26] Egypt was a country rich,
fruitful, and learned. Thence Solomon had his chief horses; [2 Chronicles 9:28] thence the harlot
had her fine linens. [Proverbs 7:16] Moses might, in likelihood, have been king of Egypt, yea, and
of Ethiopia too, as some think: but he had a better prize in his hand, and therefore slights all the
world’s flitting and flattering felicities. When Basil was tempted with money and preferment, he
answered, pecuniam da quae permaneat, ac continuo daret, gloriam quae semper floreat. This
the world cannot do; nay, it cannot keep off diseases, death, &c. Non domus et fundus, &c. When
Michael Paleologus, Emperor of Constantinople, sent to Nugas the Scythian prince, for a present,
certain royal robes and rich ornaments, he set light by them, asking, Whether they could drive
away calamities, sickness, death? (a) No, no: this, nothing can do, but the favour of God and
interest in Christ. Wherefore should I die, being so rich? was the foolish question of that rich and
wretched cardinal, Henry Beaufort, bishop of Winchester, and Chancellor of England, in the reign
of Henry VI. Fie, quoth he, will not death be hired? will money do nothing? (b) No, saith Solomon:
"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death". [Proverbs 10:2]
Many are loath to die, because they have treasures in the world; as those ten men had in the field.
[Jeremiah 41:8] The Irish ask, - What! such men mean to die? But such men must die; nor can
their riches reprieve them. Oh! happy is he that, with Jacob, lays hold on the heavenly inheritance,
though with the loss of earthly possessions; that cares not to part with his cattle, so he may have
his crown; with his swine, so he may have his Saviour. [Matthew 8:34] This is the wise merchant,
this is the true tradesman, that traffics for heaven; looking upon the world as a great dunghill, with
Paul, σκυβαλα, dog’s dung. [Philippians 3:8]

93. 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty
cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys
and ten male donkeys.
CLARKE, "Ten bulls - The Syriac and Vulgate have twenty; but ten is a sufficient
proportion to the forty kine. By all this we see that Jacob was led to make restitution for
the injury he had done to his brother. Restitution for injuries done to man is essentially
requisite if in our power. He who can and will not make restitution for the wrongs he has
done, can have no claim even on the mercy of God.
GILL, "Thirty milch camels with their colts,.... Milch camels were in great esteem
in the eastern countries; their milk being, as Aristotle (y) and Pliny (z) say, the sweetest
of all milk:
forty kine and ten bulls; one bull to ten cows; the same proportion as in the goats
and rams:
twenty she asses and ten foals; and supposing thirty colts belonging to the camels;
the present consisted of five hundred and eighty head of cattle: a large number to spare
out of his flocks and herds, that he had acquired in six years' time; and showed a
generous disposition as well as prudence, to part with so much in order to secure the
rest.
16 He put them in the care of his servants, each
herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead
of me, and keep some space between the herds.”

94. GILL, "And he delivered them into the hand of his servants,.... To present
them to Esau as from him:
every drove by themselves; there seems to have been three droves, see Gen_32:19;
very probably the two hundred and twenty goats, male and female, were in the first
drove; and the two hundred and twenty sheep, ewes, and rams, were in the second
drove; and the thirty camels, with their colts, and the fifty cows and bulls, with the
twenty she asses and ten foals, which made in all one hundred and forty, were in the
third drove: though Aben Ezra thinks there were five droves; nor is it improbable, the
goats in one drove, the sheep in another, the camels and colts in a third, and the kine
and bulls might make a fourth, and the asses with their foals a fifth:
and saith unto his servants, pass over before me: over the brook Jabbok, Gen_
32:22, a day's journey or less before him, as Jarchi observes, or rather a night's journey,
as seems by the context; for these were sent out at evening, and Jacob stayed behind all
night, as appears by what follows:
and put a space betwixt drove and drove; his meaning is, that they should not
follow each other closely; but that there should be a considerable distance between
them, and which he would have them careful to keep: his view in this was, partly to
prolong time, Esau stopping, as he supposed he would, at each drove, and asking
questions of the men; and partly that he might the better and more distinctly observe the
largeness of his present, and his munificence in it, and so, both by the present, and by
the frequent repetition of his submission to him as his servant, his wrath, if he came out
in it, would be gradually abated, and before he came to him he would be in a disposition
to receive him with some marks of affection and kindness, as he did.
JAMIESO , "every drove by themselves — There was great prudence in this
arrangement; for the present would thus have a more imposing appearance; Esau’s
passion would have time to cool as he passed each successive company; and if the first
was refused, the others would hasten back to convey a timely warning.
ELLICOTT, "(16) A space.—Heb., a breathing place. These paration of the droves would be a
matter of course, as each kind would travel peaceably onward only by itself. But Jacob rightly
concluded that the repeated acknowledgment of Esau as his lord, added to the great value of the
gift, would fill his brother’s heart with friendly feelings, and perhaps therefore he put a longer
space than usual between the successive droves.
PETT 16-21, "Jacob’s tactic was simple. A munificent present received in sections so as to build
up goodwill and conciliation. First Esau would receive the goats, then the sheep, then the camels
which would greatly impress him for they were comparatively rare, then the cattle and then finally
the valuable donkeys. And each time when Esau questioned the servants they would inform him
that the gifts were for him from Jacob and that Jacob followed after.
“The second and third and all that followed.” The threeness was an indication of the completeness
of the gift, the remainder a sign of full measure and running over.

95. 17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my
brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you
belong to, and where are you going, and who owns
all these animals in front of you?’
GILL, "And he commanded the foremost,.... He that had the care of the first
drove, which consisted of goats, male and female:
saying, when Esau my brother meeteth thee; as there was reason to believe he
would, being on the road, and him first of all, being the foremost:
and asketh thee, saying, what art thou? that is, whose servant art thou? to whom
dost thou belong?
and whither goest thou? what place art thou travelling to?
and whose are these before thee? whose are these goats? to whom do they belong
thou art driving? for in driving and travelling on the road, sheep and goats went before
those that had the care of them; whereas, in leading out to pastures, the shepherds went
before, and the flocks followed, Joh_10:4.
HE RY, "II. He sent him a very humble message, which he ordered his servants to
deliver in the best manner, Gen_32:17, Gen_32:18. They must call Esau their lord, and
Jacob his servant; they must tell him the cattle they had was a small present which
Jacob had sent him, as a specimen of his acquisitions while he was abroad. The cattle he
sent were to be disposed of in several droves, and the servants that attended each drove
were to deliver the same message, that the present might appear the more valuable, and
his submission, so often repeated, might be the more likely to influence Esau. They must
especially take care to tell him that Jacob was coming after (Gen_32:18-20), that he
might not suspect he had fled through fear. Note, A friendly confidence in men's
goodness may help to prevent the mischief designed us by their badness: if Jacob will
seem not to be afraid of Esau, Esau, it may be hoped, will not be a terror to Jacob.
JAMIESO , "he commanded the foremost — The messengers were strictly
commanded to say the same words [Gen_32:18, Gen_32:20], that Esau might be more
impressed and that the uniformity of the address might appear more clearly to have
come from Jacob himself.

96. PULPIT, "Genesis 32:17-20
And he commanded the foremost, saying (with admirable tact and prudence), When Esau my
brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and
whose are these before thee! then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent
unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he (Jacob) is behind us. And 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—literally, in your finding of him. And say ye (literally, and ye shall say) moreover,
Behold, thy servant Jacob is Behind us'' for he thought that this would convince Esau that he
Went to 'meet him with complete confidence, and without apprehension" (Kalisch)—for he said
(the historian adds the motive which explained Jacob's singular behavior), I will appease him
(literally, I will cover his face, meaning I will prevent him from seeing my past offences, i.e. I will
turn away his anger or pacify him, as in Proverbs 16:14) with the present that goeth before me,—
literally, going before my face. So Abigail appeased David with a present (1 Samuel 25:18-32)—
and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me—literally, lift up my face; a
proverbial expression for granting a favorable reception (cf. Genesis 19:21; Job 42:8). "Jacob did
not miscalculate the influence of his princely offerings, and I verily believe there is not an emeer or
sheikh in all Gilead at this day who would not be appeased by such presents; and from my
personal knowledge of Orientals, I should say that Jacob need not have been in such great terror,
following in their rear. Far less will now 'make room,' as Solomon says, for any offender, however
atrocious, and bring him before great men with acceptance".
18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your
servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord
Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”
GILL, "Then thou shall say, they be thy servant Jacob's,.... Both the goats
before them, and they themselves that had the care of them, belonged to Jacob, who
directed them to speak of him to Esau as his "servant":
it is a present sent unto my lord Esau; which is the answer to the second question:
and behold also he is behind us: that is, Jacob: this they were bid to tell, lest he
should think that Jacob was afraid of him, and was gone another way; but that he was
coming to pay a visit to him, and might expect shortly to see him, which would prepare
his mind how to behave towards him.
TRAPP, "Ver. 18. They be thy servant Jacob’s.] "A soft answer turneth away wrath": [Proverbs
15:1] (a) "but grievous words stir up anger." And it is easier to stir strife than stint it. Still, rain
softens the hard earth: and though nothing be more violent than the winds, Iidem tamen imbribus
sopiuntur, saith Pliny.

97. “Lenis alit flammas, grandior aura necat.”
How daintily did Gideon disarm the angry Ephraimites [ 8:1] by a mild answer!
It is a present sent, &c.] For, "a gift in secret pacifieth anger". [Proverbs 21:14] This proverb, in an
abbreviature, after that manner, the Jews wrote upon their alms box. (b)
And, behold, also he is behind us.] He sends not only, but comes after us himself, to salute thee,
and offer his service unto thee. Thus, by all means, he seeks to assuage the wrath of that rough
man.
19 He also instructed the second, the third and all
the others who followed the herds: “You are to
say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.
GILL, "And so commanded he the second and third,.... Those who had the care
of the second and third droves, he ordered them to say the same things, and in the same
words as he had the first:
and all that followed the droves; either all that were with the principal driver; that
if any of them should happen to be interrogated first, they might know what to answer;
or those that followed the other droves, besides the three mentioned, which
countenances Aben Ezra's notion of five droves, before observed:
saying, on this manner shall you speak to Esau, when you find him; that is,
when they met him and perceived it was he that put questions to them.
20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant Jacob is
coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify

98. him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later,
when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”
Jacob is concerned about being accepted, for he still feels guilty for what he did to
Esau. But what we see in this whole account is the providence of God bringing
brothers back together after years of separation. Restoring broken relationships is
an important thing to God, for he loves unity in the family.
GILL, "And say ye moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us,.... This
is repeated to impress it upon their minds, that they might be careful of all things, not to
forget that, it being a point of great importance; for the present would have signified
nothing, if Jacob had not appeared in person; Esau would have thought himself, at best,
but slighted; as if he was unworthy of a visit from him, and of conversation with him:
for he said: that is, Jacob, or "had said" (a), in his heart, within himself, as might be
supposed from the whole of his conduct; for what follows are the words of Moses the
historian, as Aben Ezra observes, and not of Jacob to his servants, nor of them to Esau:
I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterwards I
will see his face: he hoped the present would produce the desired effect; that it would
turn away his wrath from him, and pacify him; and then he should be able to appear
before him, and see his face with pleasure: or, "I will expiate his face" (b), as some
render the words, or make him propitious and favourable; or cover his face, as Aben
Ezra interprets it, that is, cause him to hide his wrath and resentment, that it shall not
appear; or cause his fury to cease, as Jarchi; or remove his anger, wrath, and
displeasure, as Ben Melech; all which our version takes in, by rendering it, "appease
him"; and then:
peradventure he will accept of me: receive him with marks of tenderness and
affection, and in a very honourable and respectable manner.
ELLICOTT, "(20) I will appease him.—The Heb. literally is, he said I will cover his face with
the offering that goeth before my face, and afterwards I will see his face; peradventure he will lift
up my face. The covering of the face of the offended person, so that he could no longer see the
offence, became the usual legal word for making an atonement (Leviticus 9:7, &c). For the
“offering” (Heb., minchah) see Genesis 4:3; and for “the lifting up of the face,” Genesis 4:7.
PULPIT, "Genesis 32:21-23
So (literally, and) went the present over Before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
And he rose up that night,—i.e. some time before daybreak (vide Genesis 32:24) and took his two
wives, and him two women servants (Bilhah and Zilpah), and his eleven sons (Dinah being not
mentioned in accordance with the common usage of the Bible), and passed over the ford—the
word signifies a place of passing over. Tristram speaks of the strong current reaching the horses
girths at the ford crossed by himself and twenty horsemen—Jabbok. Jabbok, from bakak, to
empty, to pour forth (Kalisch), or from abak, to struggle (Keil), may have been so named either
from the natural appearance of the river, or, as is more probable, by prolepsis from the wrestling
which took place upon its banks. It is now called the Wady Zerka, or Blue River, which flows into

99. the Jordan, nearly opposite Shechem, and midway between the Lake Tiberias and the Dead Sea.
The stream is rapid, and often Completely hidden by the dense mass of oleander which fringes its
banks. And he took them, and sent them (literally, caused them to pass) over the brook, and sent
over that he had—himself remaining on the north side (Delitzsch, Keil, Kurtz, Murphy, Gerlach,
Wordsworth, Alford), although, having once crossed the stream (Genesis 32:22), it is not perfectly
apparent that he recrossed, which has led some to argue that the wrestling occurred on the south
of the river (Knobel, Rosenmüller, Lange, Kalisch).
21 So Jacob’s gifts went on ahead of him, but he
himself spent the night in the camp.
Some interpreters see this whole experience based on the terrible fear that Jacob
had as he was about to encounter his brother Esau. For example,
“ALL the time that Jacob was in Padan-aram we search in vain for prayer, for praise. or
for piety of any kind in Jacob's life. We read of his marriage, and of his great prosperity,
till the land could no longer hold him. But that is all. It is not said in so many words
indeed that Jacob absolutely denied and forsook the God of his fathers: it is not said that
he worshipped idols in Padan-aram: that is not to be supposed--only, he wholly neglected,
avoided, and lived without God in that land. In the days of his youth, and when he was on
his fugitive way from his father's house, Jacob had passed through an experience that
promised to us that Jacob, surely above all men, would ever after be a man of prayer, and
a man of praise, and a man of a close walk with God, a man who would always pay his
vow wherever he went. But Bethel--and all that passed at Bethel--was clean forgotten in
Padan-aram; where Jacob increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and camels, and
maid-servants, and men-servants.
Time went on in this way till the Lord said unto Jacob: "Return unto the land of thy
fathers and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee." And Jacob rose up to go to Isaac his
father in the land of Canaan. But every step that Jacob took brought him nearer to the
land of Edom also: where Esau dwelt with all his armed men about him. And that brought
back all Jacob's early days to his mind, as they had not been in his mind now for many
years; till, by the time Jacob arrived at the Jabbok, he was in absolute terror at the thought
of Esau. But Jacob never lacked resource: and at the Jabbok he made a halt, and there he
did this. He took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother. 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." But, to Jacob's great terror, Esau never
looked at Jacob's present, but put on his armour in silence, and came posting northwards
at the head of four hundred Edomite men. Had Jacob had nothing but his staff with which
he passed over Jordan, his mind would have been more at rest. But with all these women

100. and children and cattle--was ever a man taken in such a cruel trap ? And he took them and
sent them over the brook, and sent over all that he had. And when the night fell, Jacob
was left alone. Till every plunge of the angry Jabbok, and every roar of the midnight
storm, made Jacob feel the smell of Esau's hunting coat, and the blow of his heavy hand.
Whether in the body, or whether out of the body, Jacob could never tell. It was Esau, and
it was not Esau. It was God Himself, and it was not God. It was God and Esau -- both
together. Till Jacob to the day of his death never could tell who that terrible wrestler
really was. But as the morning broke, and as he departed, the wrestler from heaven said to
Jacob, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel." And he blessed him there.
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: which by interpretation is The face of
God: for he said, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
This author feels that Jacob prayed all night and finally surrendered and gained
peace about what he had to do and face. “Jacob sophisticating, and plotting, and
planning how he could soften and bribe back to silence, if not to brotherly love, his
powerful enemy, Esau; but before the morning sun rose on Peniel, Jacob was at God's
feet--aye, and at Esau's feet also--a broken-hearted, absolutely surrendered, absolutely
silent and submissive penitent.”
“But Jacob at the Jabbok always calls up our Lord in Gethsemane. Now, why did our
Lord need to spend so much of that Passover night alone in prayer? and in such an agony
of prayer, even unto blood? He did not have the sins of His youth coming back on Him in
the garden: nor did He have twenty years of neglect of God, and man, to get over. No. It
was not that. But it was this. I speak it not of commandment, but by permission. It may
have been this. I believe it was this. This. Human nature, at its best, in this life, is still so
far from God--even after it has been redeemed, and renewed, and sanctified, and put
under the power of the Holy Ghost for a lifetime--that, to reduce it absolutely down to its
very last submission, and its very last surrender, and its very last obedience, the very Son
of God, Himself, had to drag His human heart to God's feet, with all His might, and till
His sweat was blood, with the awful agony of it. "I have neglected Thee, O God, but I
will enter into my own heart," cries Lancelot Andrewes, "I will come to Thee in the
innermost marrow of my soul." "It is true prayer, it is importunate, persevering and
agonising prayer that deciphers the hypocrite," says Jonathan Edwards, repeating Job.
"My uncle," says Coleridge's nephew, "when I was sitting by his bedside, very solemnly
declared to me his conviction on this subject. 'Prayer,' he said, 'is the very highest energy
of which the human heart is capable': prayer, that is, with the total concentration of all the
faculties. And the great mass of worldly men, and learned men, he pronounced absolutely
incapable of prayer. 'To pray,' he said, 'to pray as God would have us pray,--it is this that
makes me to turn cold in my soul. Believe me, to pray with all your heart, and strength,
that is the last, the greatest achievement of the Christian's warfare on this earth. Lord,
teach us to pray!' And with that he burst into a flood of tears and besought me to pray for
him! Oh, what a light was there!"
GILL, "So went the present over before him,.... Over the brook Jabbok, after
mentioned, the night before Jacob did:

101. and himself lodged that night in the company; or "in the camp" (c), either in the
place called Mahanaim, from the hosts or crowds of angels seen there; or rather in his
own camp, his family and servants; or, as Aben Ezra distinguishes, in the camp with his
servants, and not in his tent, lest his brother should come and smite him; and so
Nachmanides.
JAMIESO , "himself lodged — not the whole night, but only a part of it.
Jacob Wrestles With God
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two
wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons
and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
CLARKE, "Passed over the ford Jabbok - This brook or rivulet rises in the
mountains of Galaad, and falls into the Jordan at the south extremity of the lake of
Gennesaret.
GILL, "And he rose up that night,.... In the middle of it, for it was long before
break of day, as appears from Gen_32:24,
and took his two wives, Rachel and Leah:
and his two womenservants, Bilhah and Zilpah, or, "his two concubines", as the
Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; which distinguishes them from other
womenservants or maidservants, of which, no doubt, he had many:
and his eleven sons; together with Dinah his daughter, though not mentioned, being
the only female child, and a little one:
and passed over the ford Jabbok; over that river, at a place of it where it was
fordable, or where there was a ford or passage: this was a river that took its rise from the
mountains of Arabia, was the border of the Ammonites, washed the city Rabba, and ran
between Philadelphia and Gerasa, and came into the river Jordan, at some little distance
from the sea of Gennesaret or Galilee (d), about three or four miles from it.

102. JAMIESO , "ford Jabbok — now the Zerka - a stream that rises among the
mountains of Gilead, and running from east to west, enters the Jordan, about forty miles
south of the Sea of Tiberias. At the ford it is ten yards wide. It is sometimes forded with
difficulty; but in summer it is very shallow.
he rose up and took — Unable to sleep, Jacob waded the ford in the night time by
himself; and having ascertained its safety, he returned to the north bank and sent over
his family and attendants, remaining behind, to seek anew, in silent prayer, the divine
blessing on the means he had set in motion.
CALVI , "22.And he rose up that night. After he has prayed to the Lord, and
arranged his plans, he now takes confidence and meets the danger. By which
example the faithful are taught, that whenever any danger approaches, this order of
proceeding is to be observed; first, to resort directly to the Lord; secondly, to apply
to immediate use whatever means of help may offer themselves; and thirdly, as
persons prepared for any event, to proceed with intrepidity whithersoever the Lord
commands. So Jacob, that he might not fail in this particular, does not dread the
passage which he perceives to be full of hazard, but, as with closed eyes, pursues his
course. Therefore, after his example, we must overcome anxiety in intricate affairs,
lest we should be hindered or retarded in our duty. He remains alone, — having
sent forward his wives and children, (106) — not that he might himself escape if he
heard of their destruction, but because solitude was more suitable for prayer. And
there is no doubt that, fearing the extremity of his peril, he was completely carried
away with the ardor of supplication to God.
ELLICOTT, "(22) The ford Jabbok.—Heb., the ford of the Jabbok. This river, now called the Wady
Zerba or Blue Torrent, formed afterwards the boundary between the tribes of Manasseh and Gad.
It flows through a deep ravine, with so rapid a current as to make the crossing of it a matter of
difficulty. Dr. Tristram (Land of Israel, p. 558) says that the water reached his horse’s girths when
he rode through the ford.
COKE, "Genesis 32:22. Rose up that night— That is, towards the close of the night, before break
of day; when setting forward his family, who crossed the brook called Jabbok, which rises out of
the adjacent mountains of Gilead, he was left alone, choosing to be so, in order, no doubt, to
address himself more fervently to God, and to strive earnestly with him for his blessing, which the
subsequent wrestling was designed to figure, as the prophet Hosea, ch. Genesis 12:4. plainly
informs us. That it was a real event, and no dream or visionary representation, appears from the
whole tenor of the history, as well as from that passage in Hosea to which we have referred. It is
probable, that the Divine Person was at first unknown to Jacob when he entered into contest with
him, but was discovered to him in the event, and the whole affair, consequently, unravelled in its
mystical and spiritual meaning. See the next note.
CONSTABLE, "Jacob at the Jabbok 32:22-32
"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." [Note: The NET Bible note on 32:22.]
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. [Note: On the location and significance of the Jabbok River, see Bryant G. Wood, "Journey
Down the Jabbok," Bible and Spade (Spring 1978):57-64.]
It was when Jacob was alone, having done everything he could to secure his own safety, that God

103. 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." [Note: Kidner, p. 168.]
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." [Note: Keil and
Delitzsch, 1:305-6.]
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 [Jacob, Genesis 32:27],
paves the way for the new name [Israel, Genesis 32:28]." [Note: Hamilton, The Book . . . Chapters
18-50, p. 333.]
". . . 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." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, 1:307.]
"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." [Note: Waltke, Genesis,
p. 446.]
"One wonders if 'Why is it that you inquire about my name?' [Genesis 32:29] is another way of
asking, 'Jacob, don't you realize who I am?'" [Note: Hamilton, The Book . . . Chapters 18-50, p.
336.]
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

104. 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. [Note: See Harry Foster, "Walking with
a Limp," Toward the Mark (September-October 1982):97-100.]
"When God touched the strongest sinew of Jacob, the wrestler, it shriveled, and with it Jacob's
persistent self-confidence." [Note: Allen P. Ross, "Jacob at the Jabbok, Israel at Peniel,"
Bibliotheca Sacra 142:568 (October-December 1985):350.]
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." [Note: Thomas, p. 298.]
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." [Note: Stephen Geller, "The Struggle at the Jabbok: The Uses of Enigma in
a Biblical Narrative," Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society 14 (1982):39. See also Edward
M. Curtis, "Structure, Style and Context as a Key to Interpreting Jacob's Encounter at Peniel,"
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 30:2 (June 1987):129-37.]
PETT 22-23, "The verse hides a more complicated manoeuvre. Jacob wants to see everyone and
everything safely over the ford and he himself no doubt crossed it a number of times both ways. It
was a difficult river to cross. But he himself finally remains on the side away from the others. The
repetition is typical of much ancient literature where hearers rather than readers had to be kept in
mind. Movement at night was commonplace for caravans and for herdsmen and shepherds. It
avoided the heat of the day.
“Eleven sons.” Only the sons are in mind. Dinah is ignored. Daughters are regularly ignored in
ancient literature as unimportant. Dinah had only been mentioned previously to make up the
number ‘twelve’ as we have seen.
“The Ford of Jabbok.” A place where it was possible to cross the swiftly flowing river which Jacob
has called the Jordan, being its tributary. This river flows through a deep gorge and is difficult to
cross. This tributary flows east of the Jordan.
23 After he had sent them across the stream, he
sent over all his possessions.
BAR ES,"Gen_32:23-32
Jacob wrestles with a man. “Passed over the ford of Jabbok.” The Jabbok rose near
Rabbath Ammon, and flowed into the Jordan, separating North Gilead from South, or
the kingdom of Og from that of Sihon. “Jacob was left alone,” on the north side, after all

105. had passed over. “A man wrestled with him.” When God has a new thing of a spiritual
nature to bring into the experience of man, he begins with the senses. He takes man on
the ground on which he finds him, and leads him through the senses to the higher things
of reason, conscience, and communion with God.
Jacob seems to have gone through the principles or foundations of faith in God and
repentance toward him, which gave a character to the history of his grandfather and
father, and to have entered upon the stage of spontaneous action. He had that inward
feeling of spiritual power which prompted the apostle to say, “I can do all things.”
Hence, we find him dealing with Esau for the birthright, plotting with his mother for the
blessing, erecting a pillar and vowing a vow at Bethel, overcoming Laban with his own
weapons, and even now taking the most prudent measures for securing a welcome from
Esau on his return. He relied indeed on God, as was demonstrated in many of his words
and deeds; but the prominent feature of his character was a strong and firm reliance on
himself. But this practical self-reliance, though naturally springing up in the new man
and highly commendable in itself, was not yet in Jacob duly subordinated to that
absolute reliance which ought to be placed in the Author of our being and our salvation.
Hence, he had been betrayed into intrusive, dubious, and even sinister courses, which in
the retributive providence of God had brought, and were yet to bring him, into many
troubles and perplexities. The hazard of his present situation arose chiefly from his
former unjustifiable practices toward his brother. He is now to learn the lesson of
unreserved reliance on God.
“A man” appeared to him in his loneliness; one having the bodily form and substance
of a man. Wrestled with him - encountered him in the very point in which he was strong.
He had been a taker by the heel from his very birth, and his subsequent life had been a
constant and successful struggle with adversaries. And when he, the stranger, saw that
he prevailed not over him. Jacob, true to his character, struggles while life remains, with
this new combatant. touched the socket of his thigh, so that it was wrenched out of joint.
The thigh is the pillar of a man’s strength, and its joint with the hip the seat of physical
force for the wrestler. Let the thigh bone be thrown out of joint, and the man is utterly
disabled. Jacob now finds that this mysterious wrestler has wrested from him, by one
touch, all his might, and he can no longer stand alone. Without any support whatever
from himself, he hangs upon the conqueror, and in that condition learns by experience
the practice of sole reliance on one mightier than himself. This is the turning-point in
this strange drama. Henceforth Jacob now feels himself strong, not in himself, but in the
Lord, and in the power of his might. What follows is merely the explication and the
consequence of this bodily conflict.
And he, the Mighty Stranger, said, Let me go, for the dawn ariseth. The time for other
avocations is come: let me go. He does not shake off the clinging grasp of the now
disabled Jacob, but only calls upon him to relax his grasp. “And he, Jacob, said, I will not
let thee go except thou bless me”. Despairing now of his own strength, he is Jacob still:
he declares his determination to cling on until his conqueror bless him. He now knows
he is in the hand of a higher power, who can disable and again enable, who can curse and
also bless. He knows himself also to be now utterly helpless without the healing,
quickening, protecting power of his victor, and, though he die in the effort, he will not let
him go without receiving this blessing. Jacob’s sense of his total debility and utter defeat
is now the secret of his power with his friendly vanquisher. He can overthrow all the
prowess of the self-reliant, but he cannot resist the earnest entreaty of the helpless.
GILL, "And he took them, and sent them over the brook,.... His wives and
children, under the care of some of his servants:

106. and sent over that he had: all that belonged to him, his servants and his cattle or
goods.
HAWKER, "Reader! do you know what it is to be left alone to enjoy communion with
God in Christ? Have you sent away all earthly concerns, and all natural connections, how
near and dear soever they may be, in order to feel the full influence of gracious
impressions. Who this angel was, may easily be known from the Patriarch’s own account
of him. Sweet to observe, in the numberless instances of it, how that Almighty angel of
the covenant, the Lord Jesus, seemed to long for the period when he would fully reveal
himself unto his people. See Gen_48:16; Hos_12:4.
ELLICOTT, "(23) The brook.—Really, the ravine or valley; Arab., wady. Jacob, whose
administrative powers were of a very high character, sees his wives, children, and cattle not only
through the ford, but across the valley on to the high ground beyond. Staying himself to the very
last, he is left alone on the south side of the torrent, but still in the ravine, across which the rest
had taken their way. The definite proof that Jacob remained on the south side lies in the fact that
Peniel belonged to the tribe of Gad; but, besides this, there could be no reason why he should
recross the rapid river when once he had gone through it, and probably the idea has risen from
taking the word brook in Genesis 32:23 in too narrow a sense. Really it is the word translated
valley in Genesis 26:17, but is used only of such valleys or ravines as have been formed by the
action of a mountain torrent. When Jacob had seen his wives and herds safe on the top of the
southern ridge, the deep valley would be the very place for this solitary struggle. This ravine, we
are told, has a width of from four to six miles.
24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled
with him till daybreak.
On the one hand, the story of Jacob's wrestling match with the angel at the river
Jabbok is totally understandable to us.
We know how terrified he was of his brother Esau whom he would meet the
following day; the fact that he struggled all night the night before makes
complete sense.
After all, we have had sleepless nights of our own, anxious evenings that drained
rather than restored us.
Often these long nights come on the eve of
A tough decision we must make,
A major surgery we have to have,
A huge exam we are required to take,
A speech or presentation we are scheduled to give.
Like Jacob, our sleepless night may precede an unpleasant personal

107. confrontation, one we can no longer avoid.
Late at night, then, lying on our bed, our thoughts racing, our fears looming -- it
seems utterly impossible to rest.
We have no choice but to struggle through the night, tossing and turning, like
Jacob locked in combat with an unidentified adversary.
Though at times we wonder if the adversary is us.
“Epp remarks, "This passage of Scripture is often used to emphasize man’s perseverance
with God in prayer. However, we should observe that it was God, not Jacob, who began
the wrestling match. Other passages of Scripture teach the importance of prevailing
prayer, but it is not taught in this passage. Instead of persevering, Jacob was resisting
continuously. He still felt competent to manage his own affairs apart from God, but the
Heavenly Wrestler continued with him. This passage really teaches God’s perseverance
with His man until he can break and then make him."
Let us probe this passage to discover important eternal truths. All his life Jacob was a
"grabber." He grabs his brother’s heel at birth. He grabs the birthright. He grabs the
blessing. Now God grabs him. We often say that Jacob was wrestling with the Angel but
this is a mistaken notion. The truth is, it the Angel that wrestles with Jacob. This is no
mere Angel. He is none other than Jesus the Christ, the "Son of Man, who is also the
Angel of the Covenant and Son of God." To be sure, this interpretation of this vital
passage of Scripture is not a new one. In fact, the early church fathers and "ancient
writers" embraced it at the dawn of the church.”
CLARKE, "And there wrestled a man with him - This was doubtless the Lord
Jesus Christ, who, among the patriarchs, assumed that human form, which in the
fullness of time he really took of a woman, and in which he dwelt thirty-three years
among men. He is here styled an angel, because he was µεγαλης βουλης Αγγελος, (see the
Septuagint, Isa_9:7), the Messenger of the great counsel or design to redeem fallen man
from death, and bring him to eternal glory; see Gen_16:7.
But it may be asked, Had he here a real human body, or only its form? The latter,
doubtless. How then could he wrestle with Jacob? It need not be supposed that this
angel must have assumed a human body, or something analogous to it, in order to
render himself tangible by Jacob; for as the soul operates on the body by the order of
God, so could an angel operate on the body of Jacob during a whole night, and produce
in his imagination, by the effect of his power, every requisite idea of corporeity, and in
his nerves every sensation of substance, and yet no substantiality be in the case.
If angels, in appearing to men, borrow human bodies, as is thought, how can it be
supposed that with such gross substances they can disappear in a moment? Certainly
they do not take these bodies into the invisible world with them, and the established
laws of matter and motion require a gradual disappearing, however swiftly it may be
effected. But this is not allowed to be the case, and yet they are reported to vanish
instantaneously. Then they must render themselves invisible by a cloud, and this must
be of a very dense nature in order to hide a human body. But this very expedient would
make their departure still more evident, as the cloud must be more dense and apparent
than the body in order to hide it. This does not remove the difficulty. But if they assume
a quantity of air or vapor so condensed as to become visible, and modified into the

108. appearance of a human body, they can in a moment dilate and rarefy it, and so
disappear; for when the vehicle is rarefied beyond the power of natural vision, as their
own substance is invisible they can instantly vanish.
From Hos_12:4, we may learn that the wrestling of Jacob, mentioned in this place,
was not merely a corporeal exercise, but also a spiritual one; He wept and made
supplication unto him. See Clarke on Hos_12:4 (note).
GILL, "And Jacob was left alone,.... On the other side of Jabbok, his family and
cattle having passed over it; and this solitude he chose, in order to spend some time in
prayer to God for the safety of him and his:
and there wrestled a man with him; not a phantasm or spectre, as Josephus (e)
calls him; nor was this a mere visionary representation of a man, to the imagination of
Jacob; or done in the vision of prophecy, as Maimonides (f); but it was something real,
corporeal, and visible: the Targum of Jonathan says, it was an angel in the likeness of a
man, and calls him Michael, which is not amiss, since he is expressly called an angel,
Hos_12:4; and if Michael the uncreated angel is meant, it is most true; for not a created
angel is designed, but a divine Person, as appears from Jacob's desiring to be blessed by
him; and besides, being expressly called God, Gen_32:28; and was, no doubt, the Son of
God in an human form; who frequently appeared in it as a token and pledge of his future
incarnation: and "this wrestling" was real and corporeal on the part of both; the man
took hold of Jacob, and he took hold of the man, and they strove and struggled together
for victory as wrestlers do; and on Jacob's part it was also mental and spiritual, and
signified his fervent and importunate striving with God in prayer; or at least it was
attended with earnest and importunate supplications; see Hos_12:4; and this continued
until the breaking of the day: how long this conflict lasted is not certain, perhaps
not long; since after Jacob rose in the night he had a great deal of business to do, and did
it before this affair happened; as sending his wives, children, servants, and cattle over
the brook: however, this may denote, that in the present state or night of darkness,
wrestling in prayer with God must be continued until the perfect state commences, when
the everlasting day of glory will break.
HE RY, "We have here the remarkable story of Jacob's wrestling with the angel and
prevailing, which is referred to, Hos_12:4. Very early in the morning, a great while
before day, Jacob had helped his wives and his children over the river, and he desired to
be private, and was left alone, that he might again more fully spread his cares and fears
before God in prayer. Note, We ought to continue instant in prayer, always to pray and
not to faint: frequency and importunity in prayer prepare us for mercy. While Jacob was
earnest in prayer, stirring up himself to take hold on God, an angel takes hold on him.
Some think this was a created angel, the angel of his presence (Isa_63:9), one of those
that always behold the face of our Father and attend on the shechinah, or the divine
Majesty, which probably Jacob had also in view. Others think it was Michael our prince,
the eternal Word, the angel of the covenant, who is indeed the Lord of the angels, who
often appeared in a human shape before he assumed the human nature for a perpetuity;
whichsoever it was, we are sure God's name was in him, Exo_23:21. Observe,
I. How Jacob and this angel engaged, Gen_32:24. It was a single combat, hand to
hand; they had neither of them any seconds. Jacob was now full of care and fear about

109. the interview he expected, next day, with his brother, and, to aggravate the trial, God
himself seemed to come forth against him as an enemy, to oppose his entrance into the
land of promise, and to dispute the pass with him, not suffering him to follow his wives
and children whom he had sent before. Note, Strong believers must expect divers
temptations, and strong ones. We are told by the prophet (Hos_12:4) how Jacob
wrestled: he wept, and made supplication; prayers and tears were his weapons. It was
not only a corporal, but a spiritual, wrestling, by the vigorous actings of faith and holy
desire; and thus all the spiritual seed of Jacob, that pray in praying, still wrestle with
God.
JAMIESO , "There wrestled a man with him — This mysterious person is
called an angel (Hos_12:4) and God (Gen_32:28, Gen_32:30; Hos_12:5); and the
opinion that is most supported is that he was “the angel of the covenant,” who, in a
visible form, appeared to animate the mind and sympathize with the distress of his pious
servant. It has been a subject of much discussion whether the incident described was an
actual conflict or a visionary scene. Many think that as the narrative makes no mention
in express terms either of sleep, or dream, or vision, it was a real transaction; while
others, considering the bodily exhaustion of Jacob, his great mental anxiety, the kind of
aid he supplicated, as well as the analogy of former manifestations with which he was
favored - such as the ladder - have concluded that it was a vision [Calvin, Hessenberg,
Hengstenberg]. The moral design of it was to revive the sinking spirit of the patriarch
and to arm him with confidence in God, while anticipating the dreaded scenes of the
morrow. To us it is highly instructive; showing that, to encourage us valiantly to meet
the trials to which we are subjected, God allows us to ascribe to the efficacy of our faith
and prayers, the victories which His grace alone enables us to make.
CALVI , "24.There wrestled a man with him (107) Although this vision was
particularly useful to Jacob himself, to teach him beforehand that many conflicts
awaited him, and that he might certainly conclude that he should be the conqueror
in them all; there is yet not the least doubt that the Lord exhibited, in his person, a
specimen of the temptations — common to all his people — which await them, and
must be constantly submitted to, in this transitory life. Wherefore it is right to keep
in view this designs of the vision, which is to represent all the servants of God in this
world as wrestlers; because the Lord exercises them with various kinds of conflicts.
Moreover, it is not said that Satan, or any mortal man, wrestled with Jacob, but
God himself: to teach us that our faith is tried by him; and whenever we are
tempted, our business is truly with him, not only because we fight under his
auspices, but because he, as an antagonist, descends into the arena to try our
strength. This, though at first sight it seems absurd, experience and reason teaches
us to be true. For as all prosperity flows from his goodness, so adversity is either the
rod with which he corrects our sins, or the test of our faith and patience. And since
there is no kind of temptations by which God does not try his faithful people, the
similitude is very suitable, which represents him as coming, hand to hand, to combat
with them. Therefore, what was once exhibited under a visible form to our father
Jacob, is daily fulfilled in the individual members of the Church; namely, that, in
their temptations, it is necessary for them to wrestle with God. He is said, indeed, to
tempt us in a different manner from Satan; but because he alone is the Author of

110. our crosses and afflictions, and he alone creates light and darkness, (as is declared
in Isaiah,) he is said to tempt us when he makes a trial of our faith. But the question
now occurs, Who is able to stand against an Antagonist, at whose breath alone all
flesh perishes and vanishes away, at whose look the mountains melt, at whose word
or beck the whole world is shaken to pieces, and therefore to attempt the least
contest with him would be insane temerity? But it is easy to untie the knot. For we
do not fight against him, except by his own power, and with his own weapons; for
he, having challenged us to this contest, at the same time furnishes us with means of
resistance, so that he both fights against us and for us. In short, such is his
apportioning of it is conflict, that, while he assails us with one hand, he defends us
with the other; yea, inasmuch as he supplies us with more strength to resist than he
employs in opposing us, we may truly and properly say, that he fights against us
with his left hand, and for us with his right hand. For while he lightly opposes us, he
supplies invincible strength whereby we overcome. It is true he remains at perfect
unity with himself: but the double method in which he deals with us cannot be
otherwise expressed, than that in striking us with a human rod, he does not put
forth his full strength in the temptation; but that in granting the victory to our faith,
he becomes in us stronger than the power by which he opposes us. And although
these forms of expression are harsh, yet their harshness will be easily mitigated in
practice. For if temptations are contests, (and we know that they are not accidental,
but are divinely appointed for us,) it follows hence, that God acts in the character of
an antagonist, and on this the rest depends; namely, that in the temptation itself he
appears to be weak against us, that he may conquer in us. Some restrict this to one
kind of temptation only, where God openly and avowedly manifests himself as our
adversary, as if armed for our destruction. And truly, I confess, that this differs
from common conflicts, and requires, beyond all others, a rare, and even heroic
strength. Yet I include willingly every kind of conflict in which God exercises the
faithful: since in all they have God for an antagonist, although he may not openly
proclaim himself hostile unto them. That Moses here calls him a man whom a little
after he declares to have been God, is a sufficiently usual form of speech. For since
God appeared under the form of a man, the name is thence assumed; just as,
because of the visible symbol, the Spirit is called a dove; and, in turn, the name of
the Spirit is transferred to the dove. That this disclosure was not sooner made to the
holy man, I understand to be for this reason, because God had resolved to call him,
as a soldier, robust and skillful in war, to more severe contests. For as raw recruits
are spared, and young oxen are not immediately yoked to the plough; so the Lord
more gently exercises his own people, until, having gathered strength, they become
more inured to toil. Jacob, therefore, having been accustomed to bear sufferings, is
now led forth to real war. Perhaps also, the Lord had reference to the conflict which
was then approaching. But I think Jacob was admonished, at his very entrance on
the promised land, that he was not there to expect a tranquil life for himself. For his
return to his own country might seem to be a kind of release; and thus Jacob, like a
soldier who had kept his term of service, would have given himself up to repose.
Wherefore it was highly necessary for him to be taught what his future conditions
should be. We, also, are to learn from him, that we must fight during the whole
course of our life; lest any one, promising himself rest, should wilfully deceive
himself. And this admonition is very needful for us; for we see how prone we are to

111. sloth. Whence it arises, that we shall not only be thinking of a truce in perpetual
war; but also of peace in the heat of the conflict, unless the Lord rouse us.
COFFMAN 24F. "Here we have the record of one of the most important events in the history of
human redemption. Jacob, the head of the Messianic line through whom the CHRIST would come
was facing the most serious threat of his whole life. "If Esau had been victorious here, all of God's
plans and promises would have been defeated, and the world would never have had a
Savior."[13] It was this crisis nature of the situation that required and justified God's personal
intervention to establish and confirm Jacob's faith.
The big question here concerns the understanding of what really happened. Peake alleged that
Jacob wrestled with "a local deity ... one of the river gods (pagan)," trying to prevent anyone's
crossing the river.[14] "Jacob was not wrestling with an angel, but with his brother Esau."[15]
"Some scholars hold that this was a struggle with a demon of some kind."[16] Still others insist
that this was merely some kind of vision or a vivid dream. Against such arrogant and unbelieving
denials it is a genuine pleasure to present the words of one of the great young scholars of today
who wrote:
"The Biblical author is not relating a vision, dream, or fantasy; nor is he using well-known external
phenomena to symbolize an inner struggle (like prayer); rather, he is relating a real, hand to hand
combat. Genesis 32:28,30, show that Jacob was actually wrestling with God Himself, but
apparently God had assumed a human form, for Jacob's assailant is called "a man" in Genesis
32:24,25. Although the plain meaning of the text is very hard for modern man to comprehend or
rationalize, there is no justification for forcing it to say something it does not say."[17]
Yes. Here the wrestler with Jacob was "the captain of the Lord's host" (Joshua 5:13f).[18] "He was
none other than The Angel, the pre-incarnate Christ."[19] As we shall see a moment later, the very
name given on this occasion celebrated the divine nature of Jacob's assailant.
"Touched his thigh ..." Skinner translated this "struck his thigh, with the meaning that the socket of
his thigh was dislocated."[20]
The unwillingness of the assailant to continue the conflict after daylight was not founded on the
superstition that "spirits of the night must vanish at dawn," as alleged by Skinner;[21] but "The
angel's desire to depart before daylight expressed God's concern lest Jacob perish through
beholding his face unobscured by darkness."[22]
"Israel ..." The great spiritual crisis that Jacob passed through here was memorialized by the
bestowal upon him of a new and glorious name, a boon which only God could give. The Heel-
catcher has now become the "Prince of God." "The Israel of God" has signified the ultimate of
human blessing and privilege from that memorable night until the present day! Although most
scholars give the meaning of "Israel" as "Prince of God," Josephus declared that it means "One
that struggled with the divine angel." Moreover, William Whiston, the noted translator of Josephus'
works affirmed that:
"This may be the proper meaning of Israel. It is certain that the Hellenists of the first century, in
Egypt, and elsewhere, interpreted Israel to be a man seeing God."[23]
This tremendous episode also carried with it a deep spiritual awakening on the part of Jacob. He
was defeated and powerless to continue, but he clung to God and would not let go until he
received the blessing. It is written that "he prevailed"; but how did he do so? He won by surrender,
by confessing his unworthiness in the admission of his name (Heel-catcher), and by pleading for
the blessing which could come only from the grace of God. That is precisely the way that the
saints of all ages have triumphed. Cling to the Lord, and never let go! "Here Jacob received the
final lesson that humbled and broke down his self-will, and convinced him that he would not
snatch the blessing from God's hand, and that he must accept it as a gift of God's grace."[24]
BENSON, "Genesis 32:24. Jacob was left alone — In some private place, that he might more
freely and ardently pour out his soul in prayer, and again spread his cares and fears before God.
There wrestled a man with him — The eternal Word, or Son of God, who often appeared in a

112. human shape, before he assumed the human nature. We are told by Hosea 12:4, how Jacob
wrestled with him; He wept and made supplication: prayers and tears were his weapons. It was
not only a corporal but a spiritual wrestling, by vigorous faith and holy desire; and this
circumstance shows that the person with whom he wrestled was not a created angel, but the
angel of the covenant; for surely he would not pray and make supplication to a creature. Indeed, in
the passage just referred to, Hosea terms him Jehovah, God of hosts, and says, Jehovah is his
memorial.
ELLICOTT, "(24) There wrestled.—This verb, abak, occurs only here, and without doubt it was
chosen because of its resemblance to the name Jabbok. Its probable derivation is from a word
signifying dust, because wrestlers were quickly involved in a cloud of dust, or because, as was the
custom in Greece, they rubbed their bodies with it.
A man.—Such he seemed to be to Jacob; but Hosea (Genesis 12:4) calls him an angel; and, in
Genesis 32:30, Jacob recognises in him a manifestation of the Deity, as Hagar had done before,
when an angel appeared to her (Genesis 16:13). There is no warrant for regarding the angel as
an incarnation of Deity, any more than in the case of Manoah (Judges 13:22); but it was a
manifestation of God mediately by His messenger, and was one of the many signs indicative of a
more complete manifestation by the coming of the Word in the flesh. The opposite idea of many
modern commentators, that the narrative is an allegory, is contradicted by the attendant
circumstances, especially by the change of Jacob’s name, and his subsequent lameness, to
which national testimony was borne by the customs of the Jews.
COKE, "Genesis 32:24. There wrestled a man with him, &c.— From the prophet Hosea, ch.
Genesis 12:5. it appears undeniable, that this man or person, who wrestled with Jacob, was the
same with him who appeared to him at Beth-el; that is, the second Divine Person, who assumed
probably a human form, and whom the prophet Hosea calls the Lord God of hosts, the Lord is his
memorial. This is equally evident from the name which Jacob gives the place where this
transaction happened, Peni-el, the face of God; from the reason of the name, for I have seen God
(el) face to face, Genesis 32:30 and from the name which that Divine Person gave to Jacob, Isra-
el, Genesis 32:28 of which we shall say more hereafter. Such being the person, we may
reasonably inquire into the meaning of the transaction. Bishop Warburton (Divine Legation)
observes, that information by action was at this time a very familiar mode of instruction, and the
deficiences of languages were supplied by significative signs. If we turn back to Jacob's prayer,
and consider the circumstances he was in when it pleased God to wrestle with him, we may
perceive that God's intention was to inform him of the happy issue of his adventure, and that his
petition was granted, by a significative action. But as this is not followed by an express
explanation, this circumstance in Jacob's history has afforded abundant mirth to illiterate
libertines, and manifested their ignorance likewise. For this information by action concerning only
the actor, who little needed to be told the meaning of a mode of instruction at that time in vulgar
use, hath now an obscurity, which the Scripture relations of the same mode of information to the
prophets are free from, by reason of their being given for the use of the people to whom they were
to be explained.
NISBET, "THE DIVINE ANTAGONIST
‘And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.’
Genesis 32:24
There are two decisive and determining moments in the life of Jacob. The wrestling with the angel
of the Lord was the second of these, even as that marvellous vision in the field of Luz had been
the first. The work which that began, this completes.
I. In that ‘Let me go’ of the angel, and that ‘I will not let thee go except thou bless me’ of Jacob, we
have a glimpse into the very heart and deepest mystery of prayer,—man conquering God, God
suffering Himself to be conquered by man. The power which prevails with Him is a power which
has itself gone forth from Him. Not in his natural strength shall man prevail with God,—at the
lightest touch of His hand all this comes to nothing,—but in the power of faith; and the after-halting
of Jacob, so far from representing his loss, did rather represent his gain. There was in this the
outward token of an inward strength which he had won therein, of a breaking in him of the power

113. of the flesh and of the fleshly mind; while the further fact that he halted not merely then, but from
that day forth, was a testimony that this was no gain made merely for the moment, from which he
should presently fall back to a lower spiritual level again, but that he was permanently lifted up into
a higher region of the spiritual life.
II. The new name does not, in the case of Jacob, abolish and extinguish the old, as for Abraham it
does. The names Jacob and Israel subsist side by side, and neither in the subsequent history of
his life wholly abolishes the other. In Abraham’s name are incorporated and sealed the promises
of God. These evermore abide the same. Israel, on the other hand, is the expression not of the
promises of God, but of the faith of man. But this faith of man ebbs and flows, waxes and wanes.
Jacob is not wholly Israel, Israel has not entirely swallowed up Jacob, during the present time; and
in sign and witness to this the new name only partially supersedes and effaces the old.
—Archbishop Trench.
Illustration
(1) ‘In times of trial we betake ourselves to God, and are justified in claiming His protection, so
long as we can show that we are on His plan and doing His bidding. And it is in the agony of our
dread that God achieves in us a revolution that dates a new era. Alone beneath the silent march
of the everlasting stars, face to face with our hour of destiny, God draws near to search us and to
show some wicked or selfish way which had alienated us from His gracious help. This must be
exposed and dealt with and put away ere He can open to us all His hidden stores of help and
deliverance. So the angel wrestles with us. At first we resist in the pride of our strength, but after
awhile we are touched in the very sinew of that strength. It shrinks, and we are obliged to go from
wrestling to resting, from struggling to trusting, from striving to clinging. Then we cry in an agony
of desire, Thou shalt not go till Thou hast blessed as only Thou canst. It is so we conquer, and we
who had before been Jacobs, schemers, cheats, become Israels, princes having power with God
and man.’
(2) ‘“I will not let thee go, except Thou bless me.” If we should wrestle in that spirit with every
incident and every accident, every person and every object, every angel and every devil, we meet
in life, we should learn a wonderful secret. It would be that in each there is a sublime lesson and
an eternal benediction. Try it. You are now facing some great disaster. Grapple with it, analyse it,
ransack its secret, hunt for its concealed meaning. Say to it, “If it takes me ten years or for ever, I
will not let you go until I see the part you were sent to play in my life.” You will find it. It will disclose
itself at last. As surely as there is fire in every flint, there is blessing in every experience. There are
some in which there are curses, and terrible ones at that. But even those, if a man grapples them
as Jacob did, may be made to yield some blessing. Have you sinned? Choke it, throttle it, but see
how evil it is, and learn to live righteously through your knowledge.’
PETT 24-25, "Jacob was left alone with his thoughts. The approach of Esau lies heavily on his
mind and he feels the future is very much in doubt, the future that was linked with the covenant of
Yahweh. This is why he has come here alone. This is something that he must resolve.
Then he experiences a vivid and continual theophany that makes everything else relatively
unimportant. Very little of the detail is actually provided. This is one of those times in Scripture
when euphemisms are used to indicate something far deeper. Jacob describes it in terms of
wrestling with a man all night but we are probably wrong to totally literalise the description. It
signifies some awesome experience of the presence and might of God, possibly appearing, as to
Abraham, in human form (see Genesis 18:2), or possibly appearing in some dream or vision of
the night, an experience which we can never grasp or understand, possibly a combined physical
and spiritual wrestling of awesome effect. Certainly he is aware that he is somehow wrestling with
God and so powerful is the impact on his body that his thigh is put out of joint.
There can be little doubt that this wrestling is related to his seemingly doubtful future in the light of
Esau’s approach. It is the depth of his uncertainly and fear about the future that brings him to this
point. He had had such hopes for the future, but now he is fearful that they will all fail. It is this that
results in this pneumatic experience.

114. To picture it in terms of some strange man who arrives and wrestles with him whom he afterwards
discovers to be God is to trivialise the whole scene. It is quite clear that Jacob knows from the
start that he is dealing with God Himself. Thus it may be that we are to see it as some vivid dream
which portrays a spiritual reality that is unfolding. Jacob is clearly a man who receives dreams and
visions (Genesis 28:12; Genesis 31:3 with Genesis 31:10-11). Or it may be that God does appear
physically in some unique way for some unique purpose. We remember how He so appeared to
Abraham (Genesis 18:2). We can never finally know. What we can know is that God came with an
offer to Jacob that demanded extreme effort and sacrifice and that Jacob finally prevailed.
“When He saw that he did not prevail against him.” The first ‘He’ is God. This can hardly be in the
wrestling. No one would suggest that God could not defeat Jacob. The point was that though
Jacob could not defeat God he clung to Him and would not himself accept defeat. God could not,
as it were, escape because Jacob was so desperate. He was clinging to God.
“He touched the hollow of his thigh.” That is, God touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh. The touch
need not have been physical. It simply means that God disabled him to further bring home to him
his weakness.
PULPIT, "Genesis 32:24
And Jacob was left alone (probably on the north bank of the Jabbok; but vide on Genesis 32:23);
and there wrestled—thus assaulting in his strong point one who had been a wrestler or heel-
catcher from his youth (Murphy). The old word ‫ַק‬‫ב‬ֱ‫ֶא‬‫נ‬, niph. of ‫ַק‬‫ב‬‫,ָא‬ unused, a dehorn, from ‫ַק‬‫ב‬ָ‫,ח‬
dust, because in wrestling the dust is raised (Aben Ezra, Gesenius), or a weakened form of ‫ַק‬‫ב‬ָ‫,ח‬
to wind round, to embrace (Furst), obviously contains an allusion to the Jabbok (vide on Genesis
32:22 )—a man—called an angel by Hosea (Genesis 12:4), and God by Jacob (verse 30); but vide
infra—with him until the breaking of the day—literally, the ascending of the morning.
TRAPP, "Ver. 24. And Jacob was left alone.] Purposely, for secret prayer: so the Church gets her
into "the clefts of the rocks"; [Song of Solomon 2:14] Isaac, into the fields; Daniel, to the river’s
side; Christ, into the mount; Peter, up to the roof, or house top; that they might pour out their
prayers and solace themselves with God in secret. This a hypocrite may seem to do, either of
custom or vain glory: as the Pharisee went up to the temple to pray solitarily, as well as the
publican; the temple being then, in regard of ceremonial holiness, the place as well of private as
public prayer. "But will the hypocrite delight in God? will he pray always?". [Job 27:10]
There wrestled a man with him.] In a proper combat, by might and slight; to the raising of dust,
and causing of sweat; as the word importeth. This strife was not only corporeal, but spiritual; as
well by the force of his faith, as strength of body. "He prevailed," saith the prophet, [Hosea 12:4]
by prayers and tears. Our Saviour also prayed himself into "an agony"; [Luke 22:44] and we are
bidden to "strive in prayer," even to an agony. [Romans 15:30, συναγωνισασθαι] Nehemiah
prayed himself pale. [Nehemiah 2:2] Daniel prayed himself "sick". [Daniel 8:27] Hannah prayed,
striving with such an unusual motion of her lips, that old Eli, looking upon her, thought her drunk.
[1 Samuel 1:13] Elijah puts his head betwixt his knees, as straining every string of his heart in
prayer: [1 Kings 18:42] "he prayed, and prayed," saith St James; and, by his prayer, he had what
he would of God. Whereupon also he infers (as a result) that "the effectual prayer of a righteous
man avails much," if it be "fervent" [James 5:16-17, ενεργουµενη] or working; if it be such as sets
all the faculties awork, and all the graces awork, then it speeds. Every sound is not music; so
neither is every uttering petitions to God a prayer. It is not the labour of the lips, but the travail of
the heart. Common beggary is the easiest and poorest trade: but this beggary, as it is the richest,
so the hardest. A man can with more ease hear two hours together than pray half an hour, if he
"pray in the Holy Ghost," as St Jude hath it. [ 1:20] He must strive with his own indevotion, with
Satan’s temptations, with the world’s distraction: he must wrestle with God, and wring the blessing
out of his hands, as the woman of Canaan did: he must "stir up himself to take hold of God,"
[Isaiah 64:7] as the Shunamite did of Elisha, [2 Kings 4:30] as the Church did of her spouse,
[Song of Solomon 3:4] and "not let him go" till he bless us. This is to wrestle; this is to threaten

115. heaven, as Gorgonia did, thus to be modestly impudent and invincible, as her brother speaks of
her; in beseeching God, to besiege him, and get the better of him. as Jacob; whose wrestling was
by "weeping," and his "prevailing" by praying.
SBC, "Every man lives two lives—an outward and an inward. The one is that denoted in
the former text: Jacob went on his way. The other is denoted in the latter text: Jacob
was left alone. In either state God dealt with him.
I. The angels of God met him. We do not know in what form they appeared, or by what
sign Jacob recognised them.
In its simplicity the angelic office is a doctrine of revelation. There exists even now a
society and a fellowship between the sinless and the fallen. As man goes on his way, the
angels of God meet him.
II. Are there any special ways in which we may recognise and use this sympathy? (1) The
angelic office is sometimes discharged in human form. We may entertain angels
unawares. Let us count common life a ministry; let us be on the look-out for angels. (2)
We must exercise a vigorous self-control lest we harm or tempt. Our Saviour, has
warned us of the presence of the angels as a reason for not offending His little ones.
Their angels He calls them, as though to express the closeness of the tie that binds
together the unfallen and the struggling. We may gather from the story two practical
lessons. (a) The day and the night mutually act and react. A day of meeting with angels
may well be followed by a night of wrestling with God. (b) Earnestness is the condition of
success. Jacob had to wrestle a whole night for his change of name, for his knowledge of
God. Never will you say, from the world that shall be, that you laboured here too long or
too earnestly to win it.
C. J. Vaughan, Last Words at Doncaster, p. 197.
Reference: Gen_32:2.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. xvi., p. 90.
SBC,
Genesis 32:24
Gen_32:7, Gen_32:11, Gen_32:24, Gen_32:28
From this description of a day and a night in the life of Jacob we learn three things.
(1) This is a crisis, a turning-point in his career. His experience at the ford of
Jabbok is his "conversion" from the craft and cunning and vulturous greed of years
to the sweet subjection of his will to the Eternal, and consequent victory over
himself and his brother. (2) God is in this crisis from first to last and at every
moment of these twenty-four hours. (3) The crisis closes in the victory of the patient
and loving Lord over the resisting selfishness of Jacob. ote these points:—
I. It must have been a welcome fore-gleam of approaching victory, and a pledge of
the sustaining presence of Jehovah in the "valley of the shadow of death," that as
this day of crisis broke on the pilgrim the angels of God met him.
II. What is the significance of this terrific conflict? It means this assuredly. Jacob
having gone to God in quaking fear, God holds him and will not let him go; goads
and harrows his soul, till his heart swells and is ready to break; urges him to such a

116. relentless and soul-consuming struggle with his self-will that he feels as though he is
held in the grip of a giant and cannot escape. He resists, he struggles, he writhes,
and in his furious contortions is at last lamed and helpless, and therefore compelled
to trust himself and his all to God.
III. Jacob wrestled against God, but at last yielding, his soul is suffused with the
blessedness of the man whose trust is in the Lord. Faber asks, with mingled beauty
and force, "What is it will make us real?" and answers, "The face of God will do
it." It is so. Israel is a new creation: Jacob is dead. Dark as the night was, Jacob
passed through it, saw the Face of God at day-dawn, and became himself, met his
brother with serenity, and spent the rest of his days in the love and service of God.
J. Clifford, Daily Strength for Daily Living, p. 39.
References: Gen_32:7, Gen_32:8.—S. Baring-Gould, One Hundred Sermon
Sketches, p. 204. Gen_32:9-11.—Sermons for Boys and Girls (1880), p. 122. Gen_
32:9-12.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. i., p. 186.
Genesis 32:24
There are two decisive and determining moments in the life of Jacob. The wrestling
with the angel of the Lord was the second of these, even as that marvellous vision in
the field of Luz had been the first. The work which that began, this completes.
I. In that "Let me go" of the angel, and that "I will not let thee go except thou bless
me" of Jacob, we have a glimpse into the very heart and deepest mystery of
prayer,—man conquering God, God suffering Himself to be conquered by man. The
power which prevails with Him is a power which has itself gone forth from Him.
ot in his natural strength shall man prevail with God,—at the lightest touch of His
hand all this comes to nothing,—but in the power of faith; and the after-halting of
Jacob, so far from representing his loss, did rather represent his gain. There was in
this the outward token of an inward strength which he had won therein, of a
breaking in him of the power of the flesh and of the fleshly mind; while the further
fact that he halted not merely then, but from that day forth, was a testimony that
this was no gain made merely for the moment, from which he should presently fall
back to a lower spiritual level again, but that he was permanently lifted up into a
higher region of the spiritual life.
II. The new name does not, in the case of Jacob, abolish and extinguish the old, as
for Abraham it does. The names Jacob and Israel subsist side by side, and neither in
the subsequent history of his life wholly abolishes the other. In Abraham’s name are
incorporated and sealed the promises of God. These evermore abide the same.
Israel, on the other hand, is the expression not of the promises of God, but of the
faith of man. But this faith of man ebbs and flows, waxes and wanes. Jacob is not
wholly Israel, Israel has not entirely swallowed up Jacob, during the present time;
and in sign and witness to this the new name only partially supersedes and effaces
the old.

117. R. C. Trench, Sermons Preached in Ireland, p. 1.
I. In what position do we find Jacob’s spiritual state up to the time of this second
incident in his life? During the first period of his life he was simply a man of the
world. After the vision at Bethel he was a religious man; the sense of religious
influence was seen in his life; after the conflict at the ford Jabbok he became a
spiritually minded man. He was going home with his sin yet weighty on his soul,
unpardoned, unforgiven, uncleansed by the Divine power. Bethel was the house of
God, to teach him that he could not set his foot upon a single acre of soil without
finding that the Governor of the world was there; here we have the unfolding of the
wider thought of the intercommunion and personal relationship between the soul of
man and his Maker.
II. Those who trust in the God of Bethel and providence are looking to Him for what
He gives; but the aspirations of the spiritual man are wholly different. At Bethel
Jacob said, "If Thou wilt be with me and wilt do me good." At Jabbok his first
thought was, "Tell me Thy name." He desired to know more of God, not to get more
from God. To gain further spiritual experience—this is the thirst of the spiritual
man. To make a friend of God for the good that we can get—this is the idea of the
merely religious man.
Bishop Boyd Carpenter, Penny Pulpit, o. 608
I. All the evidence here goes to prove that the wonderful wrestler, who contended
with Jacob, was the one only true God.
II. Being God and being man, we are right in calling Him Christ, and in placing this
incident as the second of the anticipatory advents of the Messiah which lie scattered
over the Old Testament.
III. As Jacob wrestled with God in human form, so it is with God in the Lord Jesus
Christ that in all our spiritual conflicts, in all our deep repentances, in all our
struggling prayers, we must wrestle.
IV. There were two things which Christ gave in this encounter—a wound and a
blessing. The wound first and then the blessing. The wound was small and for a
season; the blessing was infinite and for ever.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons (1874). p. 235.
We see here the supernatural appearing in the world of the natural. We see God
veiling Himself in human form, as He veiled Himself in the form of Christ His Son

118. in after years. We must look at this story of miracle in the light of the miracle of the
Incarnation.
I. In this striving of the patriarch with God, and in the blessing he won at the end of
the striving, we see the very height and picture of our life, if into that life has passed
the life of Christ our Lord.
II. It is by wrestling that we win the Divine blessing, but whether in struggling
against doubt, against temptation, or against the enemies of the Church, we must
take heed that we fight wisely as well as earnestly. We may strive, and we must
strive; but let us strive wisely and lawfully if we would win the blessing.
III. The homeliest, the least eventful life, may and should be a supernatural life—a
life in which Christ dwells, a life which the Holy Spirit sanctifies. If we can thus
strive and wrestle on, the dawn comes at last, and we are blessed of God.
Bishop Magee, Penny Pulpit, o. 1078
I. Any attempt to make Jacob a hero, or even a good man, at the time of his
deception of his father, must fail. At that time he represented the very lowest quality
of manhood. We can call him a man only by courtesy; while Esau, a venturous and
kind-hearted child of nature, stands up as a prince, uncrowned indeed, but only
because a thief had robbed him of his crown. In the fact that God chose Jacob we
find the germ of the redemptive idea at work.
II. Jacob was not at once promoted to his high place. As a wanderer and a stranger,
he underwent most humiliating discipline, and on this night his old and wretched
past was replaced by a new name and a new hope.
III. There must be such a night in every life—a night in which the sinful past shall
go down for ever into the depths of unfathomable waters. The wrestling of Jacob
was (1) long, (2) desperate, (3) successful.
IV. The night of wrestling was followed by a morning of happy reconciliation with
his brother.
Parker The City Temple (1870), p. 373.
Genesis 32:24
(With 1Sa_2:27; Act_1:11; Act_16:9)
I. There are anonymous ministries in life which teach the great facts of spirituality
and invisibleness.
II. There are anonymous ministries in life which pronounce upon human conduct
the judgment of Almighty God.

119. III. There are anonymous ministries in life which recall men from useless
contemplation and reverie.
IV. There are anonymous ministries in life which urgently call men to benevolent
activity. Two important and obvious lessons arise from the subject. (1) We are to
view our own position and duty in the light of humanity as distinct from mere
personality. We are parts of a whole. We belong to one another. In watering others
we are watered ourselves. (3) We are not to wait for calls to service that are merely
personal. We do not lift the gospel into dignity. It catches no lustre from our genius.
It asks to be spoken that it may vindicate its own claim.
Parker, The City Temple, vol. i., p. 1.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with
him
The crisis in Jacob’s life
From this description of a day and a night in the life of Jacob we learn three things.
1. This is a crisis, a turning-point in his career. His experience at the ford of Jabbok
is his “conversion” from the craft and cunning and vulturous greed of years to the
sweet subjection of his will to the Eternal, and consequent victory over himself and
his brother.
2. God is in this crisis from first to last and at every moment of these twenty-four
hours.
3. The crisis closes in the victory of the patient and loving Lord over the resisting
selfishness of Jacob. Note these points:—
I. It must have been a welcome fore-gleam of approaching victory, and a pledge of the
sustaining presence of Jehovah in the “valley of the shadow of death,” that as this day of
crisis broke on the pilgrim the angels of God met him.
II. What is the significance of this terrific conflict? It means this assuredly. Jacob having
gone to God in quaking fear, God holds him and will not let him go; goads and harrows
his soul, till his heart swells and is ready to break; urges him to such a relentless and
soul-consuming struggle with his self-will that he feels as though he is held in the grip of
a giant and cannot escape. He resists, he struggles, he writhes, and in his furious
contortions is at last lamed and helpless, and therefore compelled to trust himself and
his all to God.
III. Jacob wrestled against God, but at last yielding, his soul is suffused with the
blessedness of the man whose trust is in the Lord. Faber asks, with mingled beauty and
force, “What is it will make us real?” and answers, “The face of God will do it.” It is so.
Israel is a new creation: Jacob is dead. Dark as the night was, Jacob passed through it,
saw the face of God at day-dawn, and became himself, met his brother with serenity, and
spent the rest of his days in the love and service of God. (J. Clifford, D. D.)

120. The change in Jacob
I. In what position do we find Jacob’s spiritual state up to the time of this second
incident in his life? During the first period of his life he was simply a man of the world.
After the vision at Bethel he was a religious man; the sense of religious influence was
seen in his life; after the conflict at the ford Jabbok he became a spiritually minded man.
He was going home with his sin yet weighty on his soul, unpardoned, unforgiven,
uncleansed by the Divine power. Bethel was the house of God, to teach him that he could
not set his foot upon a single acre of soil without finding that the Governor of the world
was there; here we have the unfolding of the wider thought of the intercommunion and
personal relationship between the soul of man and his Maker.
II. Those who trust in the God of Bethel and providence are looking to Him for what He
gives; but the aspirations of the spiritual man are wholly different. At Bethel Jacob said,
“If Thou wilt be with me and wilt do me good.” At Jabbok his first thought was, “Tell me
Thy name.” He desired to know more of God, not to get more from God. To gain further
spiritual experience—this is the thirst of the spiritual man. To make a friend of God for
the good that we can get—this is the idea of the merely religious man. (Bishop Boyd
Carpenter.)
Jacob’s struggle
I. All the evidence here goes to prove that the wonderful wrestler, who contended with
Jacob, was the one only true God.
II. Being God and being man, we are right in calling Him Christ, and in placing this
incident as the second of the anticipatory advents of the Messiah which lie scattered over
the Old Testament.
III. As Jacob wrestled with God in human form, so it is with God in the Lord Jesus
Christ that in all our spiritual conflicts, in all our deep repentances, in all our struggling
prayers, we must wrestle.
IV. There were two things which Christ gave in this encounter—a wound and a blessing.
The wound first and then the blessing. The wound was small and for a season; the
blessing was infinite and for ever. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Jacob striving with God
We see here the supernatural appearing in the world of the natural. We see God veiling
Himself in human form, as He veiled Himself in the form of Christ His Son in after
years. We must look at this story of miracle in the light of the miracle of the Incarnation.
I. In this striving of the patriarch with God, and in the blessing he won at the end of the
striving, we see the very height and picture of our life, if into that life has passed the life
of Christ our Lord.
II. It is by wrestling that we win the Divine blessing, but whether in struggling against
doubt, against temptation, or against the enemies of the Church, we must take heed that
we fight wisely as well as earnestly. We may strive, and we must strive; but let us strive
wisely and lawfully if we would win the blessing.
III. The homeliest, the least eventful life, may and should be a supernatural life-a life in

121. which Christ dwells, a life which the Holy Spirit sanctifies. If we can thus strive and
wrestle on, the dawn comes at last, and we are blessed of God. (Bishop Magee.)
Jacob’s crisis-night
I. Any attempt to make Jacob a hero, or even a good man, at the time of his deception of
his father, must fail. At that time he represented the very lowest quality of manhood. We
can call him a man only by courtesy; while Esau, a venturous and kind-hearted child of
nature, stands up as a prince, uncrowned indeed, but only because a thief had robbed
him of his crown. In the fact that God chose Jacob we find the germ of the redemptive
idea at work.
II. Jacob was not at once promoted to his high place. As a wanderer and a stranger, he
underwent most humiliating discipline, and on this night his old and wretched past was
replaced by a new name and a new hope.
III. There must be such a night in every life—a night in which the sinful past shall go
down for ever into the depths of unfathomable waters. The wrestling of Jacob was
(1) long,
(2) desperate,
(3) successful.
IV. The night of wrestling was followed by a morning of happy reconciliation with his
brother. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Jacob wrestling with the angel
Consider this incident—
I. AS TO ITS OUTWARD FORM.
II. AS TO ITS SPIRITUAL MEANING.
1. That the great struggle of life is to know and feel after God.
2. That God reveals Himself through mystery and awe.
3. That God reveals Himself to us in blessing.
4. That God’s revelation of Himself to us is intended to change our character.
5. That God is conquered by prayer and supplication. (T. H. Leale.)
The features of the development of revealed faith in Jacob’s wrestling
1. The germ of the Incarnation. Godhead and humanity wrestling with each other;
the Godhead in the form of a man.
2. The germ of the atonement. Sacrifice of the human will.
3. The germ of justification by faith. “I will not let Thee go,” etc.
4. The germ of the new-birth. Jacob, Israel.

122. 5. The germ of the principle of love to one’s enemies. The reconciliation with God,
reconciliation with the world. (J. P,Lange.)
Guilt all alone
I. His EXPERIENCE is singularly transparent, though seriously mixed.
1. We know, for one thing, he was in positive fear.
2. There was solicitude in his experience.
3. There was reminiscence in his experience.
4. There was remorse in his experience.
II. THE INGENIOUS PRECAUTIONS HE TAKES. He made the best disposal of all his
affairs that he could under the circumstances. Four things there were on which he
grounded some hope.
1. One was his late vision of the angels at Mahanaim.
2. His vast worldly wealth.
3. Disposition of forces.
4. Prayer.
III. HIS LONELINESS. (C. S Robison, D. D.)
Jacob’s wrestle
I. THE CONFLICT.
1. Its loneliness.
2. Its earnestness.
(1)Earnestness which absorbed Jacob’s sense of material danger.
(2) Earnestness which even bore down Jacob’s dread of God.
II. THE VICTORY. “He blest him there.” What was the nature of the Divine blessing?
1. A change in the man’s state.
(1) Not that mere external deliverance for which Jacob first prayed.
(2) An inward deliverance. Symbolized by the new name.
(3) Outward token of the change. Jacob’s history in the after ages purer than
before.
(4) Imperfection even in the new man Israel.
In more than a physical sense, “Jacob halted on his thigh.” Whoever spends half a
lifetime in sin, must not be alarmed if traces of old habit remain.
2. A change in the man’s relations.
(1) Power with God.
(2) Power with man. (S. Gregory.)

123. The history and mystery of Jacob’s life
I. OF THE COMBAT ITSELF.
1. In the general, it is one of the most famous combats recorded in Scripture; we
read, indeed, in that Divine record of sundry eminent conflicts carried on after the
manner of a duel. As of that combat betwixt little David and great Goliath (1Sa_
17:40, &c.); but in that the match was only made betwixt man and man, there was
only one mortal against another, though the one was a great giant, and the other was
but, in comparison of his antagonist, a little dwarf. Here is a rare show indeed. Go
along with me, I beseech you, both to see and hear this great wonder in some sense,
the greatest wonder that ever was in the world, that God Himself, as will appear
after, should come down from His throne in heaven to wrestle a fall with man, a poor
worm (Isa_41:14; Psa_22:6), upon his foot-stool on earth.
2. But more particularly, in the second place, what kind of combat this was, whether
corporal only, or spiritual only, or both together, is our next inquiry. There be some
who say that it was only spiritual by way of vision, or in way of a dream, imaginary
only. So Thomas, Rupertus, and Rabbi Levi, who thinketh that Jacob’s thigh might
be hurt by some other means, as by the weariness of his tedious travel, or by his
catching cold while he lay that cold night upon the cold ground, rather than by any
real wrestling; and he further added, that Jacob dreamed of that same hurt upon his
hip. How improbable this is may be easily urged. Assuredly Jacob had little either list
or leisure for sleeping, much less for dreaming, while he was so struck even with a
panic fear of his bloody brother. It was, therefore, a real and corporal combat, not
visional or imaginary, which appears by many reasons.
(1) Because it is said, Jacob rose up that night and sent his family before him,
after both which he is described to be immediately engaged, even that same night
he rose up in, to wrestling work (Gen_32:22-24), which must be when he was
waking.
(2) Jacob’s valour and victory are both highly applauded even by God Himself;
whereas, had both these been imaginary only, and transacted in a dream, such
fancies are but a laughter to men.
(3) The luxation of his loin, or lameness of his leg was undoubtedly real and
corporal. Who will complain of an imaginary hurt?
(4) As there is a reality in Jacob’s valour, victory, and lameness, so there is no
less in the change of his name from Jacob to Israel; it was not done in a dream or
vision, or in imagination only. Accordingly must his wrestling be not visional but
corporal. Yet there is a third sense, to wit, that Jacob’s wrestling was both
corporal and spiritual, for he did certainly contend with Christ by the force of his
faith as well as by the strength of his body. The prophet Hosea gives a plain
testimony that Jacob won the blessing here by weeping as well as by wrestling.
He wept and made supplication with his soul as well as wrestled with his body
(Hos_12:3-4).
II. The next part or particular of this famous history is JACOB’S VALOUR, which is
conspicuously demonstrable in several circumstances.
1. It is a clear discovery hereof, if his antagonist be well considered, that he was no

124. less than the Omnipotent Jehovah.
2. Discovery of Jacob’s valour is drawn from the circumstance of time when he
wrestled, as the first was from the person with whom he had his conflict. The time
when was the most timorous time of all times, it was in the night time, which is
accounted a time of fear.
3. Wherein Jacob’s courage and valour carries a high commendation, is, in respect of
the length as well as lonesomeness of it, even all the night until the dawning of the
day (Gen_32:24-25). Though wrestling work be most wearisome work, stretching
every sinew in the flesh, and every jointbone in the body, and requiring the very
utmost of a man’s strength and skill.
4. The fourth circumstance, which higher illustrates Jacob’s valour, is the sad
posture he was now in, a lame and limping man, who had but one sound leg to stand
upon while he wrestled with his adversary. As his place was a solitary and
disconsolate place, so his posture was a discouraging and disadvantageous posture.
5. The fifth circumstance, which further commends Jacob’s courage and valour, is
the lastingness of his valour, the ever and everlasting noble temper of his mind under
this wounding hurt, and under all other wonderful discouragements.
III. NOW come we, from Jacob’s valour, thus demonstrated, unto that which was the
royal wage thereof, to wit, HIS VICTORY. Though this was, secondarily, but the just
reward of his right, noble resolution. Yea, Jacob’s victory and prevailing over God here
was symbolical, as it was a predicting sign—
1. That his person should prevail over Esau.
2. That his posterity should prevail over Esau’s offspring, the Edomites or Idumeans.
3. That Christ, springing from Jacob, should subdue all His enemies, that every knee
should bow to Christ (Php_2:10).
4. It was also a symbol or sign that every true Christian, who are Israelites indeed
(Joh_1:47), and the right new and now Israel of God Gal_6:16), should likewise
conquer all their temporal and spiritual adversaries, the flesh, the world, and the
devil.
IV. Though God granted Jacob the victory, yet must he have something with it to
humble him, to wit, HIS LUXATION OR LAMENESS, as before, that he might not be
too much puffed up with the glory of his victory, nor, as it were, drunk with his success
in this single combat. The conqueror here cannot come off with his conquest alone, but
he must come off halting from it. He must be made sensible both of his antagonist’s
potency, in being lamed by him, whereby he understood him greater than himself,
therefore desired he his blessing, for the lesser is blessed of the greater Heb_7:7), and
also of his own impotency, and to have low thoughts of himself while he came off with
flying colours in the most glorious triumph. He must, even when he had overcome the
great God, understand himself to be but a sorry man, otherwise he could not have been
so lamed. He was, therefore, lamed that he might not ascribe the victory to his own
strength, and that he might not, notwithstanding his overcoming God, be overcome by
the pride of his own heart. Pride is a weed that will grow out of any ground—like
mistletoe, that will grow upon any tree—but for the most part upon the best—the oak. Of
all sorts of pride, that which is spiritual is most venomous, and far worse than temporal.
That pride which grows out of the ground of our own graces and duties, is more
poisonous than that which flows from honour, treasure, or pleasure. The holiest have

125. their haltings, which they carry, as Jacob did his, along with them to their dying day.
God hath His redder at every man’s foot, and His bridle upon all men’s spirits, to rein
them in from self-exaltation, that they may not mount too high by having the victory.
Oh, that our former haltings may be sanctified to us, so as to work savingly in us some
future humblings. Thus, holy Jacob, in this holy contention with this holy angel, by those
holy weapons obtains those holy things.
1. Holy honour.
2. The holy blessing. (C. Ness.)
Penuel
I. THE CONFLICT.
II. THE VICTORY.
III. THE RESULTS. (T. S. Dickson.)
Jacob at Penuel
I. How GOD PREVAILED WITH JACOB In regard to this Divine conflict, think of—
1. Its condescension.
2. Its necessity.
3. Its success.
II. How JACOB PREVAILED WITH GOD.
1. Jacob prevailed when he had been made to feel his own weakness.
2. Jacob prevailed, not by the exercise of natural strength, but by the purely spiritual
force of trustful and earnest prayer.
III. THE RESULTS THAT FOLLOWED FROM THIS MEMORABLE CONFLICT.
1. Jacob received a new name.
2. Jacob received new spiritual power.
3. Jacob received a blessing which fully compensated for unexplained mystery. (G. J.
Allen, B. A.)
Jacob at Penuel
I. JACOB’S WRESTLING.
1. A personal contest.
2. A protracted contest.
3. A contest with an unknown person.
II. JACOB’S VICTORY.
1. A partial victory.

126. 2. A victory by which he obtained a better name.
3. A victory ever to be remembered. (Homilist.)
Human lonelihood
Man is lonely—
1. In his profoundest thoughts.
2. In his moral convictions.
3. In his greatest sorrows.
4. In his dying moments. (Homilist.)
The wrestling of Jacob
I. JACOB’S WRESTLING.
1. Of course I need hardly say that the wrestling of Jacob was not physical but
spiritual, and that it refers to importunity in prayer, to great earnestness and
perseverance in that duty. It is presumed all Christians know this much even from
their cradles, Now, the time and place where this transaction occurred are worthy of
notice. The time was during the night season. The place, very likely the tent of Jacob,
fixed in the open country, in the spot from which the little village of Penuel, so called
from this event, derives its interest. It was when all was still and hushed, and no
voice was heard, perhaps, save the lowing of the cattle and the bleating of the sheep.
It was on the eve of Jacob meeting his brother when the mind of Jacob was full of
anxious thought and fears.
2. Consider the Infinite Being to whom Jacob addressed his prayer, and the manner
or mode of His presence. God. Spiritually present to all who seek and love Him.
3. The intense earnestness of the prayer of Jacob is called a “wrestling” with God; it
was so importunate, so full of feeling, and so bent upon obtaining its request. And
the felt nearness of the Divine presence; the assurance of the power and willingness
of the Infinite to bestow what was wanted; and of the very simple, gentle, and loving
attractiveness of the Presence, drew out all that intensity of feeling and word so fully
expressed in the language of the Patriarch, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless
me.” Such earnestness as here expressed, forms a striking contrast to the cold dead
religious conventionalism of the age. There is great naturalness too in this
earnestness of entreaty. It is what is felt oftentimes in some of our earthly affairs. For
instance, let us suppose a person bent upon obtaining some particular object: say it
has engaged his thoughts by night and by day, ever pressing itself upon his attention;
an object of all others most desirable to be obtained. Well, let us further suppose that
the moment has arrived when your wishes and hopes may be fulfilled; when he who
can accomplish this is close beside you. Can you not imagine that as the person
referred to becomes more and more friendly, and familiar, and endearing, that the
earnestness of expectation will rise in proportion, and the determination to obtain
what is longed for more and more fixed? Such too is the case with the heart in prayer
with God.

127. II. THE RESULT OF THE PRAYER.
1. The change of Jacob’s name to Israel, a prince and a conqueror, and also a change
of character. The change of character is the most important, and his altered name is
the sign by which that is forestalled. Henceforth he is no longer to be known as a
subtle supplanter, but as an ennobled conqueror, who has waived all intrigue and
treacherous design, and fought the battle bravely, openly, and honestly.
2. To conclude, know we anything of this inner life of the soul, of this earnest and
intense struggle of a praying heart, of this deep and solemn communing with the
Almighty? Do we feel that He is so near us at all times in the restless, and busy, and
anxious seasons of life, that we have only just to turn our hearts towards Him to
realize the power and comfort of His presence? Brethren beloved, who is in reality
your God and mine? Is He the God of the wrestling Jacob, drawing us into close and
earnest fellowship with Himself, and inspiring us with a feeling of trust that clings to
Him, that yearns after Him, and that will not let Him go until He answers our
petitions? Or is it some other idol we worship—some god of this world we obey? (W.
D. Horwood.)
Jacob’s example in prayer
I. IT BRINGS TO VIEW THE HUMAN SIDE OF PRAYER. Communion with God. No
true or prevalent prayer where Christ is not laid hold of.
II. GENUINE PRAYER IS ACTUAL PERSONAL CONTACT OF THE SOUL WITH GOD
IN CHRIST.
III. Note THE MEANS BY WHICH JACOB PREVAILED. Only when he ceased to rely on
his own strength, and resorted to the weapon of prayer, did he succeed. So it is ever with
the Christian.
IV. Note THE REWARD OF IMPORTUNATE PRAYER.
V. EVERY CHRISTIAN HAS POWER TO PREVAIL WITH GOD IN PRAYER.
VI. How SUGGESTIVE JACOB’S MEMORIAL NAME. “Penuel.” “I have seen God face
to face, and my life is preserved.” (J. M. Sherwood, D. D.)
Jacob’s prevailing prayer;
I. THE REPRESENTATIVE CHARACTER OF JACOB AT PRAYER.
1. He represents the true Christian in that he prayed.
2. He represents the true Christian in the characteristics of his prayer.
(1) Assurance.
(2) Promises pleaded.
(3) Sense of unworthiness.
(4) Gratitude.
(5) Supplication.

128. 3. He represents many a Christian in his anxiety.
4. He represents the judicious Christian in using all proper means that lie in his
power.
II. THE REPRESENTATIVE CHARACTER OF JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE
ANGEL.
1. It represents the purpose of God in all His disciplinary measures.
2. It represents the means by which faith grows to its maturity.
(1) Divine permission to carry out our own plans, to realize how vain they are.
(2) God is often compelled to bring His child into absolute helplessness before
faith will take hold of God’s strength.
Lessons:
1. God graciously deals with each of His children according to their circumstances
and temperament.
2. Wrong-doing ever brings anxiety, weakness, failure.
3. To prevail with God, faith must rely only on Him. (D. C. Hughes, M. A.)
Jacob wrestling with God
I. THE NATURE OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER.
1. There must be a deep sense of personal unworthiness (Gen_32:10).
2. We must cherish confidence in the word and the goodness of
God.
3. Perseverance should distinguish our prayers.
II. THE BLESSINGS WHICH BELIEVING PRAYER SECURES.
1. God’s special protection.
2. The sensible enjoyment of an interest in God’s love.
3. A blissful anticipation of glory.
Conclusion:
1. A word to the sinner. Prayerless sinner, what will become of you?
2. A word to the saint. Encouragement. It is said “ God blessed him there.” He
blessed him in the very place in which He had lamed him. And does not this intimate
that when we are sunk the lowest in discouragement, that relief is just at hand that
the darkest hour is the prelude to the brightest day, and that holy earnest petitions
overcome heaven itself, and bring down to earth the odours of immortality and the
supports of Omnipotence. Oh! believer, cleave to the example of Jacob—say, “I will
not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.” (W. Hodson.)
Wrestling Jacob

129. I. THE BELIEVER IN HIS DIFFICULTY. Rest on the promises of a loving Jehovah, and
go through all your trials honouring God, and experiencing patience and peace in your
souls. But, moreover, you children of God, who have had trouble, and have it at this
moment, do not be cast down.
II. THE BELIEVER IN HIS INSTRUMENTALITY.
1. You will perceive in the conduct of Jacob, in the first place, peculiar wisdom.
There was no presumption in the conduct of Jacob. He made use of every variety of
means to appease the anger of Esau; and after he had made these most providential
arrangements, he remained with God alone. Having made these arrangements, he
did not depend on them; he flew to his great resource, his only sure instrumentality,
and that which, after all, must be that on which all must rest—namely, prayer to God.
2. You will perceive that this prayer, from the few words in which it is presented to
our notice, is remarkable for its earnestness. Further, we mention that this prayer is
remarkable for its perseverance, its persevering earnestness—“I will not let Thee go,
except Thou bless me.”
III. THE BELIEVER IN HIS BLESSING. (H. Allen, M. A.)
Penuel
I. We have here A STRIKING ILLUSTRATION OF THE LONELINESS OF ALL REAL
DISTRESS. There is a certain solitariness about every man. The proverb says that “there
is a skeleton in every house,” and it is equally true that there is a secret closet in every
heart where the soul keeps its skeleton, and to which, after sending wife and children
across the brook, it retires in times of sadness and insolation. There is something in
every soul that is never told to mortal, but which, as if to make up for its being withheld
from others, has a strange fascination for ourselves; and in every moment of silence it is
heard sounding in our secret ear. Even those nearest and dearest to us know not of these
hidden things. They are kept for solitude; nay, such is some their power over us that they
draw us into retirement that they may speak to us awhile. Different exceedingly in their
character may those things be that are hidden thus in the secret chamber of men’s
hearts. They differ in different individuals, and in the same individual at different times.
In the case of Jacob here, guilt and suspense were the troubles of his soul.
II. But the narrative before us teaches us that in this dreary solitude our ONLY
EFFECTUAL RESOURCE IS INCARNATE GOD. For as this mysterious one came to
Jacob, so Jesus came to earth, a human brother, and, at the same time, a divine helper.
And herein does He not precisely meet our need? As a man He comes, and so we need
not be afraid of Him. You know the beautiful story which Homer tells in connection with
the parting of Hector and Andromache. The hero was going to his last battle, and his
wife accompanied him as far as the gates of the city, followed by a nurse carrying in her
arms their infant child. When he was about to depart, Hector held out his hands to
receive the little one, but, terrified by the burnished helmet and the waving plume, the
child turned away and clung crying to the nurse’s neck. In a moment, divining the cause
of the infant’s alarm, the warrior took off his helmet and laid it on the ground, and then,
smiling through his tears, the little fellow leaped into his father’s arms. Now, similarly,
Jehovah of hosts, Jehovah with the helmet on, would frighten us weak guilty ones away;
but in the person of the Lord Jesus He has laid that helmet off, and now the guiltiest and
the neediest are encouraged to go to His fatherly embrace, and avail themselves of His
support. But while thus His humanity emboldens us to apply to Him, His divinity

130. furnishes us with the help we need. That which I cling to for strength must be something
other than myself, and something stronger than myself, otherwise it will be time as
worthless as a broken reed. When in the howling hurricane wave after wave is breaking
over the ship and sweeping the deck from stem to stern, it will not do for the sailor to
depend upon himself; neither will it avail for him to grasp his fellow, for they may
together be washed into the deep; but he lays hold of the iron bulwark, making the
strength of the iron for the moment to be as his own, and is upheld. So in the surges of
agony that sooner or later sweep over every man, it will not do for him to depend upon
himself, or even to hold by a fellow-mortal. He needs one who while, he is a brother, is
mightier than any human brother; and here in Jesus Christ, the God-man, the great
necessity of his heart is met; for is the omnipotence of divinity added to the accessibility
of humanity. Nor is this all. Jesus Christ as God, is omniscient as well as omnipotent. He
knows, therefore, precisely what is wrong with us.
III. But the narrative before us teaches us further, THAT OUR FIRST APPLICATION
TO THIS DIVINE FRIEND MAY BE MET WITH SEEMING REPULSE, BUT THAT
RELIEVING IMPORTUNITY WILL ULTIMATELY PREVAIL.
1. When our earnest applications to Him appear to be met with indifference, when
our repeated importunity seems only to call forth repeated repulse, when in the
yearning earnestness of our entreaty, our hearts feel as if they had lost all strength,
even as Jacob’s limb went from beneath him when the angel touched it, let us
remember that His design is either to bring our faith to the birth, or by the discipline
of resistance %o develop it into greater strength, and let us cling to Him all the more,
saying, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.”
2. But it is not alone for the strengthening of our faith that the answer to our
application may be deferred. Jesus may design thereby to open our eyes to our real
need. For observe, though it was suspense concerning Esau that was at first
oppressing Jacob, there is no mention of that in this wrestling. He has discovered
that he needs something far more important than reconcilation to his elder brother.
He wants to know God’s name, that is, his relation to Him, and he desires a blessing
from Him. Thus through the apparent denial of the minor request, he is brought to
feel his need of something greater than he had thought at first of asking. Now is it
not thus very frequently with God’s children still?
IV. I hasten to add, in the last place, that such an experience as that which we have been
tracing always LEAVES ITS MARK ON THE INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS PASSED
THROUGH IT, AND RENDERS MEMORABLE THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS
UNDERGONE. “Jacob halted upon his thigh”—that was literal fact.
But that was not the only permanent memorial of his night of wrestling which Jacob
bore upon him. That was, in truth, but the corporeal indication of a spiritual result. The
rocks beneath us bear the marks of the flames, to the actions of which, millenniums ago
they were exposed; and in the mountain ridges of our planet we may see the record of
those terrible convulsions and upheavels to which in former ages it was subjected. In like
manner the spirit of a man is marked by the fires of those trials through which he has
been made to pass; and we may see in the character and disposition of an individual, the
indications or results of those inner struggles through which he has been brought. (W.
M. Taylor, D. D.)
Jacob alone

131. What happens to any one left alone is better worth thinking about than is anything else
about him. We all live much of our lives before the world: I mean before that part of
mankind which is to each of us our world. But we all live some part of our life alone. We
may be utterly alone in a crowd, or even in what is called society. Anywhere, unless you
are conscious of more or less sympathy, you are alone. But there are times when we are
alone in body, as well as in mind. Jacob was not alone in a crowd. He was alone out of a
crowd—alone literally—alone in every sense—alone with God. That which is described
occurs every day to a serious and thoughtful man when he is alone. What is it? I can
describe it thus. A strife between God and man, which is real but not hostile. It teaches
us, if I read aright, that there is a conflict between man and God-or that there may be—
which is not one of hostility, but of friendship—a conflict in which God overthrows, but
only to raise us the higher. He prevails; lie weakens us; He humbles: but we get the
blessing. There is a seeming contradiction in the story’s teaching; but the story is true to
experience. He prevails and we prevail. It is with the thought of God as with the sight of
the ocean. Look at it as you see it first roll up easily upon the shore. It refreshes and it
charms. But sit down and look out “alone” upon the unmeasured waste of desert water
beyond. Think of the terrific might that slumbers in that vast water-power. Your mind
will be held spell-bound and amazed by the overwhelming grandeur of the object. It will
be paralysed. And so it is with that Almighty Power of which the ocean is the fittest
symbol. The first shallow thought of God sustains and comforts the soul. It affords a
standing-ground and a resting place to the reason, which is embarrassed by the problem
of existence. It gives the mind a centre and point of view. It gives the explanation which
man requires as a rational being. There is wanting a reason for all things that exist, and
God is that reason. We go through the reasoning of first cause of laws of lawgiver. To me,
and perhaps to you all, this much is clear. There must be God or nothingness: but some
one may say, or think when alone—“Why, then God? and why not nothingness?” That is
the wrestle. God strikes the soul. He is asked to tell what He is—“Tell me Thy name.”
“Wherefore is it thou askest after My name?” How crushing an answer from God to man!
“But He blessed him there.” This is what I have called a strife between God and man, real
but not hostile. We are taught about God in our childhood. We learn afterwards to have
a reason of the hope that is in us and to be able to give it. We are satisfied that God is
intelligible, and, so to speak, reason, let us say, is satisfied: Revelation confirms what
reason has declared. (J. C. Coghlan, D. D.)
Jacob at Penuel
After Jacob had prayed to God, a happy thought strikes him which he at once puts in
execution. Anticipating the experience of Solomon, that “a brother offended is harder to
be won than a strong city,” he, in the style of a skilled tactician, lays siege to Esau’s
wrath, and directs against it train after train of gifts, which, like successive battalions
pouring into a breach, might at length quite win his brother. This disposition of his
peaceful battering trains having occupied him till sunset, he retires to the short rest of a
general on the eve of battle. As soon as he judges that the weaker members of the camp
are refreshed enough to begin their eventful march, he arises and goes from tent to tent
awaking the sleepers and quickly forming them into their usual line of march, sends
them over the brook in the darkness, and himself is left alone, not with the depression of
a man who waits for the inevitable, but with the high spirits of intense activity, and with
the return of the old complacent confidence of his own superiority to his powerful but
sluggish-minded brother—a confidence regained now by the certainty he felt, at least for
the time, that Esau’s rage could not blaze through all the relays of gifts he had sent

132. forward. Having in this spirit seen all his camp across the brook, he himself pauses for a
moment, and looks with interest at the stream before him, and at the promised land on
its southern bank. This stream, too, has an interest for him as bearing a name like his
own—a name that signifies the” struggler,” and was given to the mountain torrent from
the pain and difficulty with which it seemed to find its way through the hills. Sitting on
the bank of the stream, he sees gleaming through the darkness the foam that it churned
as it writhed through the obstructing rocks, or heard through the night the roar of its
torrent as it leapt downwards, tortuously finding its way towards Jordan; and Jacob
says, so will I, opposed though I be, win my way by the circuitous routes of craft or by
the impetuous rush of courage, into the land whither that stream is going. With
compressed lips, and step as firm as when, twenty years before, he left the land, he rises
to cross the brook and enter the land—he rises, and is seized in a grasp that he at once
owns as formidable. But surely this silent close, as of two combatants who at once
recognise one another’s strength, this protracted strife does not look like the act of a
depressed man, but of one whose energies have been strung to the highest pitch, and
who would have borne down the champion of Esau’s host had he at that hour opposed
his entrance into the land which Jacob claimed as his own, and into which, as his glove,
pledging himself to follow, he had thrown all that was dear to him in the world. It was no
common wrestler that would have been safe to meet him in that mood. Why, then, was
Jacob thus mysteriously held back while his household were quietly moving forward in
the darkness? What is the meaning, purpose, and use of this opposition to his entrance?
These are obvious from the state of mind Jacob was in. He was going forward to meet
Esau under the impression that there was no other reason why he should not inherit the
land but only his wrath, and pretty confident that by his superior talent, his mother-wit,
he could make a tool of this stupid, generous brother of his. And the danger was, that if
Jacob’s device had succeeded, he would have been confirmed in these impressions, and
have believed that he had won the land from Esau, with God’s help certainly, but still by
his own indomitable pertinacity of purpose and skill in dealing with men. Jacob does not
yet seem to have taken up the difference between inheriting a thing as God’s gift, and
inheriting it as the meed of his own prowess. To such a man God cannot give the land;
Jacob cannot receive it. He is thinking only of winning it, which is not at all what God
means, and which would, in fact, have annulled all the covenant, and lowered Jacob and
his people to the level simply of other nations who had to win and keep their territories
at their risk, and not as the blessed of God. If Jacob is then to get the ]and, he must take
it as a gift, which he is not prepared to do. And, therefore, just as he is going to step into
it, there lays hold of him, not an armed emissary of his brother, but a far more
formidable antagonist—if Jacob will win the land, if it is to be a mere trial of skill, a
wrestling match, it must at least be with the right person. Jacob is met with his own
weapons. He has not chosen war, so no armed opposition is made; but with the naked
force of his own nature, he is prepared for any man who will hold the land against him;
with such tenacity, toughness, quick presence of mind, elasticity, as nature has given
him, he is confident he can win and hold his own. So the real proprietor of the land
strips himself for the contest, and lets him feel by the first hold he takes of him, that if
the question be one of mere strength he shall never enter the land. This wrestling,
therefore, was by no means actually or symbolically prayer.
Jacob was not aggressive, nor did he stay behind his company to spend the night in
praying for them. It was God who came and laid hold on Jacob to prevent him from
entering the land in the temper he was in, and as Jacob. He was to be taught that it was
not only Esau’s appeased wrath, or his own skilful smoothing down of his brother’s
ruffled temper, that gave him entrance; but that a nameless Being, who came out upon

133. him from the darkness, guarded the land, and that by His passport only could he find
entrance. (M. Dods, D. D.)
Jacob and the angel
I. JACOB PRAYING.
1. He was alone when God came out of His eternity to wrestle with him. There are
some whom the Omnipresent can never find alone; He has seldom or never the
opportunity of revealing Himself to them.
2. It was night. That is the time the Infinite is best revealed to us.
3. He was sunk in a deep fear. When in health and prosperity you may frame
elaborate theories to demonstrate the absurdity of prayer; but let death stare you in
the face, let a heavy sorrow or bereavement overtake you, and you cannot help
praying.
II. JACOB WRESTLING.
1. There was bodily wrestling on that memorable night.
2. There was mental wrestling.
3. It was a long struggle: lasting all night. Why?
(1) Jacob wanted to be set right with his brother; he is taught that he must first
be set right with his God. The moral relations must be first rectified, and they
cannot be rectified but on condition that the whole moral nature of the man be
stirred to its depths, completly turned upside down, and the roots of sin be
mortally bruised.
(2) Jacob possessed a vast, profound, capacious nature; there were in him,
underlying his glaring faults, immense possibilities for good, dormant powers
which required to be stimulated into activity. Now a crisis had arrived in his life.
His dormant faculties were to be roused; his bias to evil was to receive a mighty
check. It was a terrible conflict. He felt as if his nature was dissolving, and his
whole existence becoming a shattered wreck. His sinews shrivelled under the
touch of the Almighty.
III. JACOB PREVAILING. He desired a blessing. God granted his request—giving him a
change of nature, an elevation of character—making him a better, truer, more sincere
man. This is the chiefest blessing He can bestow. (J. C. Jones, M. A.)
Mahanaim and Penuel
1. The day and the night mutually act and react. A day of meeting with angels may
well be followed by a night of wrestling with God. As you go on your way, through the
toil and bustle of this life, remember the thousand eyes which watch you from
heaven, and let speech and act testify that your heart is true to the sanctities and
solemnities of being. So live and so move as those who know that they have come to
an innumerable company of angels, and to God the Judge of all. Thus, when night
comes, the veil which shuts out earth will be a glory to open heaven.
2. Lastly, earnestness is the condition of success. (Dean Vaughan.)

134. Certainty of retribution and possibility of reform
It strikes a great many persons with surprise that Jacob the supplanter should have been
the chosen of God. The true answer to this marvel is, that God selects men for His work
on earth, not on account of their personal agreeableness, but on account of their
adaptation to the work that they have to perform. Now, the object in this case was to
establish a nation. There was to be brought up a great seed to Abraham. They were to be
established, and out of them was to issue the moral culture of the globe—as it has. Now,
although Jacob was a man of many failings and of deep transgressions, yet with them he
had a forecast, a shrewdness, a persevering wisdom, an organizing power, that pointed
him out as the statesman. And so he was selected, not because in every respect his
disposition was the best, but because he was the best instrument to execute the purpose
which God had in view. The same thing is taking place continuously. God employs for
His purposes instruments which are adapted to those purposes, although they may not
be persons that are in harmony with God’s holiness. The crime which he committed
against his brother banished him. And now he is returning to his country; and his very
first act is to assume the manners of a servant, and to bow down, recognizing the
chieftainship of his brother. Such transformation fear makes. And yet, in the midst of
this, he is shrewd and self-possessed. Fear, and then calmness; anguish, and then again
management. This fluctuation, how extremely natural it is in a moment of suspense. For
of all things in this world there is nothing so painful as suspense. And here was this man
kept in this fiery state, waiting to know what should be developed; wondering if he
should be bereft of his household, and if his property should be swept away, wondering
if his brother would be peaceable. Doubtless there were running through his mind all
these possibilities. If he is, then what? And if he is not, then what? It was this fiery
swinging from one side to another that was the chastisement of the Lord indeed, But
now we come to the first step of that great change which passed upon Jacob at this
time—for he had reached a crisis, as I shall show, in his life’s history, and in his
character and disposition. See this man skulking in the shadow of his sin, and his sin
breeding fear, and both of them exciting remorse in him- See how much this man had
made by his wrongdoing! For he had struck at the confidence between man and man. He
had undermined the very structure on which society stands. He had destroyed faith
between brother and brother. It was a great crime, and greatly was he punished for it.
How it takes hold of him through his wife, and through his children, and through all that
he loves! And how has it been so since the beginning of the world! Hear this old
patriarch saying, “Deliver 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.” This was a great grief. Few words were recorded; but ah! it was a great grief.
After this prayer, you will see how strangely—not surprisingly, but yet strikingly—back
comes his old politic spirit again. “And he lodged there that same night, and took,” &c.
“Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.”
What it was I do not know except that it was an angel-man—the angel of the covenant—
that stood in God’s place, and was as God to him. That Jacob knew that it was a superior
personage there can be no manner of doubt; but as to what this wrestling was—the
whole mode of it—we know nothing. Neither here or in any subsequent Scripture, is
therelight thrown upon it. He wrestled with the man “until the breaking of the day.”
“And when he”—that is, the celestial personage—“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.” It is very plain that the patriarch understood that the crisis of his life

135. had come. He had prayed to God, and here was the answer to his prayer; and it is very
plain that he felt that on his persistent faith depended his whole safety. From this hour
Jacob was another man. In the strength of this vision, and in the blessing which he
received in this mysterious struggle, he advanced to meet his brother. The hand of the
Lord was also on him. Strangely, I probably might say unexpectedly, to Jacob, he met
him; and the old boyhood affection returned. They made friends; and they parted, one
going one way after the interview, and the other going the other way. But that to which
attention is more especially directed is, that from this hour Jacob is nowhere recorded as
falling back upon his selfish, his politic, his managing career. From this hour out there is
no trace of anything in him but largeness of mind, nobleness of purpose, and beauty of
character. All the dross seems to have been purged away. He had met the crisis, and had
risen, and gone through it; and he had come out a changed man. And now he was indeed
a prince of God, and he was the principal founder of the nation of the Israelites. Jacob
went, the civilizer, over into the promised land, and there established the economy for
which he had been ordained, and lived revered, a beautiful specimen of an old man. And
the last scenes of his life were transcendently beautiful. In view of this narrative, which I
have conducted so far, let me say: Men’s sins carry with them a punishment in this life.
Different sins are differently punished. The degrees of punishment are not always
according to cur estimate of the culpability. Many sins against a man’s body go on in the
body, reproducing their penalties from year to year, and from ten years to ten years. And
the ignorant crime, or the knowing crime, committed when one is yet in his minority,
may repent itself and repent its bitterness and its penalty when one is hoary with age.
Mere repenting of sin does not dispossess the power of all sins. There are transgressions
that throw persons out of the pale of society. There are single acts, the penalties of which
never fail to reassert themselves. There are single wrongs that are never healed. This
great trangression that seemed in the commission without any threat and without any
danger, pursued this man through all his early life, and clear down until he was an old
man, and returned from his exile. And even then he was quit of it only by one of those
great critical transitions which take place, or may take place, in the life of a man, without
which he would have gone on, doubtless expiating still his great wrong. And yet God
bore no witness. It does not need that God should bear witness against a man that has
committed a sin. A man may commit sins, and he may not himself be conscious that he
is sinning; at any rate, he may not be conscious of the magnitude of his sins. A man may
commit sins, and the customs of society may be so low that he shall not think that he is a
great sinner. The sin does not depend upon your estimate of it, or on the estimate which
your fellow-men put upon it, but upon its effect upon your constitution, and the
constitution of human society. Jacob had had a good time, apparently. So far as his
violation between himself and his brother and his father’s family was concerned, he had
had twenty years of rest. And yet, as with all his abundance he came trooping back to the
border to go over into the promised land and take possession of it, there, hovering,
haunting the banks of the Jordan, was that old wrong. In that very hour when he could
least afford to meet it, when he was most open to it, when all his possessions were in
danger of being seized—worse than that, when all that his heart loved lay under the
stroke of his adversary—that was the time that his old sin came back to meet him. And
so it is yet. Men’s sins find them out. And though you put as far as between Palestine and
Assyria between you and them; though your sins slumber for years and years, they will
have a resurrection on earth. I do not believe that any man commits in this world any sin
against the fundamental laws of his body, or against the laws of human society, by which
men are knit together in faith and love, and goes unpunished, even in this world. It does
not touch the question of the other. This is a primary and lower and organized
arrangement quite independent of Divine and arbitrary penalties in the life to come. It is

136. not safe, therefore, for those who have choice in this matter to trifle with right or wrong.
Finally, no man need ever despair of past misdoing who is in earnest. There is no man
that is suffered to do wrong without check or hindrance. Ten thousand things stop men,
interrupt them, throw them upon thoughtfulness. Ten thousand things oblige men to
look back, to calculate; to look forward, to anticipate. And when these seasons from God
come, if any man is in earnest to do better, there is no reason why he should not. The
power of God’s angel, the wrestling of God’s Spirit, is not only in this far-off history of
the patriarch. There is many and many a man with whom this mysterious Spirit of God
wrestles; and if he be in earnest, if he will not let God’s Spirit go except He bless him; if
he feels that his life is in the struggle and he will be blest of God, there is no man so bad,
no man so wicked, but that he may become pure, and his flesh return to him again like
the flesh of a little child—as in the case of Naaman the leper. (H. W. Beecher.)
Loneliness and communion with God
Here is—
I. SOLITARINESS OPENING AN OPPORTUNITY for a man to go “face to face” with
God.
II. A CRISIS DISPOSING a man to go “face to face” with God.
III. A CONSCIOUSNESS OF SIN SENDING a man “face to face” with God.
IV. A SENSE OF MYSTERY PERVADING a man while he is “face to face” with God.
V. INTENSE REALITY CHARACTERIZING a man while he is “face to face” with God.
VI. RICHEST BLESSING FOLLOWING from being “face to face” with God.
1. Elevation of his own character.
2. Reconciliation with men. (Homilist.)
Jacob wrestling with God
I. GOD WRESTLES WITH MAN TILL HE HAS PREVAILED WITH HIM.
1. The Divine desire to bless. This is the foundation of all God’s dealings with us.
2. But before this blessing could be given, Jacob’s strength must be destroyed.
3. To destroy this, God wrestles with him apparently as an enemy.
II. WE SEE THAT WHEN MAN IS THUS SUBDUED BY GOD, HE CAN PREVAIL
WITH GOD. IS it not strange that the Divine Conqueror in this story should say to him
who is thoroughly in His power, “Let Me go, for the day breaketh”?” It seems strange,
but it is not; there is a sense in which God is in the hands of the soul He has subdued.
1. Notice that there is no prevailing with God till the spirit of resistance is destroyed,
Until we yield to Him we can receive little from Him. That may explain much
unprevailing prayer; the fact is it is not prayer: true prayer says “Thy will be done.”
2. Then we see that we prevail with God when we only cling to Him in trustful
prayer. That is the pleader that prevails. Thy covenant promises, Lord! Thy nature,
which is love, and thus delights to bless! Thy mercy in Christ Jesus, which can bless

137. the worthless; Thy fatherly relationship, which makes us trust Thy sympathy and
depend on Thy resources, and which cannot cast Thy child back into the dark
without a blessing!
3. Now to trustful prayer like this the delayed blessing is sure. But did God delay?
We get an impression from this story (as I said) that God delays to bless and must be
striven with, but did He delay, is there any sign of delay in the case of Jacob? None
whatever after Jacob was subdued.
III. Then, we find that HAVING PREVAILED WITH GOD, MAN PREVAILS WITH ALL.
Prevailing with God does not mean that we persuade Him to give us what we ask, but
simply that we secure His blessing: “He blessed Him there.” That may be the gift, the
deliverance, the supply we desire, but it may not; it may simply be power to endure—to
endure cheerfully, enrichingly, and so as to glorify Him, but it involves that in some way
we prevail over the trial. There is a great truth here. If we would prevail over our trials,
we must first prevail with God; we may go to meet them bravely, but there will be no
enrichment, no peace, no conquest, if that be all; we must prevail with heaven if we
would conquer on earth. See how then we conquer!
1. In prevailing with God, Jacob prevailed over his own troubled heart. From that
time he was a new creature with a new name, and I suppose in nothing was this
change more apparent than in the tranquility which possessed him.
2. Jacob also prevailed over his dreaded foe. Esau came, the Esau that he feared,
with his four hundred men. But what then? Esau ran to meet him, and embraced
him. God’s blessing turns the foe into a friend. (C. New.)
Jacob wrestling
I. SOLITARY MUSINGS. Jacob was left alone. Before him was the river Jabbok. Beyond
the river his wives and children. Still beyond them, on the march to Esau, were the
presents he had sent. The servants full of wonder and fear for their master’s sake. The
wives and children anxious. Jacob once more alone, as many years before he was when
passing the same spot (Gen_32:10). He would think of the past. How greatly he had
been prospered. How little he had deserved. Now he feels how entirely he is in the hands
of God. The disposing of his wealth is with God. It is a question whether God will own
the means he has so far employed. Jacob is doubtful and perplexed. He has prayed
already (Gen_32:9-12) and exhausted all his arguments. He can now only cast himself
on the undeserved mercy of God. Night a good time for such reflections. David often
meditated thus in the night watches. Jesus also spent His nights in meditation and
prayer. In darkness and silence there is less to divert attention than in the daytime.
II. MIDNIGHT WRESTLING. Jacob thus musing, becomes aware of the presence of
some mysterious person. Called a man because in human form and nature. The angel of
the covenant in disguise. Jacob perceives who his companion is. Seizes this mysterious
personage, and declares he will not let him go unless a blessing is granted. The angel
struggles to be released, doubtless intending by thus wrestling to teach that prayer
should be bold, earnest, importunate, persevering. Physical wrestling a type of wrestling
in spirit. The angel prevailed not. He had put forth only sufficient strength to excite
resistance and earnestness, without causing discouragement to Jacob’s mind. Unable to
release himself, he touches and disables Jacob. Thus weakened, Jacob still clings to the
angel. Will not let him go without a blessing. Jacob conquers. His name is changed.
Hitherto he had been a mere supplanter by human methods, now he shall prevail on

138. higher principles. As a “God’s fighter” he shall fight God’s battles with spiritual weapons.
Faith, prayer, &c.
III. MORNING SUNSHINE. “The sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel.” The
brightest day in his life was that in which the sun rose upon him a man blessed of God,
and acknowledged to be a prevailer. With his bodily infirmity, he was a stronger man
than he had ever been before. “Clothed with might by His Spirit in the inner man,” he
was “strong” though “weak.” He felt better able to meet Esau, a lame man, than he had
felt before in the pride of strength. Strength of soul the highest form of strength.
Without this how weak are the strongest (illus. Samson, Goliath). Learn:
1. Select fit times and themes for profitable meditation.
2. Our affairs should be all placed in the hands of God.
3. Saying a prayer not truly praying. “Wrestling importunity”
4. The dark hour of earnest humble prayer is followed by sunshine in the heart. (J. C.
Gray.)
Jacob’s wrestling
1. Then this wrestling warned and forewarned as it were Jacob that many strugglings
remained for him yet in his life to be run through and passed over, which were not to
discomfort him when they happened, for as here so there he would go away with
victory in the end.
2. It described out the condition not only of Jacob but of all the godly also with him,
namely, that they are wrestlers by calling while they live here, and have many and
divers things to struggle withal and against; some outward, some inward, some
carnal, some spiritual, some of one condition, some of another, which all, yet
through God they shall overcome and have a joyful victory over in conclusion, if with
patience they pass on and by faith lay hold upon Him ever in whom they only can
vanquish, Christ Jesus.
3. It discovered the strength whereby Jacob both had and should overcome ever in
his wrestlings, even by God’s upholding with the one hand when He assaileth with
the other, and not otherwise; which is another thing also of great profit to be noted
of us, that not by any power of our own we are able to stand, and yet by Him and
through Him conquerors and more than conquerors.
4. It is said that God saw how He could not prevail against Jacob, which noteth not
so much strength in Jacob as mercy in God, ever kind and full of mercy. Lastly, that
Jacob saith, “He will not let Him go except He bless him.” It teacheth us to be strong
in the Lord whensoever we are tried, and even so hearty and comfortable that we as
it were compel the Lord to bless us ere He go, that is, by His merciful sweetness to
comfort our hearts and to make us more and more confirmed in all virtue and
obedience towards Him, yielding us our prayer as far as it may any way stand with
the same; which force and violence as it were offered on our parts to the Lord He
highly esteemeth and richly rewardeth evermore. (Bp. Babington.)
Saints wrestling for the blessing

139. The way to get the blessing is to go to the Lord for it, resolved not to take a denial, nor to
part with Him even till we get it. In prosecuting this doctrine, I shall—
1. Open up this way of getting the blessing.
2. I will show what it is that makes some souls so peremptory and resolute for the
blessing, while others slight it.
3. I will show that this is the true way to obtain the blessing, and that they who take
this way will come speed. I am, then—
I. To OPEN UP THIS WAY TO OBTAIN THE BLESSING, WHICH YOU MAY TAKE UP
IN THESE PARTICULARS. If we would have the blessing, then—
1. We must have a lively sense of our need of it.
2. We must by faith lay hold on Christ the storehouse of blessings for it. God blesses
us with all spiritual blessings in Christ.
3. We must by fervent prayer wrestle with Him for it. How did Jacob obtain it? “Yea,
he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept and made supplication unto
Him.”
4. We must by believing the promise, keep a sure hold of the blessed Redeemer. He
had said to Jacob, “I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the
sea which cannot be numbered.” And we find Jacob reminding Him of this promise
(Gen_32:12). Now what way can we hold Him and not let Him go, but holding Him
by His Word? They who hold Him by His Word, they have sure hold.
5. We must by hope wait for the blessing. “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and
He shall strengthen thine heart: wait I say on the Lord.”
6. We must leave no means untried to procure it.
7. No discouragements must cause us to faint.
8. If at any time we fall, we must resolutely recover and renew the struggle.
9. We must resolve never to give over till we get it, and so hold on. “I will not let
Thee go, except Thou bless me.” This is the resolute struggle, this is the way to the
blessing.
Motives to urge you to this way—
1. Consider the worth of the blessing. Whatever pains, and struggles, and on-waiting
it may cost, it will far more than repay the expense of all. God’s blessing is God’s
good word to the soul, but it is big with God’s grace and good deeds to the man that
gets it; and that is enough to make one happy for ever.
2. Consider the need you have of it. You are by nature under the curse, and unless
you get the blessing, you must for ever be under the curse.
3. If you will not be at this pains for it, you will be reckoned despisers of the blessing;
and that is most dangerous, and will bring on most bitter vengeance. And you will
see the day you would do anything for it when you cannot get it.
4. If you will take this way you will get the blessing.
II. To SHOW WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES SOME SOULS PEREMPTORY AND
RESOLUTE FOR THE BLESSING, WHILE OTHERS SLIGHT IT.

140. 1. Felt need engageth the soul to this course.
2. Superlative love to and esteem of Christ engageth them to this.
3. Without the blessing all is tasteless and unsatisfactory to them.
4. They see not how to set out their face in an ill world without it. They say with
Moses, “If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence.”
5. They see not how to face another world without it.
III. THAT THIS IS THE TRUE WAY TO OBTAIN THE BLESSING, AND THAT THEY
WHO MAKE THIS WAY WILL COME SPEED. “And He blessed him there.” Such as
come to Christ for the blessing, they shall get it, if they hold on resolutely and will not be
said nay.
1. We have many certain instances and examples of those who have obtained the
blessing this way. Jacob in the text. The spouse (Son_3:1-11). The woman of Canaan
(Mat_15:22 and downwards; see also Lam_3:40-50 and downwards). Would you
know how to get the blessing? There is a patent way, behold the footsteps of the
flock, not the footsteps of lifeless formal professors, who cannot go off their own
pace for all the blessings of the covenant; but the footsteps of wrestling saints, who
were resolved to have the blessing cost what it would
2. We have God’s word or promise for it. “For unto every one that hath shall be
given, and he shall hath abundance.”
3. It is the Lord’s ordinary way to bring great things from small beginnings by
degrees.
4. Consider the bountiful nature of God, who will not always flee from them that
follow Him, nor offer to go away from them that will not let Him go, except He bless
them.
5. None coming to Christ for the blessing ever got a refusal, but they that court it by
their own indifference.
6. Our Lord allows and encourages His people to use a holy freedom and familiarity
with Him, yea a holy importunity, as He teaches us (Luk_11:8-9).
7. As importunity is usually in all cases the way to succeed, so it has special
advantages in this case, which promise success.
(1) Our Lord does not free Himself of such as thus hold Him, and is not this
promising?
(2) Nay, our Lord commands them to keep the hold which they have gotten.
“Strive,” says He, “to enter in at the strait gate.” And is not this promising?
Use 1. This lets us see why many fall short of the blessing. They have some motions of
heart towards it, and if it would fall down in their bosom with ease, they would be very
glad of it. They knock at God’s door for it, and if He would open at the first or second
call, they would be content, but they have no heart to hang on about it, and so they even
let Him go without the blessing.
Use 2. I exhort you all to hold on. You that have received a blessing, wait on resolutely
for more. And you that are going away mourning, take up with no comfort till you get it
from Himself; and be resolute that you shall never let Him go till He bless you. (T.
Boston, D. D.)

141. God’s revelation to Jacob
1. It does not appear to be a vision, but a literal transaction. A personage, in the form
of a man, really wrestled with him and permitted him prevail so far as to gain his
object.
2. Though the form of the struggle was corporeal, yet the essence and object of it
were spiritual. An inspired commentator on this wrestling says, “He wept and made
supplication to the angel.” That for which he strove was a blessing, and he obtained
it.
3. The personage with whom he strove is here called “a man,” and yet in seeing Him,
Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Hosea, in
reference to his being a messenger of God to Jacob, calls him “the angel”: yet he also
describes the patriarch as having “power with God.” Upon the whole, there can be no
doubt but that it was the same Divine personage who appeared to him at Bethel and
at Padan-aram, who, being in the form of God, again thought it no usurpation appear
as God.
4. What is here recorded had relation to Jacob’s distress, and may be considered as
an answer to his evening supplications. By his “power with God” he had “power with
men”: Esau and his hostile company were conquered at Penuel.
5. The change of his name from “Jacob” to “Israel” and the “blessings” which
followed signified that he was no longer to be regarded as having obtained it by
supplanting his brother, but as a prince of God, who had wrestled with Him for it
and prevailed. It was thus that the Lord pardoned his sin and wiped away his
reproach. It is observable, too, that this is the name by which his posterity are
afterwards called. Finally, the whole transaction furnishes an instance of believing,
importunate, and successful prayer. (A. Fuller.)
God’s interpositions
Sometimes God interposes between us and a greatly-desired possession which we have
been counting upon as our right and as the fair and natural consequence of our past
efforts and ways. The expectation of this possession has indeed determined our
movements and shaped our life for some time past, and it would not only be assigned to
us by men as fairly ours, but God also has Himself seemed to encourage us to win it. Yet
when it is now within sight, and when we are rising to pass the little stream which seems
alone to separate us from it, we are arrested by a strong, an irresistible hand. The reason
is that God wishes us to be in such a state of mind that we shall receive it as His gift, so
that it becomes ours by an indefeasible title. Similarly, when advancing to a spiritual
possession, such checks are not without their use. Many men look with longing to, what
is eternal and spiritual, and they resolve to win this inheritance. And this resolve they
often make as if its accomplishment depended solely on their own endurance. They leave
almost wholly out of account that the possibility of their entering the state they long for
is not decided by their readiness to pass through any ordeal, spiritual or physical, which
may be required of them, but by God’s willingness to give it. They act as if by taking
advantage of God’s promises, and by passing through certain states of mind and
prescribed duties, they could, irrespective of God’s present attitude towards them and

142. constant love, win eternal happiness. In the life of such persons there must therefore
come a time when their own spiritual energy seems all to collapse in that painful, utter
way in which, when the body is exhausted, the muscles are suddenly found to be
cramped and heavy and no longer responsive to the will. They are made to feel that a
spiritual dislocation has taken place, and that their eagerness to enter life everlasting no
longer stirs the active energies of the soul. In that hour the man learns the most valuable
truth he can learn, that it is God who is wishing to save him, not he who must wrest a
blessing from an unwilling God. Instead of any longer looking on himself as against the
world, he takes his place as one who has the whole energy of God’s will at his back, to
give him rightful entrance into all blessedness. (M. Dods, D. D.)
25 When the man saw that he could not
overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s
hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled
with the man.
It is amazing that this supernatural person could not whip Jacob in a second. He
seems to have to use an illegal move to win this match.
CLARKE, "The hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint - What this implies is
difficult to find out; it is not likely that it was complete luxation of the thigh bone. It may
mean no more than he received a stroke on the groin, not a touch; for the Hebrew word
‫נגע‬ naga often signifies to smite with violence, which stroke, even if comparatively slight,
would effectually disable him for a time, and cause him to halt for many hours, if not for
several days. I might add that in this place - the groin, a blow might be of fatal
consequence; but as the angel gave it only as a proof of his power, and to show that he
could not prevail because he would not, hence the blow was only disabling, without
being dangerous; and he was probably cured by the time the sun arose.
GILL, "And when he saw that he prevailed not against him,.... That he, the
man, or the Son of God in the form of man, prevailed not against Jacob, by casting him
to the ground, or causing him to desist and leave off wrestling with him; not because he
could not, but because he would not, being willing to encourage the faith of Jacob
against future trials and exercises, and especially under his present one: besides, such

143. were the promises that this divine Person knew were made to Jacob, and so strong was
Jacob's faith at this time in pleading those promises in prayer to God, that he could not
do otherwise, consistent with the purposes and promises of God, than suffer himself to
be prevailed over by him:
he touched the hollow of his thigh; the hollow part of the thigh or the groin, or the
hollow place in which the thigh bone moves, and is said to have the form of the hollow of
a man's hand recurved:
and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him; that
is, the huckle bone, or the thigh bone, was moved out of the hollow place in which it was:
this was done to let Jacob know that the person he wrestled with was superior to him,
and could easily have overcome him, and obliged him to cease wrestling with him if he
would; and that the victory he got over him was not by his own strength, but by divine
assistance, and by the sufferance of the himself he wrestled with; so that he had nothing
to boast of: and this shows the truth and reality of this conflict; that it was not visionary,
but a real fact, as well as it teaches the weakness and infirmities of the saints, that attend
them in their spiritual conflicts. The word used in this and the preceding verse comes
from a root which signifies dust; it being usual with wrestlers to raise up the dust with
their feet when they strive together, as Kimchi (g) remarks, as well as it was common
with the ancients to wrestle in dust, and sand (h); and hence the phrase "descendere in
arenam", combatants were called "arenarii".
HE RY, "II. What was the success of the engagement. 1. Jacob kept his ground;
though the struggle continued long, the angel, prevailed not against him (Gen_32:25),
that is, this discouragement did not shake his faith, nor silence his prayer. It was not in
his own strength that he wrestled, nor by his own strength that he prevailed, but in and
by strength derived from Heaven. That of Job illustrates this (Job_23:6), Will he plead
against me with his great power? No (had the angel done so, Jacob had been crushed),
but he will put strength in me; and by that strength Jacob had power over the angel,
Hos_12:4. Note, We cannot prevail with God but in his own strength. It is his Spirit that
intercedes in us, and helps our infirmities, Rom_8:26. 2. The angel put out Jacob's
thigh, to show him what he could do, and that it was God he was wrestling with, for no
man could disjoint his thigh with a touch. Some think that Jacob felt little or no pain
from this hurt; it is probable that he did not, for he did not so much as halt till the
struggle was over (Gen_32:31), and, if so, this was an evidence of a divine touch indeed,
which wounded and healed at the same time. Jacob prevailed, and yet had his thigh put
out. Note, Wrestling believers may obtain glorious victories, and yet come off with
broken bones; for when they are weak then are they strong, weak in themselves, but
strong in Christ, 2Co_12:10. Our honours and comforts in this world have their alloys.
HAWKER, "Reader! observe the continual conflicts of the faithful. While dreading the
coming of his brother, and not as a friend, the Lord himself comes forth to meet him,
and seemingly as an enemy. And while poor Jacob is stirring up himself to lay hold on
God for help, the Lord lays hold on him, with seeming violence.
CALVI , "25.And when he saw that he prevailed not against him. Here is described
to us the victory of Jacob, which, however, was not gained without a wound. In
saying that the wrestling angel, or God, wished to retire from the contest, because he
saw he should not prevail, Moses speaks after the manner of men. For we know that

144. God, when he descends from his majesty to us, is wont to transfer the properties of
human nature to himself. The Lord knew with certainty the event of the contest,
before he came down to engage in it; he had even already determined what he would
do: but his knowledge is here put for the experience of the thing itself.
He touched the hollow of his thigh. Though Jacob gains the victory; yet the angel
strikes him on the thigh, from which cause he was lame even to the end of his life.
And although the vision was by night, yet the Lord designed this mark of it to
continue through all his days, that it might thence appear not to have been a vain
dream. Moreover, by this sign it is made manifest to all the faithful, that they can
come forth conquerors in their temptations, only by being injured and wounded in
the conflict. For we know that the strength of God is made perfect in our weakness,
in order that our exaltation may be joined with humility; for if our own strength
remained entire, and there were no injury or dislocation produced, immediately the
flesh would become haughty, and we should forget that we had conquered by the
help of God. But the wound received, and the weakness which follows it, compel us
to be modest.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:25. He prevailed not against him — The angel suffered himself to be
conquered, to encourage Jacob’s faith and hope against the approaching danger: nay, he even
imparted strength to him to maintain the conflict. For it was not in his own strength that Jacob
wrestled, nor by his own strength that he prevailed, but by strength derived from Heaven, by which
alone he had power over the angel, Hosea 12:3. Jacob’s thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with
him — This was to humble him, and make him sensible of his own weakness, that he might
ascribe his victory, not to his own power, but to the grace of God, and might be encouraged to
depend on that grace for the deliverance he was so much concerned to obtain. It is probable
Jacob felt little or no pain from this hurt, for he did not so much as halt till the struggle was over,
Genesis 32:31. If so, it evidenced itself to be a divine touch indeed, wounding and healing at the
same time.
ELLICOTT, "(25) The hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint.—The hollow is in the Hebrew the
pan or socket into which the end of the thigh bone is inserted, and the verb more probably
signifies that it was sprained from the over-tension of the muscles in the wrestling. But, in spite of
his sprained tendons, Jacob still resisted, and could not be thrown down, and the angel, unable to
gain any further advantage, at last acknowledges Jacob’s superiority, and at sunrise craves
permission to depart.
COKE, "Genesis 32:25. And when he saw, &c.— The Angel or Divine Person prevailed not,
because he was willing to give Jacob the apparent superiority. But, at the same time, to convince
him how easily he could have prevailed; had he thought fit, by a single touch he dislocated the
joint of his thigh: and hinting that it was time for him to depart, in order to give Jacob an
opportunity to pursue his journey, as the day was breaking, Jacob shews that he had fully learned
who he was, by saying, I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me: and as blessing was the
peculiar prerogative of God, he proves hereby sufficiently that he believed that Person to be
Divine. See Grotius on the place.
TRAPP, "Ver. 25. And when he saw that he prevailed not.] He, that is, "the angel" (Christ) "that
redeemed Jacob from all evil," [Genesis 48:16] and here held him up with the one hand as he
strove against him with the other; and yielded himself overcome by the patriarch’s prayers and
tears. Deus ipse, qui nullis contra se viribus superari potest, precibus vincitur , saith Jerome.
He touched the hollow of his thigh.] That, if he would needs have the blessing, he might have
somewhat with it, (a) that might keep him humble, not ascribing the victory to his own strength.

145. Pride is a weed that will grow out of any ground (like misletoe that will grow upon any tree); but, for
most part, from the best. Like air in all bodies, it will have a being in every soul, and creeps into
every action, either in the beginning, proceeding, or conclusion. Now therefore it is God’s care to
cure his people of this dangerous disease, as he did Jacob here, and afterwards Paul; [2
Corinthians 12:7] who, if he had not been buffeted, "had been exalted," and carried higher in
conceit than ever he was in his ecstasy.
26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is
daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you
bless me.”
CLARKE, "Let me go, for the day breaketh - Probably meaning, that as it was
now morning, Jacob must rejoin his wives and children, and proceed on their journey.
Though phantoms are supposed to disappear when the sun rises, that could be no reason
in this case. Most of the angelic appearances mentioned in the Old and New Testaments
took place in open day, which put their reality out of question.
GILL, "And he said, let me go, for the day breaketh,.... This was said that he
might seem to be a man that was desirous of going about his business, as men do early in
the morning; though the true reason perhaps was, that his form might not be more
distinctly seen by Jacob, and much less by any other person:
and he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me; for by his touching his
thigh, and the effect of that, he perceived he was more than a man, even a divine Person,
and therefore insisted upon being blessed by him: thus faith in prayer lays hold on God,
and will not let him go without leaving the blessing it is pleading for; which shows the
great strength of faith, and the efficacy of the prayer of faith with God; see Exo_32:10.
HE RY, "3. The angel, by an admirable condescension, mildly requests Jacob to let
him go (Gen_32:26), as God said to Moses (Exo_32:10), Let me alone. Could not a
mighty angel get clear of Jacob's grapples? He could; but thus he would put an honour
on Jacob's faith and prayer, and further try his constancy. The king is held in the
galleries (Son_7:5); I held him (says the spouse) and would not let him go, Son_3:4.
The reason the angel gives why he would be gone is because the day breaks, and
therefore he would not any longer detain Jacob, who had business to do, a journey to go,
a family to look after, which, especially in this critical juncture, called for his attendance.
Note, Every thing is beautiful in its season; even the business of religion, and the
comforts of communion with God, must sometimes give way to the necessary affairs of
this life: God will have mercy, and not sacrifice. 4. Jacob persists in his holy

146. importunity: I will not let thee go, except thou bless me; whatever becomes of his family
and journey, he resolves to make the best he can of this opportunity, and not to lose the
advantage of his victory: he does not mean to wrestle all night for nothing, but humbly
resolves he will have a blessing, and rather shall all his bones be put out of joint than he
will go away without one. The credit of a conquest will do him no good without the
comfort of a blessing. In begging this blessing he owns his inferiority, though he seemed
to have the upper hand in the struggle; for the less is blessed of the better. Note, Those
that would have the blessing of Christ must be in good earnest, and be importunate for
it, as those that resolve to have no denial. It is the fervent prayer that is the effectual
prayer.
JAMIESO , "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me — It is evident that
Jacob was aware of the character of Him with whom he wrestled; and, believing that His
power, though by far superior to human, was yet limited by His promise to do him good,
he determined not to lose the golden opportunity of securing a blessing. And nothing
gives God greater pleasure than to see the hearts of His people firmly adhering to Him.
HAWKER, "See! how the Lord is even detained by the fervent cries of his children.
Son_1:4; Son_7:5. See also how vigorous are the actings of faith, when God’s grace
supports that faith. Son_3:4; Isa_27:5. And is not this a beautiful example of what Job
prayed for? Job_23:3-6.
SBC, "Genesis 32:26
Esau, with all his amiable qualities, was a man whose horizon was bounded by the
limitations of the material world. He never rose above earth; he was a man after this
world; he lived an eminently natural life. Jacob, on the other hand, was a man of many
faults, yet there was a continuous testimony in his life to the value of things unseen. He
had had wonderful dealings of God with him, and these had only the effect of whetting
his spiritual appetite. When the opportunity came he availed himself of it to the full, and
received from the hands of God Himself that blessing for which his soul had been
longing. Notice:
I. He was thoroughly in earnest; he wrestled till he got the blessing.
II. If we wish to gain a blessing like Jacob’s we must be alone with God. It is possible to
be alone with God, even in the midst of a multitude.
III. Jacob’s heart was burdened with a load of sin. It crushed his spirit, it was breaking
his heart; he could bear it no more, and so he made supplication. He wanted to be lifted
out of his weakness and made a new man.
IV. In the moment of his weakness Jacob made a great discovery. He found that when
we cannot wrestle we can cling; so he wound his arms round the great Angel like a
helpless child. He clings around those mighty arms and looks up into His face and says,
"I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me."
V. He received the blessing he had wrestled for. As soon as Jacob was brought to his
proper place, and in utter weakness was content to accept the blessing of God’s free gift,
that moment the blessing came. He received his royalty on the field of battle, was
suddenly lifted up into a heavenly kingdom and made a member of a royal family.

147. W. Hay Aitken, Mission Sermons, 3rd series, p. 38.
Though no vision is vouchsafed to our mortal eyes, yet angels of God are with us oftener
than we know, and to the pure heart every home is a Bethel and every path of life a
Penuel and a Mahanaim. In the outer world and the inner world do we see and meet
continually these messengers of God. There are the angels of youth, and of innocence,
and of opportunity; the angels of prayer, and of time, and of death. To those who wrestle
with them in faith and prayer they are angels with hands full of immortal gifts; to those
who neglect or use them ill they are angels with drawn sword and scathing flame.
I. The earliest angel is the angel of youth. Do not think that you can retain him long. Use,
as wise stewards, this blessed portion of your lives. Remember that as your faces are
setting into the look which they shall wear in later years, so is it with your lives.
II. Next is the angel of innocent pleasure. Trifle not with this angel. Remember that in
heathen mythology the Lord of Pleasure is also the God of Death. Guilty pleasure there
is; guilty happiness there is not on earth.
HI. There are the angels of time and opportunity. They are with us now, and we may
unclench from their conquered hands garlands of immortal flowers. Hallow each new
day in your morning prayer, for prayer, too, is an angel—an angel who can turn
"pollution into purity, sinners into penitents, and penitents into saints."
IV. There is one angel with whom we must wrestle whether we will or no, and whose
power of curse or blessing we cannot alter—the angel of death.
F. W. Farrar, The Fall of Man and other Sermons, p. 236.
CALVI , "26.Let me go. God concedes the praise of victory to his servant, and is
ready to depart, as if unequal to him in strength: not because a truce was needed by
him, to whom it belongs to grant a truce or peace whenever he pleases; but that
Jacob might rejoice over the grace afforded to him. A wonderful method of
triumphing; where the Lord, to whose power all praise is entirely due, yet chooses
that feeble man shall excel as a conqueror, and thus raises him on high with special
eulogy. At the same time he commends the invincible perseverance of Jacob, who,
having endured a long and severe conflict, still strenuously maintains his ground.
And certainly we adopt a proper mode of contending, when we never grow weary,
till the Lord recedes of his own accord. We are, indeed, permitted to ask him to
consider our infirmity, and, according to his paternal indulgence, to spare the
tender and the weak: we may even groan under our burden, and desire the
termination of our contests; nevertheless, in the meantime, we must beware lest our
minds should become relaxed or faint; and rather endeavor, with collected mind
and strength, to persist unwearied in the conflict. The reason which the angel
assigns, namely, that the day breaketh, is to this effect, that Jacob may now that he
has been divinely taught by the nocturnal vision. (108)
I will not let thee go, except. Hence it appears, that at length the holy man knew his
antagonist; for this prayer, in which he asks to be blessed, is no common prayer.

148. The inferior is blessed by the greater; and therefore it is the property of God alone
to bless us. Truly the father of Jacob did not otherwise bless him, than by divine
command, as one who represented the person of God. A similar office also was
imposed on the priests under the law, that, as ministers and expositors of divine
grace, they might bless the people. Jacob knew, then, that the combatant with whom
he had wrestled was God; because he desires a blessing from him, which it was not
lawful simply to ask from mortal man. So, in my judgment, ought the place in Hosea
(Hosea 12:3) to be understood, Jacob prevailed over the angel, and was
strengthened; he wept, and made supplication to him. For the Prophet means, that
after Jacob had come off conqueror, he was yet a suppliant before God, and prayed
with tears. Moreover, this passage teaches us always to expect the blessing of God,
although we may have experienced his presence to be harsh and grievous, even to
the disjointing of our members. For it is far better for the sons of God to be blessed,
though mutilated and half destroyed, than to desire that peace in which they shall
fall asleep, or than they should withdraw themselves from the presence of God, so as
to turn away from his command, that they may riot with the wicked.
TRAPP, "Ver. 26. Let me go, &c.] Pugna suum finem, cum rogat hostis, habet. Jacob, though
lamed, and hard laid at, will not let Christ go without a blessing: to teach us, as our Saviour did, by
the parable of the importunate widow, [Luke 18:1-8] to persevere in prayer, and to devour all
discouragements. Jacob holds with his hands, when his joints were out of joint. The woman of
Canaan will not be put off, either with silence or sad answers. The importunate widow teacheth us
to press God so far, till we put him to the blush, yea, leave a blot in his face (as the word there
used signifies, υπωπιαζη, Luke 18:5), unless we be masters of our request. Latimer so plied the
throne of grace with his, Once again, once again, restore the gospel to England, that he would
have no nay at God’s hands. (a) He many times continued kneeling and knocking so long
together, that he was not able to rise without help. His knees were grown hard like camels’ knees,
as Eusebius reports of James, the Lord’s brother. Paul "prayed thrice," [2 Corinthians 12:8] that is,
often, till he had his desire. Nay, Paulus Aemelius, the Roman general, began to fight against
Perses, king of Macedonia, when, as he had sacrificed to his god Hercules and it proved not to his
mind, he slew twenty various sacrifices one after another; and would not stop till in the one and
twentieth he had descried certain arguments of victory. (b) Surely his superstition shames our
indevotion, his importunity our faint heartedness and shortness of spirit. Surely, as painfulness of
speaking shows a sick body, so doth irksomeness of praying a sick soul.
PETT, "“The day is breaking.” The exertions that are possible at night become unbearable during
the day. God is not thinking of Himself but of Jacob. But Jacob continues to hold on even though
crippled and exhausted so that God finally says, ‘Let me go.’ But He says it, not because He
wants to be released, but because He knows what Jacob will reply. His purpose in being here is
finally to strengthen and bless Jacob.
“I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Jacob is clinging on because he wants with all his being
the blessing of God, not just as a ‘blessing’ but as a life-changing experience. He is deeply aware
that he has been face to face with God in the closest of encounters, and now he wants it to impact
fully on his future life. He will not rest until he is sure that his future is secure in God’s hands, until
God guarantees that future. God has come to him in a deeply personal way and he does not want
to rest until he has obtained the full benefit of what God has brought.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:26. Let me go — Thus the angel, by an admirable condescension, speaks
to Jacob as God did to Moses, Exodus 32:10, Let me alone, and that to show the prevalency of
his prayer with God, and also to encourage him to persist in the conflict. For the day breaketh —
Therefore he would not any longer detain Jacob, who had business to do, a family to look after, a
journey to take. I will not let thee go except thou bless me — He resolves he will have a blessing,
and rather shall all his bones be put out of joint than he will suffer the angel to leave him without a

149. blessing. Those who would be blessed by Christ, and have his salvation, must be in good earnest
and importunate for it. Reader, art thou so? Dost thou pray and not faint?
PULPIT, "Genesis 32:26
And he (the man) said, Let me go (literally, send me away; meaning that he yielded the victory to
Jacob, adding as a reason for his desire to depart), for the day breaketh—literally, for the morning
or the dawn ascendeth; and therefore it is time for thee to proceed to other duties (Wilet, Clarke,
Murphy), e.g. to meet Esau and appease his anger ('Speaker's Commentary'). Perhaps also the
angel was unwilling that the vision which was meant for Jacob only should be seen by others
(Pererius), or even that his own glory should be beheld by Jacob (Ainsworth). Calvin thinks the
language was so shaped as to lead Jacob to infer nocturna visions se divinitus fuisse edoctum.
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. The words show that Jacob now clearly
recognized his mysterious Antagonist to be Divine, and sought to obtain from him the blessing
which he had previously stolen from his aged father by craft.
ELLICOTT, "(26) Let me go . . . —Heb., send me away, for the gleam of morning has gone up.
The asking of permission to depart was the acknowledgment of defeat. The struggle must end at
daybreak, because Jacob must now go to do his duty; and the wrestling had been for the purpose
of giving him courage, and enabling him to meet danger and difficulty in the power of faith. A
curious Jewish idea is that the angel was that one whose duty it was to defend and protect Esau.
By the aid of his own protecting angel Jacob, they say, had overpowered him, and had won the
birthright and the precedence as “Israel, a prince with God and man.”
Except thou bless me.—The vanquished must yield the spoil to the victor; and Jacob, who had
gradually become aware that the being who was wrestling with him was something more than
man, asks of him, as his ransom, a blessing.
SIMEON, "JACOB PLEADING WITH GOD
Genesis 32:26. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
SOME have thought that the circumstances here recorded were a mere vision; and others a
reality: but they seem to have been neither the one nor the other; but a real transaction under a
figurative representation. The “wrestling” was not a corporeal trial of strength between two men,
but a spiritual exercise of Jacob with his God under the form of an angel or a man. That it was not
a mere man who withstood Jacob, is clear, from his being expressly called “God,” and from his
taking upon him offices which none but God could perform [Note: 9, 30.]. And that it was a
spiritual, and not a corporeal, exercise on the part of Jacob, is evident, from what the prophet
Hosea says respecting it; “By his strength Jacob had power with God; yea, he had power over the
Angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him [Note: Hosea 12:3-4.].” Such
manifestations of God under the angelic or human form were not uncommon in the earlier parts of
the Jewish history: and it is generally thought, that the Lord Jesus Christ was the person who
assumed these appearances; and that he did so in order to prepare his people for his actual
assumption of our nature at the time appointed of the Father. His appearance to Jacob at this time
was for the purpose of comforting him under the distressing apprehensions which he felt on
account of his brother Esau, who was “coming with four hundred men” to destroy him [Note:, 7.].
Jacob used the best means he could devise to pacify his brother, and to preserve as many as he
could of his family, in case a part of them should be slain. But he was not satisfied with any
expedients which he could use. He well knew, that none but God could afford him any effectual
succour: he therefore “remained alone” all the night, that he might spread his wants and fears
before God, and implore help from him. On this occasion God appeared to him in the shape and
form of a man, and apparently withstood him till the break of day. Then the person would have
departed from him: but Jacob would not suffer him; but held him fast, as it were, saying, “I will not
let thee go, except thou bless me.”
From these words I shall take occasion to shew,

150. I. The constituents of acceptable prayer—
These are beautifully displayed in the prayer of Jacob:
1. A renunciation of all dependence on ourselves—
[With this acknowledgment Jacob began his prayer: “O God of my father Abraham, I am not
worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant
[Note: 0.].” And such is the feeling that must influence our hearts whensoever we attempt to draw
nigh to God. If we think ourselves deserving of the divine favour, not one word can we utter with
becoming humility; nor have we the smallest prospect of acceptance with God: “The hungry he
will fill with good things; but the rich he will send empty away [Note: Luke 1:53.].” It is “he who
humbleth himself, and he alone, that shall ever be exalted.” In this respect the returning prodigal is
a pattern for us all. He takes nothing but shame to himself, and casts himself wholly on the mercy
of his father. O that there were in us also such a heart! for not the Pharisee who commends
himself, but the Publican who smites on his breast and cries for mercy, shall obtain the blessings
of grace and glory.]
2. A simple reliance on the promises of God—
[Jacob puts God in remembrance of the promise which had been made to him twenty years
before; “Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good [Note: 2.].” And this is the true ground on which
alone we can venture to ask any thing of God. He has “given us exceeding great and precious
promises [Note: 2 Peter 1:4.],” which he has also “confirmed with an oath, on purpose that we
may have consolation” in our souls [Note: Hebrews 6:17-18.], and be encouraged to spread
before him all our wants. Behold how David laid hold of the promises, and pleaded them before
God in prayer: “O Lord God, thou hast promised this goodness to thy servant: do as thou hast
spoken; do as thou hast said [Note: 2 Samuel 7:25-29.] ” — — — Again, and again, and again
does he in this passage remind God of the promises he had made; and declares, that on them all
his prayers, and all his hopes, were founded. In this manner then are we also to come before him;
“Put me in remembrance,” says God: “let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be
justified [Note: Isaiah 43:26.].” Are we anxious to obtain the forgiveness of our sins? we should
take with us such promises as these; “Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out:”
“Though your sins be as crimson, they shall be as white as snow.” Do we want deliverance from
some grievous temptation? we should remind the Lord, Hast thou not said, “There shall be no
temptation without a way to escape, that thou mayest be able to bear it?” So, whatever our want
be, we should take a promise suited to it, (for what trial is there that is not provided for amongst
the promises of God?) and plead it, and rest upon it, and expect the accomplishment of it to our
souls.]
3. A determination to persevere till we have obtained the desired blessing—
[This is the particular point mentioned in our text. And it is that without which we never can prevail.
Jacob, though lamed by his antagonist, still held him fast. And thus must we do also: we must
“pray, and not faint.” A parable was delivered by our blessed Lord for the express purpose of
teaching us this invaluable lesson [Note: Luke 18:1-8.]. It should be a settled point in our minds,
that “God cannot lie,” and “will not deny himself.” He has said, “Ask, and ye shall have; seek, and
ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” He has not determined any thing indeed
with respect to the time or manner of answering our petitions: but answer them he will, in the best
manner and the fittest time. He may not grant the particular thing which we ask for, because he
may see that the continuance of the trial will answer a more valuable end than the removal of it:
but in that case he will give us, as he did to Paul, what is far better [Note: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9.] ”.
In the confidence of this we should wait for him. “If the vision tarry, still we must wait for it, assured
that it will come at last [Note: Habakkuk 2:3.].” And if at any time our soul feel discouraged by the
delay, we must chide it, as David did: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou
disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my
countenance, and my God [Note: Psalms 42:11.].” In a word, we must hold fast our blessed Lord,
though under the greatest discouragements [Note: Song of Solomon 3:4.], and must say, “I will

151. never let thee go, except thou bless me.”]
Where such prayer is offered up before God, no tongue can tell,
II. The blessings it will bring down into the soul—
It will ensure to us,
1. The effectual care of God’s providence—
[The danger to which Jacob was exposed was imminent: but his prayer averted it, so that the
brother whom he feared as an enemy, was turned into a friend. And what interpositions will not
persevering prayer, when offered with humility and faith, obtain? It matters not what situation we
are in, if God be our God. We may have seas of difficulty in our way; but they shall open before
us: we may be destitute of food; but the clouds shall send us bread, and the rocks gush out with
water for our use. Even though we were at the bottom of the sea, from thence should our prayers
ascend, and thither should they bring to us effectual help. We read of such things in the days of
old: but we are ready to think that no such things are to be expected now. But has God ceased to
govern the earth? or is he changed in any respect, having “his hand shortened, that he cannot
save, or his ear heavy, that he cannot hear?” What if God do not repeat his former miracles now,
has he no other way of accomplishing his will, and of fulfilling his gracious promises? If our hairs
are all numbered, and not so much as a sparrow falls to the ground without him, shall it be in vain
for us to call upon him? No: he is still “a God that heareth prayer:” and “whatsoever we shall ask
of him, believing, he will do:” yea, “we may ask what we will, and it shall be done unto us.”]
2. The yet richer blessings of his grace—
[The new name which God gave to Jacob was a standing memorial of God’s love [Note: 8 with
Hosea 12:5.], and a pledge of all that should be necessary for his spiritual welfare. And what will
he withhold from us, if we seek him with our whole hearts? Recount all the necessities of your
soul: express in words all your wants: and when you have exhausted all the powers of language,
stretch out your thoughts to grasp in all the ineffable blessings of his grace; all that the promises
of God have engaged; all that the covenant itself contains; and all that an almighty and all-
gracious God is able to bestow: and, when you have done this, we will not only assure it all to you,
but declare that “he will do for you, not this only, but exceeding abundantly above all that ye can
ask or think [Note: Ephesians 3:20.].” However “wide you open your mouth, he will fill it.” Make
what attainments ye will, ye shall still find, that “he giveth more grace.” And, whatever difficulties
ye may have to encounter, you shall find “that grace sufficient for you.” Only “continue instant in
prayer,” and God will give you, not a new name only (for that also will he give, even a name better
than of sons and of daughters [Note: Isaiah 62:2; Isaiah 62:12; Isaiah 56:5.],) but a new nature
also, like unto his own [Note: 2 Peter 1:4.], that shall progressively transform you into his perfect
image “in righteousness and true holiness. [Note: Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:18.] ”]
3. The full possession of his glory—
[The answer which God gave to Jacob’s prayer is more fully recorded in a subsequent chapter.
There, after declaring plainly who he was, “I am God Almighty,” he promises, “The land which I
gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee [Note: Genesis 35:11-
12.].” This was typical of that better inheritance, to which all the Lord’s Israel are begotten, and for
which they are reserved [Note: Hebrews 11:16; 1 Peter 1:3-5.]. And thither shall the prayer of faith
carry us: for “God will never leave us, till he has done all for us that he has spoken to us of [Note:
Genesis 28:15.],” and brought us to “his presence, where there is fulness of joy, and to his right
hand, where there are pleasures for evermore [Note: Psalms 16:11.].” Hear the dying thief
preferring his petitions; “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom!” And now hear
the Saviour’s answer; “To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise [Note: Luke 23:42-43.].” Thus he
speaks also to all who seek him in humility and faith. It is curious to observe how often, without
any apparent necessity, he repeats this promise to us. After saying, “He that cometh to me shall
never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst,” he repeats no less than four times,

152. “I will raise him up at the last day;” and repeatedly also adds, “He shall have everlasting life; he
shall not die; he shall live for ever [Note: John 6:35-58.].” And whence is all this but to assure us,
that, “Whatsoever we ask in prayer, believing, we shall receive [Note: Matthew 21:22.] ;” yea, that
he will “give us, not to the half, but to the whole, of his kingdom [Note: Mark 6:23.] ?”]
Let me add in conclusion,
1. A word of inquiry—
[What resemblance do we bear to Jacob in this particular? I ask not whether we have ever spent
a whole night in prayer, but whether we have ever wrestled with God at all; and whether, on the
contrary, our prayers have not for the most part been cold, formal, hypocritical; and whether we
have not by the very mode of offering our prayers rather mocked and insulted God, than
presented to him any acceptable sacrifice? Say whether there be not too much reason for that
complaint, “There is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to lay hold of Thee
[Note: Isaiah 64:7.] ?” Dear Brethren, I know nothing which so strongly marks our departure from
God as this. To an earthly friend we can go, and tell our complaints, till we have even wearied him
with them; and in the prosecution of earthly things we can put forth all the energy of our minds: but
when we go to God in prayer, we are straitened, and have scarcely a word to say; and our
thoughts rove to the very ends of the earth. The prophet Hosea well describes this: “They have
not cried unto me with their heart. They return, but not to the Most High: they are like a deceitful
bow [Note: Hosea 7:14; Hosea 7:16.],” which, when it promises to send the arrow to the mark,
causes it to fall at our very feet. O let us not fancy that we are of the true Israel, whilst we so little
resemble Him whose name we bear, and bear as a memorial of importunity in prayer. The
character of the true Israel ever has been, and ever will continue to be, that they are “a people
near unto their God [Note: Psalms 148:14.].”]
2. A word of caution—
[On two points we are very liable to err; first, in relation to the fervour that we exercise in prayer;
and next, in relation to the confidence that we maintain. Many, because they are ardent in mind,
and fluent in expression, imagine that they are offering to God a spiritual service; when, in fact,
their devotion is little else than a bodily exercise. “Whoever has made his observations on the way
in which both social and public worship is often performed, will have seen abundant cause for this
caution. In like manner, the confidence of many savours far more of bold presumption, than of
humble affiance. But let it never be forgotten, that tenderness of spirit is absolutely inseparable
from a spiritual frame. When our blessed Lord prayed, it was “with strong crying and tears [Note:
Hebrews 5:7.]:” and when Jacob wrestled, “he wept, and made supplication.” This then is the state
of mind which we must aspire after. Our fervour must be a humble fervour; and our confidence, a
humble confidence. And whilst we look to God to accomplish all things for us, we must at the
same time use all proper means for the attainment of them. Jacob, though he relied on God to
deliver him from his brother s wrath, did not omit to use all prudent precautions, and the most
sagacious efforts for the attainment of that end [Note: –8.]. So likewise must we “labour for the
meat which the Son of man will give us [Note: John 6:27.],” and “keep ourselves in the love of God
[Note: Judges , 1.],” in order to our being “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
[Note: 1 Peter 1:5.].”]
3. A word of encouragement—
[It is said of Jacob, that “God blessed him there [Note: 9.],” even in the very place where he lamed
him. Thus shall you also find that your greatest discouragements are only a prelude to your most
complete deliverance. To his people of old he said, “Thou shalt go even to Babylon: there shalt
thou be delivered: there shall the Lord redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies [Note: Micah
4:10; Jeremiah 30:7.].” Go on, therefore, fully expecting that God will interpose in due season, and
that your darkest hours shall be only a prelude to the brighter day [Note: Isaiah 54:7-8; Psalms
30:5.].]
NISBET, "‘WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN AM I STRONG’

153. “He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except Thou bless
me.’
Genesis 32:26
Esau, with all his amiable qualities, was a man whose horizon was bounded by the limitations of
the material world. He never rose above earth; he was a man after this world; he lived an
eminently natural life. Jacob, on the other hand, was a man of many faults, yet there was a
continuous testimony in his life to the value of things unseen. He had had wonderful dealings of
God with him, and these had only the effect of whetting his spiritual appetite. When the
opportunity came he availed himself of it to the full, and received from the hands of God Himself
that blessing for which his soul had been longing. Notice:
I. He was thoroughly in earnest; he wrestled till he got the blessing.
II. If we wish to gain a blessing like Jacob’s we must be alone with God.—It is possible to be alone
with God, even in the midst of a multitude.
III. Jacob’s heart was burdened with a load of sin.—It crushed his spirit, it was breaking his heart;
he could bear it no more, and so he made supplication. He wanted to be lifted out of his weakness
and made a new man.
IV. In the moment of his weakness Jacob made a great discovery.—He found that when we
cannot wrestle we can cling; so he wound his arms round the great Angel like a helpless child. He
clings around those mighty arms and looks up into his face and says, ‘I will not let thee go except
Thou bless me.’
V. He received the blessing he had wrestled for.—As soon as Jacob was brought to his proper
place, and in utter weakness was content to accept the blessing of God’s free gift, that moment
the blessing came. He received his royalty on the field of battle, was suddenly lifted up into a
heavenly kingdom and made a member of a royal family.
Canon Hay Aitken.
Illustration
(1) ‘The victory came after Jacob was crippled. It was when the disabling touch came, when he
felt his utter helplessness, when he could simply cling, that he prevailed. Second, it was a triumph
of persistence. Helpless to struggle, he could still cling, and he clung till the blessing was given.
The prophet Hosea (Genesis 12:4) says: He strove with the angel and prevailed, he wept and
made supplication to him. His words have become the proverbial expression of importunate
desire. I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me. So the secret of success in prayer is twofold;
on the one hand, to realise our own helpless; and, on the other hand, to hold fast until blessing
comes. God lets himself be conquered by the prayer of humble and persevering faith. Very
beautifully does Charles Wesley’s famous hymn, “Come, O Thou Traveller unknown,” sum up the
teaching of the story:—
Yield to me now, for I am weak,
But confident in self-despair;
Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
Be conquered by my instant prayer.’
(2) ‘What was this Divine blessing? Deliverance from Esau? Not at all. That was a secondary
thing now. Jacob had learnt that there was a mightier adversary than his brother to dread: that sin
incurs more fearful consequences than earthly retribution. Reconciliation with God—that was a far
more urgent need with him, and it is a far more urgent need with us, than even reconciliation with
a revengeful brother. And he blessed him there—on the spot, that night. The face of God, which
his sin had hidden, was now revealed to him: i.e. he had the blessed assurance of forgiveness
and acceptance. And without any definite promise of safety he could now go forward, calmly and
trustingly, to meet Esau.’
(3) ‘The question has been raised as to whether the story should be treated as an account of a

154. purely spiritual struggle. The answer is twofold. The original narrator did not understand it in that
way: he believed in a real, physical wrestling, speaking and laming. But we, for our own learning,
may apply the whole in the most spiritual fashion possible, following the lines of F. W. Robertson’s
Sermon (First Series, Third Sermon), or drinking in what Dean Stanley properly called Charles
Wesley’s “noble hymn”:
Come, O Thou Traveller unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see!
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee:
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.’
(4) ‘There was each morning during his first sojourn in the Soudan one half-hour during which
there lay outside General Gordon’s tent a handkerchief; and the whole camp knew the full
significance of that small token, and it was most religiously respected by all, whatever was their
colour, creed, or business. No foot dared to enter the tent so guarded. No message, however
pressing, was carried in. Whatever it was, of life or death, it had to wait until the guardian signal
was removed. Every one knew that God and Gordon were alone in there together.’
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me
Jacob’s struggle for a blessing
I. He was thoroughly in earnest; he wrestled till he got the blessing.
II. If we wish to gain a blessing like Jacob’s, we must be alone with God. It is possible to
be alone with God, even in the midst of a multitude.
III. Jacob’s heart was hardened with a load of sin. It crushed his spirit, and was
breaking his heart. He could bear it no more, and so he made supplication. He wanted to
be lifted out of his weakness, and made a new man.
IV. in the moment of his weakness, Jacob made a great discovery. He found that when
we cannot wrestle we can cling.
V. He received the blessing wrestled for as soon as he became content to accept it as
God’s free gift. (W. Hay Aitken, M. A.)
Jacob’s prevailing prayer
I. THE SOUL’S AGONY.
1. The soul is absorbed in the awful loneliness of its own thought. “Jacob was left
alone.” So is every one in similar experiences. In times of agony, friendly sympathy
seems distant and ineffectual. We are even impatient with well-meant words of
kindness. Then comes a sense of powerlessness. The afflicted one has done all he
can, and now can only wait. At this juncture he begins to ask himself as to the cause
of his misery. Why is he thus situated? Perhaps, like Jacob, he recognizes his sorrows
as the lineal descendants of some former sin; or more likely, he now perceives, as
never before, the general fact of his sinfulness, his imperfections as a Christian, and
his failure to enjoy religious privileges.
2. Just here the soul is arrested by God’s presence. Abstracted from the world,
because grief has made him indifferent to worldly thoughts, the Christian can now
see God and feel His power. We can imagine Jacob, in his conflict of emotion,
standing in the darkness by the brook Jabbok, lost in thought, when suddenly a
heavy hand is laid upon his shoulder. He turns to find a mysterious Presence of

155. terrible reality and power. That Presence he speedily recognizes as God. So now
every storm-racked heart is introduced by conscience to its God.
3. In such times of trial, the soul at first finds God a seeming foe. Jacob at first was
obliged to defend himself against his mysterious adversary. Who can tell what fearful
surmises came over him as he wrestled in the dark with his terrible opponent? Can
this be Esau? No; this is a superhuman strength. Can this be God? It surely is none
else; but why does He meet me thus? God hedges men in to bring them to His feet, to
show them themselves, to prevent prosperity from injuring them, very likely to
prepare them for it, to purify them from remaining sin, frequently to fit them for
some great work. We must pass through the furnace before we are what we should
be.
II. THE RELIEF OF THE SOUL.
1. The narrative discloses the human means of securing this relief, namely, prayer.
2. The narrative sets before us the Divine methods of giving relief to the soul.
(1) Development of character.
(2) Knowledge of God.
(3) Confidence in God.
3. The narrative indicates the safeguard of the soul in this secured relief. Jacob,
though his troubles were now passed, yet halted on his thigh, and doubtless limped
through life. He carried from that place of conflict and triumph a reminder of his
dependence. He had then, ever after, a sense of his weakness, and could say with
Paul, “When I am weak, then am I strong.” There is danger, after meeting God face to
face and securing His favour, of undue elation. Even Paul, with all his saintliness,
needed a thorn in the flesh, lest he be exalted above measure. We may forget that
every successful struggle with sin or attainment in piety is due solely to the Divine
help. For this reason, doubtless, God has established a universal law in life. We
cannot pass through a terrible experience like Jacob’s without bearing the scars of
battle. (A. P. Foster.)
Jacob’s powerful prayer
1. It was a prayer that by living faith took firm hold upon God. He came to God, not
as one far off, but close at hand; not merely on the throne, but present in all the
affairs of daily life. He comes to Him as the God of his fathers, the God of the
covenant. He at once lays hold of the Divine faithfulness. As much as any one thing,
we need to-day this sense of God as ever present to be a restraining power in
business life. Like the patriarch, every believing soul must draw nigh to God,
reverently, it is true, but not timidly or distrustfully. The command is to “come
boldly to a throne of grace.” We must come not as though we more than half
questioned whether there is any God, or, if there be, whether He cares anything
about us, and will hear our prayer; but with all the heart believing “that He is, and is
the Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.”
2. Jacob did not offer a hasty prayer for safety merely in general terms, and then go
about his worldly business with all the intensity of his nature. His need was urgent,
was deeply felt; and he found time enough to press it before God. The whole night

156. was none too long for his business with God.
3. Wrestling, Jacob came to a point where he was powerless. All he could do was to
hold fast to God. God never takes from any of His children their power to do this.
Every other refuge may be swept away, but they can cling still.
4. Jacob’s prayer was direct and simple. He asked for just what he wanted, then
stopped. (The Study.)
Importunate prayer
I. THE OBJECTS OF JACOB’S PRAYER; or, the blessings implored. It need not be
disguised that one of these was the preservation of his own life, and the safety of his
family and substance. It would be doing Jacob injustice, however, to deny that higher
objects than the preservation of himself, and of his family and substance, occupied his
thoughts and prayers on this critical occasion. The very circumstances in which he was
placed were calculated to call his sins to remembrance; just as his sons were reminded of
their unnatural and criminal conduct towards Joseph, by being thereby involved in
difficulties in Egypt many long years after their sin had been committed. Jacob being
reminded of the falsehood and deceit by which he had provoked the anger and
vengeance of his brother, would humbly confess his sin and earnestly pray for the
salvation of his soul, whatever might be the fate of his body at this time. Knowing that
the souls of his family were as precious as his own, and remembering the relation in
which he stood to them, and the duty that he owed them, he would be very importunate
in prayer for their salvation also, though they should fall by the sword of Esau. But he
would not despair of their preservation. He would remember the covenant of God with
his father Abraham, and the promise that He would make of him a great nation, and that
in his seed, which is Christ, all the families of the earth would be blessed. He would pray
that he and his family might live to be witnesses for God in a world lying in wickedness,
and might introduce the spiritual seed, in whom all the families of the earth were to be
blessed.
II. THE MANNER IN WHICH THE DUTY SHOULD BE PERFORMED.
1. Jacob sought retirement for devotion.
2. Jacob spent a long time in prayer.
3. We must implore lawful things, and employ proper arguments to attain them.
4. We ought to be earnest and persevering in prayer.
5. We should pray in faith and hope.
III. THE ANSWER WHICH JACOB OBTAINED TO HIS PRAYERS. God blessed him
there. He obtained a gracious answer. (R. Smith, D. D.)
Importunity in prayer
I. EXPLAIN THIS HOLY WRESTLING IN PRAYER. Wrestling implies some resistance
to be overcome. Some of the chief obstructions which must be overcome are—
1. A sense of guilt whelming the soul.

157. 2. A frowning Providence discouraging the mind.
3. Unbelieving thoughts and inward temptations.
4. Coldness and slothfulness of the heart.
5. Discouragement through Divine delays.
II. THE REASONABLENESS OF IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYING.
1. It strengthens in our minds a sense of God’s glory.
2. Our unworthiness vindicates it.
3. The inestimable value of the blessings to be obtained requires it.
III. ITS ADVANTAGES.
1. It prepares for blessings in many cases: it is itself the actual possession of them.
2. It has the promises of success.
3. Memorable examples confirm its worth.
IV. IMPROVEMENT.
1. How many have cause to mourn their lack of this spirit!
2. Its absence is one cause of the low state of religion.
3. As you would persevere in prayer, be watchful and circumspect, observe the
course of Providence, be much in intercession for others. (Dr. J. Wotherspoon.)
“Now”
Canon Wilberforce tells a pathetic story illustrating the force of this little word “now.” It
was of a miner who, hearing the gospel preached, determined that, if the promised
blessing of immediate salvation were indeed true, he would not leave the presence of the
minister who was declaring it until assured of its possession by himself. He waited,
consequently, after the meeting to speak with the minister, and, in his untutored way,
said, “Didn’t ye say I could have the blessin’ now?” “Yes, my friend.” “Then pray with me,
for I’m not goin’ awa’ wi’out it.” And they did pray, these two men, wrestling in prayer
until midnight, like Jacob at Penuel, until the wrestling miner heard silent words of
comfort and cheer, even as Jacob heard the angel’s announcement, “As a prince hast
thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” “I’ve got it now!” cried the
miner, his face reflecting the joy within; “ I’ve got it now!” The next day a terrible
accident occurred at the mines—one of those accidents which so frequently shock us
with their horror merely in the reading of them. The same minister was called to the
scene, and among the men, dead and dying, was the quivering, almost breathless body of
this man, who only the night before, big and brawny, came to him to know if salvation
could really be had now for the asking. There was but a fleeting moment of recognition
between the two, ere the miner’s soul took flight, but in that moment he had time to say,
in response to the minister’s sympathy, “Oh, I don’t mind, for I’ve got it—I’ve got it—it’s
mine!” Then the name of this poor man went into the bald list of “ killed.” There was no
note made of the royal inherit-ante to which he had but a few hours before come into
possession, and all by his believing grip of the word “now.”
Grip

158. This is what every Christian ought to have, and what many a one lacks. There is a certain
inspiration in the very thought of the clenched hand, with its tense muscle and
unyielding grasp. It signifies not only strength, but purpose; not only earnestness, but
endurance. It is the symbol of a necessary and important element of a Christian’s
success. It typifies consecrated self-control, that mastery which every true child of Christ
has in some degree over his own sinful nature, and which, having secured by the Holy
Spirit’s help, he maintains by the aid of the same blessed agency. It typifies, too, that
hold which he has upon Christ Himself, that tenacious, yet reverent, clinging of spirit
which imparts to his prayers the temper of Jacob’s words, “I will not let Thee go, except
Thou bless me.” It typifies also that benevolent, yet authoritative influence which he
seeks to gain, and usually succeeds in gaining, over his more sorely tempted fellows; the
drunkard, for instance, who is rapidly losing confidence in himself without yet finding it
in God, and who needs the protection of some sturdy, masterful soul who has no
personal fear of his temptation, and has the power and the will to stand by him through
everything to cheer and uphold, and by God’s grace to save. Grip is the holding fast and
not letting go, in spiritual as in material life. It is tenacity of holy purpose, renewal of
effort after moral failure, cheerfulness in the teeth of discouragement, hopefulness for
others, no matter how low they may have sunk, and unfaltering faith in the truth that
God reigns, can save to the uttermost, and somehow will bring out all things aright for
His own. What wonder that he who has it is a healthy, useful Christian! He may be timid
by nature, weak in body, and humble in place, but if he illustrate what a true Christian
grip is upon himself and his little world, men learn to marvel at him. Something of God’s
own Almighty power is visible in him. What he does succeeds, and in blessing others he
is doubly blessed himself.
The Prayer-meeting at Jabbok
Events drive Jacob’s mind back on the past, which has been a series of wrestlings with
his nearest neighbour, the gain of which has been wealth, but the loss that, in most
important senses, he is “left alone.” Jacob is one of those men who, wild among their
fellows, are tame and best when “alone.” The world contemns the man who is crafty as
one of its own children when among men, but afterwards goes to the prayer-meeting.
The world, however, would not be better pleased with him if he did not go, and the man,
in that case, very likely would be a wilder man. There are three way-side prayer-meetings
in Jacob’s journeyings so far. Where God tells him that “the world has been too much
with him” of late—Bethel, Mahanaim, Jabbok. Jacob is redeemed from the world by the
prayer—meeting. How do we use the opportunities which God gives when He throws
open to us the hallowed gates of the lonely hour? Do we enter with thanksgiving and
betake ourselves to prayer, “the flight of the lonely man to the only God”? “There
wrestled,” &c. Again and again the heavenly world enters into controversy with Jacob,
and breaks the spell of this world. At Bethel he saw angels, at Mahanaim he met angels,
but at Jabbok one of them stayed to minister to the man who wrestled with the old self
and needed help. “I can do all things through Christ, that strengtheneth me.” When we
make a vow, we lay hold on the angel of the covenant. If we forget our vow, we let the
angel go. A little shell-fish can cling to the rock, despite the Atlantic, because of a tiny
vacuum in the shell. Our emptiness is our strength with God. Jacob in the world is
“somebody,” but at the prayer-meeting “nobody” but broken, sinewless Jacob. Our
wrestling must be with “pleading, not with contradiction.” He blessed him there. The
blessing, in brief, was the power to look at the world and himself from a cleaner heart
through a cleaner eye. The place was Penuel, the face of God, and he was Israel, a prince,
from that time. No religious meeting or exercise will have done us good unless it exalt us,
and make the world- wife, children, home, friends, business—look lovelier and more

159. sacred. (T. M. Rees.)
Boldness in prayer exemplified
There is a wide difference between striving against God and striving with God. Some
men strive against God by their sins, and they must be conquered by His power; but
Jacob strove with God. Jehovah Himself gave strength and determination to his servant,
for the express purpose that he might, as a prince, have power and prevail. It is one of
the most delightful evidences of Divine condescension, that He is willing to be
conquered by human prayer and importunities.
1. Who was that personage that appeared to Jacob, and wrestled with him? The
narrative calls him a man; but all interpreters are agreed, that by this is meant some
one in the form of a man. Was it, then, a created angel? or, was it God Himself? We
think the latter; because, though He is called an angel, Jacob paid Him Divine
homage. Again, because the inspired prophet, referring to this event, says that Jacob
had power with God. And again, because Jacob himself said, “I have seen God face to
face, and my life is preserved.” Once more, because the patriarch appeals to Him in
our text for a blessing, which he could hardly look for from any being but God. There
is another point to which I would direct your attention, viz., that this angel was not
merely God, but God the Son, who in this, and in many other instances, anticipated
His Incarnation, by appearing in the form and fashion of a man. With whom should
Jacob wrestle to obtain pardon for his sin, and deliverance from its just
consequences, but with the appointed Mediator, who should make atonement, and
then enter into the heaven of heavens, there to appear in the presence of God for us?
2. What was this wrestling? Was it spiritual, or corporeal, or both? There are a few
interpreters, and but a few, who think it was purely spiritual; and that there was no
bodily conflict at all, but that it was illusive and imaginary. It is said distinctly,
“There wrestled a Man with him”; and that Man, when the conflict had lasted long,
says, “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” Finally, he touched Jacob’s thigh upon the
sinew that shrank, so that he went halting to the end of his days. All these are strong
marks of reality, which go far to prove that the outward form of this conflict was
corporeal. Yet, beyond all question, it was connected with a mental and spiritual
wrestling with God in prayer. The outward was a sign and picture of the inward
strife; and Jacob to this day is an image of every saint who prevails with God by the
holy boldness, earnest opportunity, and untiring perseverance of His supplications.
3. Why did this wrestling take place? what was its great end? With respect to Jacob
himself, it signified that he should overcome the hatred of his brother Esau; for what
has he to fear from man, who, as a prince, hath power with God? With respect to
ourselves, and to the Church generally, we may consider this scene as descriptive
pictorially, not of Jacob’s condition only, but of all the saints with him. They are all
wrestlers, by their very calling; wrestlers with affliction, with temptation, with
outward and with inward, with carnal and with spiritual enemies: yet, in the strength
of God, they shall all overcome. Wrestlers with God; that is, men of prayer. Now, we
take our text as exemplifying to us this one subject, boldness in prayer: “I will not let
Thee go, except Thou bless me.” Now, there are two reflections that, in a manner,
force themselves upon our notice. One is, that God never violently withdraws
Himself from a praying man. His trial of our faith and importunity never stretch
beyond this, “Let me go, if Thou canst consent”; and, even when the trial proceeds so
far, it is only done to provoke a refusal. It was obviously not the Divine intention to

160. send Jacob away unblessed, but to elicit this proof of his determination. The other
reflection is consequent upon it; namely, that when God withdraws from any man, it
is always with his own consent. He must be willing to give up the point before he
loses his advantage. No man can fail to obtain everything that he really needs, and
everything that God has promised, unless he himself voluntarily draws back and
yields; otherwise, God consents to be overcome by prayer. This is the great comfort
of every sinner, and of every saint.
I. Consider WHAT KIND OF BOLDNESS IT IS THAT GOD APPROVES, NEGATIVELY
AND POSITIVELY.
1. God does not approve the boldness which is grounded on self-righteous
principles: it must, therefore, be connected with a deep sense of guilt and
unworthiness (Gen_32:10).
2. God does not approve that boldness which loses sight of His own awful majesty
and holiness. Boldness must be associated with reverence and godly fear, to be
acceptable. What! can God’s condescension and love give an unworthy creature the
smallest ground to forget his own unworthiness, and the infinitude of Him with
whom he has to do? On the contrary, it should deepen his sense of his own
meanness, and increase his adoration.
But let us come more particularly to the question.
1. God approves that boldness which surmounts all the doubts and fears adapted to
obstruct our freedom of access to Him. There are improper fears, and a sinful
diffidence opposed to the exercise of prayer. When, for instance, a sense of guilt and
unworthiness leads us to suspect that God will not hear us, will not forgive; this is a
sign of faint-heartedness, not of humility. It is a sentiment directly contrary to His
revealed will. Now, Jacob might have been restrained by similar considerations. He
might have thought of all his sins.
2. God approves that boldness in prayer which is evinced by the largeness of its
desires. He is not honoured by feeble desires and limited supplications. His promises
are most ample, and various in the benefits which they convey.
3. God approves that boldness which is importunate, and will take no denial. It is
often necessary that a blessing be withheld for a season, in order that its full value
may be realized. Moreover, this is an important test of sincerity. Coldness and
languor are repulsed and betrayed. Genuine devotion believes the word, and will not
consent to go empty away. Formality is satisfied without the blessing, when
conscience is appeased by the performance of the duty. The true worshipper cannot
rest in outward services if the blessing be not given.
II. Let us take notice of one or TWO CONSIDERATIONS WHICH NOT MERELY
JUSTIFY THIS BOLDNESS, BUT GO FAR TO PROVE IT INDISPENSABLE.
1. The urgency of our wants. The fervency of prayer should be regulated by our
condition. It is evident that the secret of Jacob’s importunity was the pressing
circumstances in which he felt himself to be placed. His was a kind of desperation,
inspired by the extremity of his danger.
2. The importance of the blessing. We plead not merely for well-being, we plead for
life; life, not of the body, hut of the soul. If we do not prevail we are lost.
3. The absolute certainty of its prevalence. There will be timidity in asking, wherever
there exists a doubt of obtaining. Thine own word is my warrant, when I answer, “I

161. will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.”
IN CONCLUSION, the subject is adapted to impress upon our minds these two points of
instruction: the quality of prayer, and the power of prayer.
1. Boldness is an essential characteristic of prayer. This may be made clear by barely
mentioning the defects and infirmities to which it is opposed. Can there be sincerity
and acceptableness where there is a want of sensibility and zeal, where low views are
entertained of the kindness and grace of God, and where the suppliant is ready to
withdraw from the mercy-seat without the blessing, at the least discouragement or
delay?
2. Observe exemplified the power of prayer. “I said not unto the seed of Jacob, seek
ye Me in vain!” (D. Katterns.)
The characteristic of true prayer
Now that Jacob found himself once more in Esau’s power, he trembled to think of the
consequences. There were two considerations which must have intensified his agony of
mind.
1. That he had brought these difficulties upon himself. Conscience now accused him
of his crime with the same vehemence as if it had been committed only yesterday.
Ah! this is a solemn fact in connection with certain sins which we rashly perpetrate!
Painful indeed was Jacob’s reflection now upon the past. Had he conducted himself
as a straightforward man in his youth, he might have avoided his present trouble.
How he wished he could have commenced life again! Even in old age men are
doomed to possess the sins of their youth, to reap the inevitable consequences of
early aberrations.
2. That others beside himself shared in the impending danger. He is now the head of
a family; he has wives and children whom he passionately loves; they are in danger of
being put to death on the morrow by his furious brother; and his conscience
reproaches him with being the cause of their misery. Surely this was the keenest
pang of all—the bitterest ingredient in his cup of bitterness. Such is human life. Say
not that children are never punished for the transgressions of their parents; reason
not concerning the injustice of such an arrangement; the hard fact continually stares
us in the face, and warns us at every step to beware, to take heed to ourselves, to be
prudent in our conduct, not only for our own sake, but also for the sake of others,
whom we may unwittingly injure. “And Jacob was left alone.” It is when you are
alone with the powers of nature-powers whose existence speaks of a higher Power,
which sustains them all—that the light of Heaven is most likely to flash upon your
soul. It was when banished to the isle of Patmos that John saw the glorious visions
recorded in the Book of Revelation; it was when imprisoned in Bedford goal that
Bunyan dreamed his Pilgrim’s Progress; it was when shut up in total darkness that
Milton sang his Paradise Lost. We are taught here that—
I. WHEN WE TRULY PRAY, WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF THE PRESENCE OF A
PERSONAL GOD. It is stated that “there wrestled a man with Jacob until the breaking of
the day.” God is not an abstract idea of the mind; is not the natural powers by which we
are surrounded; for He has a personal existence. God is a person, and as such, men in all
ages have desired to know Him; to commune with Him, to call upon Him in distress. It
is when we pray, however, that this fact forces itself most vividly upon our minds. It may

162. be said, therefore, that true prayer can never be uttered where the presence of a personal
God does not inspire the soul. You must feel, like Jacob, that there is a Parson with you,
standing at your side, listening to your cry; for otherwise it will not be prayer, but a
form—it will not be an outpouring of the heart, but a meaningless performance.
II. WHEN WE TRULY PRAY, WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF A STRUGGLE TO
OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES. The experience of formidable opposition in drawing near
to God is by no means uncommon. The repelling power with which Jacob struggled on
this occasion, has been encountered by almost every suppliant at the throne of grace.
Indeed, our Lord seemed anxious to prepare the minds of His disciples to expect it. “And
He spake a parable unto them for this end, that men ought always to pray and not to
faint.” But our Lord prepared His disciples to expect difficulties in prayer by other
means than parables—by His dealings with some who sought temporal favours at His
hands. While He sojourned in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, a woman of Canaan came to
Him, crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously
vexed with a devil.” Passing on with perfect unconcern, He feigned not to hear her; for
He answered her not a word. She then cried all the more, “Have mercy on me,” so that
His disciples felt annoyed, and besought Him to send her away. Thus when we encounter
difficulties in prayer, when we feel as if God did not hear us, it is because God wishes to
test our faith, and by testing to strengthen it. Consequently, not only do we enjoy God’s
blessing with greater relish when it comes, but we are also made stronger for His service.
III. WHEN WE TRULY PRAY, WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF A CHANGE IN
OURSELVES, AS A TOKEN OF SUCCESS. It may be that when we are apparently most
unsuccessful, we are really most successful. We do not obtain the very thing we seek at
the time, but the spiritual strength we acquire in the effort may be infinitely more
important than the thing itself. It always happens thus when true, fervent, earnest
prayer is sent up from the heart to God; when there is a mighty struggle to obtain a
blessing from above, there comes over the soul a change for the better, a visible
improvement, a closer resemblance to God’s image. Jacob carried in his body ever after a
memorial of the wrestling of that night; for “he halted on his thigh.” We are reminded
here of a beautiful story, told of the celebrated John Elias, the prince of Welsh orators.
He addressed on one occasion a meeting presided over by the late Marquis of Anglesey.
The marquis, as you know, was lame, having lost a limb in the famous battle of
Waterloo. Referring, therefore, to that circumstance, the speaker thrilled his audience by
this striking remark, “We have a president here this evening, whose very step as he walks
reminds you of his bravery!” So Jacob “halted on his thigh.” His limping gait kept in
remembrance his wonderful victory with God. A man of prayer is well known as such;
there are certain marks which reveal his character; his public performances bear the
impress of his private wrestlings. In this transforming, elevating, and invigorating
influence of prayer lies the secret of a godly man’s strength. (D. Rowlands, B. A.)
Earnest prayer
When a person told a story in a heartless way, Demosthenes said, “I don’t believe you.”
But when the person then repeated the assertion with great fervour, Demosthenes
replied, “Now I do believe you.” Sincerity and earnestness are ever urgent. The
prophetess at Delphos would not go into the temple once when Alexander wished to
consult the oracle. He then forced her to go, when she said, “My son, thou art
invincible”; a remark which led him to believe he should always conquer in war. Luther
was so earnest in his prayers that it used to be said, “He will not be denied.” When

163. Scotland was in danger of becoming Popish, John Knox prayed most mightily for its
preservation in the true faith. “Give me Scotland,” he pleaded, “or I die”; and his prayers
have been answered. Epaphras “laboured fervently in prayer.” Christ, “being in an
agony, prayed the more fervently.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
GILL, "And he said unto him, what is thy name?.... Which question is put, not as
being ignorant of it, but in order to take occasion from it, and the change of it, to show
that he had granted his request, and had blessed him, and would yet more and more:
and he said, Jacob; the name given him at his birth, and by which he had always been
called, and therefore tells it him at once, not staying to ask the reason of the question.
HE RY, "The angel puts a perpetual mark of honour upon him, by changing his name
(Gen_32:27, Gen_32:28): “Thou art a brave combatant” (says the angel), “a man of
heroic resolution; what is thy name?” “Jacob,” says he, a supplanter; so Jacob signifies:
“Well,” says the angel, “be thou never so called any more; henceforth thou shalt be
celebrated, not for craft and artful management, but for true valour; thou shalt be called
Israel, a prince with God, a name greater than those of the great men of the earth.” He is
a prince indeed that is a prince with God, and those are truly honourable that are mighty
in prayer, Israels, Israelites indeed. Jacob is here knighted in the field, as it were, and
has a title of honour given him by him that is the fountain of honour, which will remain,
to his praise, to the end of time. Yet this was not all; having power with God, he shall
have power with men too. Having prevailed for a blessing from heaven, he shall, no
doubt, prevail for Esau's favour. Note, Whatever enemies we have, if we can but make
God our friend, we are well off; those that by faith have power on earth as they have
occasion for.
HAWKER, "No more Jacob, which signifies a supplanter; but Israel, which means a
Prince. And do not all the spiritual seed of Jacob change their name when their nature is
renewed? Isa_62:4; Rev_3:12.
BE SO , "Genesis 32:27-28. What is thy name? And he said, Jacob — That is, a supplanter,
as the word signifies. He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob — Or, as the words

164. should rather be rendered, shall not only be called Jacob, but Israel, or Israel rather than Jacob, a
man prevailing with God, rather than a supplanter. It is evident he was afterward called Jacob, as
well as Israel, but the latter name, in his posterity, nearly swallowed up the former, who were
generally termed Israel, and Israelites. The word Israel means a prince with God. He is a prince
indeed that is a prince with God, and those are truly honourable that are mighty in prayer. Yet this
is not all; having power with God, he shall have power with men too; having prevailed for a
blessing from heaven, he shall, no doubt, prevail for Esau’s favour. Accordingly the latter part of
the verse, literally translated, is, Because, as a prince, thou hast prevailed with God, with men
thou shalt also powerfully prevail, — a translation as perfectly agreeable to the Septuagint as to
the Hebrew, οτι ενισχυσας µετα θεου, και µετα ανθρωπων δυνατος εση, and also countenanced
by the Chaldee Paraphrase, and the Vulgate. Whatever enemies we have, if we can but make
God our friend, we are sufficiently safe and happy: they that, by faith, have power in heaven, have
thereby as much power on earth as they have need of.
COKE, "Genesis 32:27. And he said unto him, What, &c.— This inquiry is made, not for
information, but for the sake of giving the new name following. The words should here be
rendered more properly, Genesis 32:28. Thy name shall be called not only Jacob, but Israel; or
Israel rather than Jacob: that is, a man prevailing with God, rather than a supplanter.
PETT 27-29, "The asking of the name in such circumstances is to seek the character of the
person. Jacob meant ‘he who clutches’ and refers to the supplanting of the man Esau. Israel
means ‘he who strives with God’ or ‘God strives’. This change of name marks the culmination of
the change whereby ‘the grasper’ becomes the one who is determined to fulfil his purpose within
the will of God. Not that he is yet perfect. But his life has taken on a new direction. He is now a
man of God, ‘he who strives with God’, and his future is secure within the sovereign purposes of
God, ‘God strives’. Thus is he now ‘Israel’. And this change of name is the guarantee of his future
hopes.
“With God and with men.” ‘With men’ may refer to his previous tussles with Esau which have
resulted in his seeming predicament, or to his struggles with Laban. But they also refer to his
future struggles. The word is prophetic. The point is that he has been, and, what is equally
important, will be, victor in all with God’s help because he has prevailed here in prayer.
Hosea describes the incident thus. ‘In the womb he took his brother by the heel. And in his
manhood he strove with God. Yes he strove with the angel and prevailed. He wept and made
supplication to him.’ (Hosea 12:3-4). As often ‘the angel’ is introduced to refer to the immediacy of
God.
Genesis 32:29 a
‘And Jacob asked him and said, “Tell me, I pray you, your name.’
Jacob”s purpose in asking the name is so that he can worship and appreciate what God is doing
in the correct way (compare Judges 13:17-18). He is asking, ‘what are you revealing yourself to
be?’ He knows that this is Yahweh, but he has never had this kind of experience before. Yahweh
had been the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac. He had been El Shaddai, the Almighty God
in His sovereignty over the nations in the wider covenant. What is He now to be to Jacob? He is
seeking an even greater special relationship with God.
(There is no suggestion here that he is trying to get power over God by knowing His name. We
must not judge relationships with Yahweh by primitive ideas. To know a name could signify a total
relationship. Compare how often covenants were prefixed by ‘I am --’ followed by a name.).
Genesis 32:29 b
‘And he said, “For what reason do you ask me my name?” And he blessed him there.’
God does not want to introduce to Jacob a new conception of Himself. There is no need for a
change of relationship. He wants to be known by the names by which He was known of old. He
wants continuation not change. He is the God of Abraham and he wants Jacob to realise that he

165. is to continue the old covenant and purposes, not become involved in new ones as a result of God
revealing more of His inner nature. He is still the God of Bethel. Jacob knows all he needs to know
about Him.
He had revealed Himself as El Shaddai, the Almighty God, to Abraham when sealing the wider
covenant (Genesis 17:1), for then a new covenant was involved. Not that the name was new, it
was the significance that was new. He had revealed Himself as Yahweh, the One Who is, and
Who will be what He wants to be. He would reveal Himself as the ‘I am’, revealing the essential
nature of the name Yahweh, when He delivered Israel and established His covenant with them.
Again it would not be the name that was new, but the significance of the name. But Jacob is to
continue the covenants given to Abraham under the names of Abraham’s God.
“And he blessed him there.” Having settled the issue of His name He now ‘blesses’ Jacob. He
confirms that the covenant promises will go on through him and that his future is certain. The
deceitful way in which he obtained his first blessing is now forgotten. He is a new man.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer
be Jacob, but Israel,[f] because you have
struggled with God and with humans and have
overcome.”
BAR ES,"Gen_32:28-30
“What is thy name?” He reminds him of his former self, Jacob, the supplanter, the
self-reliant, self-seeking. But now he is disabled, dependent on another, and seeking a
blessing from another, and for all others as well as himself. No more Jacob shall thy
name be called, but Israel - a prince of God, in God, with God. In a personal conflict,
depending on thyself, thou wert no match for God. But in prayer, depending on another,
thou hast prevailed with God and with men. The new name is indicative of the new
nature which has now come to its perfection of development in Jacob. Unlike Abraham,
who received his new name once for all, and was never afterward called by the former
one, Jacob will hence, be called now by the one and now by the other, as the occasion
may serve. For he was called from the womb Gen_25:23, and both names have a
spiritual significance for two different aspects of the child of God, according to the
apostle’s paradox, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God
that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” Phi_2:12-13. “Tell now
thy name.”
Disclose to me thy nature. This mysterious Being intimates by his reply that Jacob was
to learn his nature, so far as he yet required to know it, from the event that had just

166. occurred; and he was well acquainted with his name. And he blessed him there. He had
the power of disabling the self-sufficient creature, of upholding that creature when
unable to stand, of answering prayer, of conferring a new name, with a new phase of
spiritual life, and of blessing with a physical renovation, and with spiritual capacity for
being a blessing to mankind. After all this, Jacob could not any longer doubt who he was.
There are, then, three acts in this dramatic scene: first, Jacob wrestling with the
Omnipresent in the form of a man, in which he is signally defeated; second, Jacob
importunately supplicating Yahweh, in which he prevails as a prince of God; third, Jacob
receiving the blessing of a new name, a new development of spiritual life, and a new
capacity for bodily action.
CLARKE, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel - ‫ושראל‬
Yisrael, from ‫שר‬ sar, a prince, or ‫שרה‬ sarah, he ruled as a prince, and ‫אל‬ el, God; or rather
from ‫איש‬ ish, a man, (the ‫א‬ aleph being dropped), and ‫ראה‬ raah, he saw, ‫אל‬ el, God; and
this corresponds with the name which Jacob imposed on the place, calling it ‫פניאל‬ peniel,
the faces of God, or of Elohim, which faces being manifested to him caused him to say,
Gen_32:30, ‫פנים‬ ‫אל‬ ‫פנים‬ ‫אלהים‬ ‫ראיתי‬ raithi Elohim panim el panim, i.e., “I have seen the
Elohim faces to faces, (i.e., fully and completely, without any medium), ‫נפשי‬ ‫ותנצל‬
vattinnatsel napshi, and my soul is redeemed.” We may learn from this that the
redemption of the soul will be the blessed consequence of wrestling by prayer and
supplication with God: “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take
it by force.” From this time Jacob became a new man; but it was not till after a severe
struggle that he got his name, his heart, and his character changed. After this he was no
more Jacob the supplanter, but Israel - the man who prevails with God, and sees him
face to face.
And hast prevailed - More literally, Thou hast had power with God, and with man
thou shalt also prevail. ‫אלהים‬ ‫עם‬ Im Elohim, with the strong God; ‫אנשים‬ ‫עם‬ im anashim,
with weak, feeble man. There is a beautiful opposition here between the two words:
Seeing thou hast been powerful with the Almighty, surely thou shalt prevail over
perishing mortals; as thou hast prevailed with God, thou shalt also prevail with men:
God calling the things that were not as though they had already taken place, because the
prevalency of this people, the Israelites, by means of the Messiah, who should proceed
from them, was already determined in the Divine counsel. He has never said to the seed
of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain. He who wrestles must prevail.
GILL, "And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel,....
That is, not Jacob only, but Israel also, as Ben Melech interprets it, or the one as well as
the other; or the one rather and more frequently than the other: for certain it is, that he
is often after this called Jacob, and his posterity also the seed of Jacob, though more
commonly Israel, and Israelites:
for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed:
this is given as a reason of his name Israel, which signifies a prince of God, or one who as
a prince prevails with God; which confutes all other etymologies of the name, as the
upright one of God, the man that sees God, or any other: he now prevailed with God in
prayer, and by faith got the blessing, as he had prevailed before with Esau and Laban,

167. and got the better of them, and so would again of the former: hence some render the
word, "and shall prevail" (i); and indeed this transaction was designed to fortify Jacob
against the fear of his brother Esau; and from whence he might reasonably conclude,
that if he had power with God, and prevailed to obtain what he desired of him, he would
much more be able to prevail over his brother, and even over all that should rise up
against him, and oppose him; and this may not only be prophetic of what should
hereafter be fulfilled in the person of Jacob, but in his posterity in future times, who
should prevail over their enemies, and enjoy all good things by the favour of God: for it
may be rendered, "thou hast behaved like a prince with God, and with men", or, "over
men thou shalt prevail".
JAMIESO , "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel — The old
name was not to be abandoned; but, referring as it did to a dishonorable part of the
patriarch’s history, it was to be associated with another descriptive of his now sanctified
and eminently devout character.
SBC, "From this description of a day and a night in the life of Jacob we learn three
things. (1) This is a crisis, a turning-point in his career. His experience at the ford of
Jabbok is his "conversion" from the craft and cunning and vulturous greed of years
to the sweet subjection of his will to the Eternal, and consequent victory over
himself and his brother. (2) God is in this crisis from first to last and at every
moment of these twenty-four hours. (3) The crisis closes in the victory of the patient
and loving Lord over the resisting selfishness of Jacob. ote these points:—
I. It must have been a welcome fore-gleam of approaching victory, and a pledge of
the sustaining presence of Jehovah in the "valley of the shadow of death," that as
this day of crisis broke on the pilgrim the angels of God met him.
II. What is the significance of this terrific conflict? It means this assuredly. Jacob
having gone to God in quaking fear, God holds him and will not let him go; goads
and harrows his soul, till his heart swells and is ready to break; urges him to such a
relentless and soul-consuming struggle with his self-will that he feels as though he is
held in the grip of a giant and cannot escape. He resists, he struggles, he writhes,
and in his furious contortions is at last lamed and helpless, and therefore compelled
to trust himself and his all to God.
III. Jacob wrestled against God, but at last yielding, his soul is suffused with the
blessedness of the man whose trust is in the Lord. Faber asks, with mingled beauty
and force, "What is it will make us real?" and answers, "The face of God will do
it." It is so. Israel is a new creation: Jacob is dead. Dark as the night was, Jacob
passed through it, saw the Face of God at day-dawn, and became himself, met his
brother with serenity, and spent the rest of his days in the love and service of God.
J. Clifford, Daily Strength for Daily Living, p. 39.
References: Gen_32:7, Gen_32:8.—S. Baring-Gould, One Hundred Sermon
Sketches, p. 204. Gen_32:9-11.—Sermons for Boys and Girls (1880), p. 122. Gen_
32:9-12.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. i., p. 186.

168. Genesis 32:28
Some surprise may be felt at first at the term prince being applied to the patriarch
Jacob; for whatever good qualities distinguish his character, we hardly regard him
as possessing princely ones. He has the quiet virtues of resignation, meekness and
caution, but we hardly attribute to him that spirit and mettle, that vigorous temper
and fire, which belong to the princely character. Yet when we consider Jacob we
find that he had virtues which lie at the foundation of the royal and grand form of
human character.
I. His patience was a princely virtue. How patiently he bore the long delays in
Laban’s service! the plots of his sons Simeon and Levi! We sometimes think of
patience as the virtue of the weak, the sufferer, the inferior. Yet a great prime
minister of England, when asked what was the most important virtue for a prime
minister, gave this answer: "Patience is the first, patience is the second, patience is
the third."
II. Hopefulness was another of Jacob’s regal virtues. He looked forward with trust
and confidence to the future; he believed firmly in God’s promises. His was a
religious spirit; the religious mind is sustained by hope. "I have waited for Thy
salvation, O Lord," he says in his last address, when he summed up the purpose of
his life. He had waited, but never ceased to hope; the Divine reward had always
been before him.
III. But it was in prayer specially that Jacob showed his princely character. What a
nobility is attributed to prayer in this episode of Jacob’s life! What a description the
text gives us of the royal attributes of prayer—that it sets in motion the sovereign
agency which settles all human events! Jacob had in the midst of all his worldly
sorrows and depressions a religious greatness. While to human eyes he was a
dejected man, in the presence of God he was a prince, and prevailed.
J. B. Mozley, Sermons—Parochial and Occasional, p. 347.
I. The very twofold name of Jacob and of Israel is but the symbol of the blending of
contradictions in Jacob’s character. The life of Jacob comes before us as a strange
paradox, shot with the most marvellous diversities. He is the hero of faith, and the
quick, sharp-witted schemer. To him the heavens are opened, and his wisdom passes
into the cunning which is of the earth earthy.
II. The character of Jacob is a form which is to be found among the Gentiles no less
than among the Jews. There are in our own day prudential vices, marring what
would otherwise be worthy of all praise. And that which makes them most
formidable is that they are the cleaving, besetting temptations of the religious
temperament. The religious man who begins to look on worldlings with the feeling
of one who gives God thanks that he is not like them is in the way to fall short even

169. of their excellences. (1) Untruthfulness, the want of perfect sincerity and frankness,
is, it must be owned with shame and sorrow, the besetting sin of the religious
temperament. (2) It is part of the same form of character that it thinks much of ease
and comfort, and shrinks from hardship and from danger. Cowardice and
untruthfulness are near of kin and commonly go together, and that which makes the
union so perilous is that they mask themselves as virtues.
III. The religious temperament, with all its faults, may pass into the matured
holiness of him who is not religious only, but godly. How the work is to be done
"thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter," when thou too hast
wrestled with the angel and hast become a prince with God.
E. H. Plumptre, Theology and Life, p. 296.
CALVI , "28.Thy name shall be called no more Jacob. Jacob, as we have seen,
received his name from his mother’s womb, because he had seized the heel of his
brother’s foot, and had attempted to hold him back. God now gives him a new and
more honorable name; not that he may entirely abolish the other, which was a token
of memorable grace, but that he may testify a still higher progress of his grace.
Therefore, of the two names the second is preferred to the former, as being more
honorable. The name is derived from ‫שרה‬ (sarah) or ‫שור‬ (sur,) which signifies to
rule, as if he were called a Prince of God: for I have said, a little before, that God
had transferred the praise of his own strength to Jacob, for the purpose of
triumphing in his person. The explanation of the name which is immediately
annexed, is thus given literally by Moses, “Because thou hast ruled with, or, towards
God and towards man, and shalt prevail.” Yet the sense seems to be faithfully
rendered by Jerome: (109) but if Jacob acted thus heroically with God, much more
should he prove superior to men; for certainly it was the purpose of God to send
forth his servant to various combats, inspired with the confidence resulting from so
great a victory, lest he should afterwards become vacillating. For he does not merely
impose a name, as risen are accustomed to do, but with the name he gives the thing
itself which the name implies, that the event may correspond with it.
ELLICOTT, "(28) Israel.—That is, a prince of God, or, one powerful with God. (See Note on
Genesis 17:15.) Esau had given a bad meaning to the name of Jacob, nor had it been
undeserved. But a change has now come over Jacob’s character, and he is henceforth no longer
the crafty schemer who was ever plotting for his own advantage, but one humble and penitent,
who can trust himself and all he has in God’s hands. The last words signify, for thou art a prince
with God and men; or possibly, for thou hast striven with God and men.
COKE, "Genesis 32:28. For as a prince, &c.— Our translation renders these words of the Angel to
Jacob, as if Jacob had prevailed over men as well as over him; whereas he had been so far from
prevailing over the only two enemies he had, viz. Esau and Laban, that he had been forced to flee
from them both. This makes it therefore necessary to have recourse to a better version of these
words, if the original can bear us out in it; which it will do, without the least violence, or rather by
following the most strict and literal sense of it, which runs thus: thou hast acted or behaved prince-
like (in thy wrestling) with GOD, and thou shalt also prevail over men. And indeed, what could be
more comfortable to Jacob in the strait he was in, about meeting his brother Esau, than such a
promise? or what can more naturally account for the vision of angels, as well as this appearance
of Jehovah, than to suppose that he was favoured with them, in order to dispel his fear, as well as,
no doubt, to afford him spiritual strength. This version is likewise more agreeable to the Chaldee

170. paraphrase, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate, which render it thus: if thou hast been thus far able
to prevail with GOD, how much more wilt thou be able to prevail over men! As to the Person who
wrestled with Jacob, some have believed him to be a mere angel, only because Hosea calls him
by that name (ch. Genesis 12:4.); whereas, when it is God or Christ that appears like one, he is
distinguished by the Angel of the Covenant, or some other word. But what follows in the very next
verse of the prophet just quoted, plainly confutes that notion; he found him in Beth-el, even the
LORD GOD of hosts. That it was GOD who met him in Bethel is plain, by his saying, I am the God
of Beth-el. The general opinion therefore of ancient and modern authors is, that it was CHRIST
who wrestled with Jacob here.
PULPIT, "Genesis 32:28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more (i.e. exclusively, since both he and his
descendants are in Scripture sometimes after this styled) Jacob, but Israel:— ‫ל‬ֵ‫א‬ ַ‫ר‬ ְ‫ִׂש‬‫י‬, from ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ָ‫,ׂש‬ to
be chief, to fight, though, after the example of Ishmael, God hears, it might be rendered "God
governs" (Kalisch), yet seems in this place to signify either Prince of El (Calvin, Ainsworth, Dathe,
Murphy, Wordsworth, and others), or wrestler with God (Furst, Keil, Kurtz, Lange, et alii, rather
than warrior of God (Gesenius), if indeed both ideas may not be combined in the name as the
princely wrestler with God ('Speaker's Commentary,' Bush), an interpretation adopted by the A
.V.—for as a prince hast thou power with God—literally, for thou hast contended with Elohim [Keil,
Alford, &c.), ὅτι ἐνισχυσας µετὰ θεου (LXX.), contra deumfortis fuisti (Vulgate), thou hast obtained
the mastery with God (Kalisch), rather than, thou hast striven to be a prince with God (Murphy)—
and with men, and but prevailed. So are the words rendered by the best authorities (Keil, Kalisch,
Murphy, Wordsworth), though the translation καὶ µετὰ ἀνθρώπων δυνατὸς ἔσῃ (LXX.), quanto
magis contra heroines prevalebis (Vulgate) is By some preferred (Calvin, Rosenmüller, &c.).
NISBET, "A NEW NAME
‘No more Jacob, but Israel.’
Genesis 32:28
I. The very twofold name of Jacob and of Israel is but the symbol of the blending of contradictions
in Jacob’s character. The life of Jacob comes before us as a strange paradox, shot with the most
marvellous diversities. He is the hero of faith, and the quick, sharp-witted schemer. To him the
heavens are opened, and his wisdom passes into the cunning which is of the earth earthy.
II. The character of Jacob is a form which is to be found among the Gentiles no less than among
the Jews. There are in our own day prudential vices, marring what would otherwise be worthy of
all praise. And that which makes them most formidable is that they are the cleaving, besetting
temptations of the religious temperament. The religious man who begins to look on worldlings with
the feeling of one who gives God thanks that he is not like them is in the way to fall short even of
their excellences, (a) Untruthfulness, the want of perfect sincerity and frankness, is, it must be
owned with shame and sorrow, the besetting sin of the religious temperament. (b) It is part of the
same form of character that it thinks much of ease and comfort, and shrinks from hardship and
from danger. Cowardice and untruthfulness are near of kin and commonly go together, and that
which makes the union so perilous is that they mask themselves as virtues.
III. The religious temperament, with all its faults, may pass into the matured holiness of him who is
not religious only, but godly. How the work is to be done ‘thou knowest not now, but thou shalt
know hereafter,’ when thou too hast wrestled with the angel and hast become a prince with God.
—Dean Plumptre.
Illustration
(1) ‘It was in prayer specially that Jacob showed his princely character. What a nobility is attributed
to prayer in this episode of Jacob’s life! What a description the text gives us of the royal attributes
of prayer—that it sets in motion the sovereign agency which settles all human events! Jacob had
in the midst of all his worldly sorrows and depressions a religious greatness. While to human eyes
he was a dejected man, in the presence of God he was a prince, and prevailed.’—Mozley.

171. (2) ‘Now at last we have the answer to the question. Wherein is Jacob, the plain man dwelling in
tents, superior to Esau, the skilful hunter? Jacob becomes Israel. The Supplanter, the Fraud, is
changed by discipline and the fear of God into the wrestler with God, the man of Faith. Esau’s
name was changed also. And the change from Esau into Edom, what did it signify? It signified his
choice of the miserable mess of pottage for the magnificent birthright. He came home hungry
from the hunting, and the smell of Jacob’s pottage was savoury in his nostrils, and he cried out
like a great spoilt baby, “What good shall my birthright do me? Give me some of that red stuff
there.” And so they called him Edom—Edom the red.
We see the difference between them now. Jacob has become Israel, Esau has become Edom.
Jacob has given himself to trust in God; he turns now in his deepest trouble to God for help, and
prays so fervently and so faithfully. Esau has gone to live in the hunters’ Arcadia, the land that is
rich in venison, and open to the wild chase. Outwardly he is far stronger than Jacob. He can
summon his four hundred warriors around him, and overawe his brother utterly. Really he is far
weaker, for Jacob can summon God.
And yet at this very time, when we see the difference between these brothers clearly, Esau never
looked so noble and so admirable: Jacob never seemed so mean-spirited and contemptible. Esau
comes with his four hundred men, and Jacob bows in the dust before him, calling him Lord, and
praying abjectly for mercy. Esau magnanimously forgets the past, and takes his brother to his
heart. But Esau is Edom only, and the wild life will drag him lower and lower down. Jacob is Israel,
and he has prevailed with God, and God is on his side for ever.
Never was it more clearly seen, the vast difference that God makes. It is the one word “God” that
makes the Bible differ from all other books. It is the one word “God” that makes Jacob differ from
Esau.’
TRAPP, "Ver. 28. No more Jacob, but Israel.] That is, not only, or not so much Jacob as Israel.
Both these names he had given him, of striving and struggling. All God’s Israel are wrestlers by
calling, [Ephesians 6:12] and, "as good soldiers of Jesus Christ," must "suffer hardness". [2
Timothy 2:3] Nothing is to be "seen in the Shulamite, but as the appearance of two armies," [Song
of Solomon 6:13] maintaining civil broils within her. (a) The spirit would always get the better of the
flesh, were it upon equal terms: but when the flesh shall get the hill, as it were, of temptation, and
shall have the wind to drive the smoke upon the eyes of the combatant, and so to blind him, -
upon such a disadvantage, he is overcome. For it is "not flesh and blood only" that "we wrestle
against," - whether we take the apostle’s meaning, for the weakness of our nature or the
corruption of it, - "but against principalities, against powers," &e.; against many, mighty, malicious
adversaries; "spiritual wickednesses in high places," that are above us, and hang over our necks.
Wherefore, we have more than need to "take unto us the whole armour of God," and to
strengthen ourselves with every piece of it: whether those of defence, as "the girdle of truth, the
breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace" and patience, "the shield of faith, the helmet of
hope"; or those of offence, as, "the sword of the spirit," and the darts of prayer. [Ephesians 6:14]
At no place must we lie open; for our enemy is a serpent. If he can but bite the heel, he will
transfuse his venom to the heart and head. God’s "Spirit" in us "sets up a standard". [Isaiah 59:19]
The apostle sounds the alarm, Arm, arm. [Ephesians 6:10-17] The Holy Scripture is our armoury,
like "Solomon’s tower, where hang a thousand shields, and all the weapons of strong men". [Song
of Solomon 4:4] God himself is the ’ Aγωνοθεπης, that both ordaineth and ordereth our
temptations with his own hand, as he dealt with Jacob. And the Lord Christ stands over us, as he
did once over Stephen, [Acts 7:55] with a crown upon his head and another in his hand, with this
inscription, Vincenti dabo, "To him that overcometh will I give," &c. [Revelation 2:7; Revelation
2:11; Revelation 2:17; Revelation 2:26; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 3:12; Revelation 3:21] Fight but
with his arms and with his armour, and we are sure to overcome before we fight; for he hath made
all our foes our footstool, and hath "caused us to triumph". [2 Corinthians 2:14] Let therefore the
assaults of our already vanquished enemies not weaken, but waken us: let their faint oppositions
and spruntings before death encourage us, or rather enrage us, to do them to death: we are sure
to be "more than conquerors," [Romans 8:37] and to have Victoriam Halleluiatieam, as the
Britons, fighting for their religion, had once against the Saxons and Picts in this kingdom. (b)

172. BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "And 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
Jacob the prince
Some surprise may be felt at first at the term prince being applied to the patriarch Jacob;
for whatever good qualities distinguish his character, we hardly regard him as
possessing princely ones.
He has the quiet virtues of resignation, meekness and caution, but we hardly attribute to
him that spirit and mettle, that vigorous temper and fire, which belong to the princely
character. Yet when we consider Jacob we find that he had virtues which lie at the
foundation of the royal and grand form of human character.
I. His patience was a princely virtue. How patiently he bore the long delays in Laban’s
service I the plots of his sons, Simeon and Levi! We sometimes think of patience as the
virtue of the weak, the sufferer, the inferior. Yet a great prime minister of England, when
asked what was the most important virtue for a prime minister, gave this answer,
“Patience is the first, patience is the second, patience is the third.”
II. Hopefulness was another of Jacob’s regal virtues. He looked forward with trust and
confidence to the future; he believed firmly in God’s promises. His was a religious spirit;
the religious mind is sustained by hope. “I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord,” he
says in his last address, when he summed up the purpose of his life. He had waited, but
never ceased to hope; the Divine reward had always been before him.
III. But it was in prayer specially that Jacob showed his princely character. What a
nobility is attributed to prayer in this episode of Jacob’s life! What a description the text
gives us of the royal attributes of prayer that it sets in motion the sovereign agency
which settles all human events! (J. B.Mozley, D. D.)
Jacob’s twofold name and nature
I. The very twofold name of Jacob and of Israel is but the symbol of the blending of
contradictions in Jacob’s character. A strange paradox—the hero of faith, and the quick,
sharp-witted schemer.
II. The character of Jacob is a form which is to be found among the Gentiles no less than
among the Jews. There are in our days prudential vices, marring what would otherwise
be worthy of all praise. And that which makes them most formidable is that they are the
cleaving, besetting temptations of the religious temperament.
1. Untruthfulness—the want of perfect sincerity and frankness.
2. Thinking much of ease and comfort, and shrinking from hardship and danger.
III. The religious temperament, with all its faults, may pass into the the matured
holiness of him who is not religious only, but godly. How the work is to be clone “thou
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter,” when thou too hast wrestled with the
angel and hast become a prince with God. (Dean Plumptre.)
Jacob’s new name
I. EVERY SOUL NEEDS THE NEW NAME.

173. II. EVERYONE MAY HAVE THE NEW NAME.
III. EVERY ONE MUST SECURE THE NEW NAME AS JACOB HAD.
1. By repentance.
2. By faith. (T. J. Holmes.)
The new man
I. THE SYMBOL OF THE NEW LIFE. He was no longer to be called Jacob, but Israel. In
this change of name was intimated an entire change of character. He was sent back in
recollection over the years to the time when he had been a wicked man; and then he was
sent forward in anticipation across the years, under the command that he should begin a
fresh career. From that night onward, he was to leave off his worldly cunning, and
surrender his craft. He must become a new man, and, above all, a true man. His early
and continuous sins might now be forgiven; but he must lead an altered life.
II. THE REACH TO WHICH THIS NEW LIFE EXTENDS.
1. When once a believer is truly in Christ, his standing with God is entirely changed.
Every barrier is broken down. God’s displeasure is over, and man’s enmity is ended.
2. Not only in state but in character is the true believer a new man. If he be in Christ,
he will grow assuredly to resemble Christ.
3. The new creation of a believer in Christ extends even to his experience, as well as
to his state and character.
(1) Confidence.
(2) Freedom.
(3) Contentment. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Israel; or, Jacob at Penuel
I. THAT GOD MANIFESTS HIMSELF FOE THE COMFORT AND PROTECTION OF
THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM ACCORDING TO THEIR NEED (2Ki_6:17; Psa_46:1;
Act_27:23-24).
II. WHAT COWARDS A GUILTY CONSCIENCE MAKES OF US ALL.
III. THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF PRAYER. Mark:
1. The kind forbearance and long-suffering patience of God.
2. The purpose of God concerning us. (A. F. Joscelyne, B. A.)
Power with God
I. WHAT THIS POWER CANNOT BE.
1. Cannot be physical force.
2. Cannot be mental energy.

174. 3. Cannot be magical.
4. Cannot be meritorious.
5. Cannot be independent.
II. WHENCE THIS POWER PROCEEDS.
1. It arises from the Lord’s nature. His goodness and tenderness are excited by the
sight of our sorrow and weakness.
2. It comes out of God’s promise (Isa_43:26).
3. It springs out of the relationships of grace.
4. It grows out of the Lord’s previous acts. Each blessing draws on another, like links
of a chain.
III. How CAN IT BE EXERCISED.
1. There must be a deep sense of weakness (2Co_12:10).
2. There must be simple faith in the goodness of the Lord (Joh_14:12).
3. There must be earnest obedience to His will (Joh_9:31).
4. There must be fixed resolve (Gen_32:26).
5. With this must be blended importunity (Gen_32:24).
6. The whole heart must be poured out (Hos_12:4).
7. Increased weakness must not make us cease (Isa_33:23).
IV. To WHAT USE THIS POWER MAY BE TURNED.
1. For ourselves.
(1) For our own deliverance from special trial.
(2) An honourable preferment.
(3) Our future comfort, strength, and growth, when, like Jacob, we are called to
successive trials.
2. For others. Jacob’s wives and children were preserved, and Esau’s heart was
softened. If we had more power with God, we should have a happier influence among
our relatives. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Power with God
What is power with God? Knowledge of God in Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures,
forms the basis of all power with God.
I. How DID JACOB OBTAIN THIS KNOWLEDGE OF GOD? In two ways—
1. By the instrumentality of pious parents. Isaac and Rebecca were the most Godly
couple of the Old Testament families. They taught Jacob the first principles of, and
the parental character of God; His wisdom, love, and power.
2. By a direct revelation of God’s loving kindness to him in a time of great distress.
II. POWER WITH GOD IS THE RIGHT APPLICATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF

175. GOD IN CHRIST AT THE RIGHT TIME, IN THE USE OF RIGHT MEANS TO
ACCOMPLISH THE RIGHT END.
1. A crisis in the life of Jacob had arrived. A fearful episode in his life is revealed in
the words, “And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother,” &c. (Gen_
32:3-6). Jacob wisely flies to God in prayer. In this crisis he makes a right application
of his knowledge.
2. Jacob uses successful means to appease his brother’s wrath. Knowledge of God in
the Covenant of Grace by Jesus Christ, contains the knowledge of man. The greater
includes the less.
3. Jacob uses the right means to secure the blessing of God. Power with God is
knowledge of God applied by faith until the end is accomplished. (J. Brewster.)
The proper design and influence of prayer
Both the letter and spirit of the text suggest this general observation:
I. THAT IT IS THE DESIGN OF PRAYER TO MOVE GOD TO BESTOW MERCY. This
will appear if we consider—
1. That prayer properly and essentially consists in pleading. Though it may be
divided into distinct parts or branches, yet all these ultimately unite and centre in
supplication. In adoration, confession, petition, and thanksgiving, we ultimately
plead for Divine mercy.
2. It appears from the prayers of good men, which are recorded in scripture, that
they meant to move God to grant their petitions.
3. The friends of God are urged to pray with fervency and importunity, in order to
make the Divine compassion.
4. That the prayers of good men have actually prevailed upon God to grant great and
signal favours.
II. But now some may be ready to ask, How CAN THIS BE? How can prayer have the
least influence to move the heart of God, who is of one mind, and with whom there is no
variableness, nor shadow of turning?
1. Here we ought to consider, in the first place, that the prayers of good men are
proper reasons why an infinitely wise and good being should grant their requests.
2. We ought to consider, in the next place, that though God formed all his purposes
from eternity, yet he formed them in the view of all the pious petitions which should
ever be presented to Him, and gave to these petitions all the weight that they
deserved, in fixing his determinations.
3. This leads us, in the last place, to consider pious prayers as the proper means of
bringing about the events with which they are connected in the Divine purpose.
Though God is able to work without means, yet He has been pleased to adopt means
into His plan of operation.
III. IMPROVEMENT.
1. If it be the design of prayer to move God to bestow temporal and spiritual favours,
then there is a propriety in praying for others, as well as for ourselves.

176. 2. We are led to conclude from what has been said upon this subject, that we have as
fair an opportunity Of obtaining Divine favours, as if God were to form His
determinations at the time we present our petitions. For God has determined, from
eternity, to hear every prayer that ought to be heard.
3. We learn the propriety of praying for future, as well as for present blessings.
4. It appears from what has been said, that saints are in a safe and happy condition.
They enjoy the benefit of the prayers of all the people of God.
5. This subject may remind sinners of what they haw to fear from the prayers of
saints. Their united supplications for the honour of God, the accomplishment of His
designs, and the overthrow of all His incorrigible enemies, forebode terrible and
eternal evils to impenitent sinners.
6. Since prayer has such a prevailing influence upon the heart of the Deity, saints
have great encouragement to abound in this duty. They are formed for this devout
and holy exercise. Having become the children of God, they possess the spirit of
adoption, which is the spirit of grace and supplication. (N. Emmons, D. D.)
What is our name?
He is asking us to-day as He asked Jacob, “What is thy name?” For when God asks,
“What is thy name?” He means, “What is it that lies behind the name, that is really
thee?” And Jacob had grace and honesty at last to own up and say, “Oh, unknown
wrestler! my name is trick and quirk and cunning. My name is Jacob. My name is craft,
my name is cunning.” He owned up at last: “I am of the earth, earthy. My name is
Jacob—Supplanter.” My brother, what is your name? After bearing a Christian
profession; after, it may be, being an office-bearer in God’s house for twenty or forty
years, the great God with whom we have to do comes in mercy to-day simply because
perhaps we are soon to get to heaven, and we need a lot to make us ready; we need a lot
yet to make us ready. God has to come to you this morning with my lips, and says: “What
is thy name?” If you tell the truth you will say: “My name is Jacob.” You will say, “My
name is money, my name is cent—per cent., my name is profit—my very name is that, O
God. My name is moderation and religion. O God, dost Thou ask my name? My name is
lust. Right down at bottom that wriggling thing is me My name is lust, uncleanness,
vileness. I have kept it in; I have veneered it over; but I admit to-day that, that is me.
This is the one thing in me. It is my name.” “What is thy name? What is at bottom in us,
that is us? What is it? “ How few of us can say honestly, “My name, O God, is religion;
my name is settled principle; my name is candour, openness, honesty, sincerity. My
name is singleness of heart, childlike simplicity.” What is our name? I cannot give all the
names. It is not the actual Johns and Roberts that were named over us here in baptism.
Jacob’s name was a name of significance; and God gives us all a significant name, and
He is asking us to-day, “What is your name? What is it?” Oh, let us be honest and tell
Him. I know mine. You could stand up in this church, and in one sentence could tell this
meeting what “is your prevailing characteristic. Young girl, young woman, you can stand
up before God and say, “My name is frivolity. That is nay prevailing characteristic. I
come to church on Sunday, but the thing that engrosses and consumes me is a ball and a
dance and the theatre. That is my name. That sets my whole soul abounding and a-
pulsing.” With some of us, our whole creed is just a determination not to yield ourselves
utterly unto God, but to keep on the safe side. What is your name? Ananias is the name
for some, and Sapphira is the true name for others. It was not a nice name. It may be

177. that Jacob’s swarthy cheek got a little swarthier even in the darkness, as he said,
“Supplanter is my name. I am a wrestler, I depend on cunning, I call on God even
occasionally, to help my cunning. I use religion for a cloak for my cunning.” My name, in
Thy sight, and with shame I confess it, my name is double-tongue, or facing-both-ways.
(J. McNeill.)
The new name
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE EVENT. It will occur to our recollection that, after
the intimation of Esau’s approach, Jacob had almost immediately addressed himself to
the duty of prayer, and that he had earnestly sought deliverance from the threatening
danger; but he had as yet received no favourable answer. He remained still in suspense,
and in the anxious exercise of faith upon the promise of his Divine protector. His
previous experience seems to have consecrated to him the shades of night. It was during
the night that God appeared to him at Bethel. It was in a dream at night that he received
the instruction to depart from Syria. A degree of obscurity hangs over the passage, from
the difficulty of affixing a meaning satisfactorily to the word which we translate wrestled,
and which implies intense occupation and effort; yet upon the whole, the general
statement seems to render it unequivocal, that on this occasion a bodily struggle did
actually take place. It was, however, at the same time, a contest in which the chief
interest lay in the spiritual blessing to be obtained. The external effort for victory was
evidently in Jacob’s mind intimately associated with the deliverance that he was then
seeking by prayer. And with the external wrestling to detain this nocturnal visitant,
Jacob still continued the ardent pleading of his soul for the indulgence of his request.
Jacob evidently regarded them as being one and the same. And the prophet Hosea
confirms this view of the case when he tells us (in chap. 12.) that “Jacob had power over
the angel and prevailed”; that “he wept and made supplication unto him”; a passage
which brings the spiritual object prominently forward, and excludes the idea of a
contention of mere muscular strength. Probably the appearance of a human form, on
these occasions of revelation, was at this time new to Jacob. It appears, however, to have
given him a peculiar encouragement. Where was the created frame that would not
instantly crumble into its original nothingness, if, for one instant, it was placed in the
attitude of resistance against Him who is “a consuming fire?” But the terrors of the
Godhead were veiled in humanity. It was a man that appeared to Jacob. The sequel of
the history ascertains, beyond a doubt, the Divine character of the person who appeared
to Jacob.
II. THE DOCTRINE WHICH WE MAY GATHER FROM IT. Viewed in this light, the
doctrine which this event inculcates on the Church of God is—the permitted prevalency
of the prayer of man with God, through the mystery of the incarnation of His eternal
Son.
III. THE DUTIES WHICH THIS EVENT INCULCATES.
1. It teaches gratitude. It becomes us to be thankful. It is indeed an unspeakable
mercy that God has vouchsafed to provide so graciously for the approach of our
guilty race to Himself.
2. A second duty inculcated by this event is humility. If you know yourselves you will
be ashamed of the history of your closets; and many an humbling memento will
teach you that if ever you prevailed at the throne of God, it was not because you were
worthy, but because that throne was the throne of grace.

178. 3. Observe, thirdly, the duty which this passage inculcates of seeking God earnestly.
It is vain to offer to God that listless, heartless service, which too frequently
constitutes the whole of a Christian’s devotions.
4. Learn, fourthly, the duty of persevering importunity in prayer.
5. But, lastly, a word is due to those who have never yet thought seriously of prayer.
How energetically a case like this speaks to you. (E. Craig.)
Jacob and Israel
Before this time, he had been Jacob, the worker with wiles, who supplanted his brother,
and met his foes with duplicity and astuteness like their own. He had been mainly of the
earth, earthy. But that solemn hour had led him into the presence chamber, the old craft
had been mortally wounded, he had seen some glimpse of God as his friend, whose
presence was not “awful,” as he had thought it long ago, nor enigmatical and
threatening, as he had at first deemed it that night, but the fountain of blessing, and the
one thing needful. A man who has once learned that lesson, though imperfectly, has
passed into a purer region, and left behind him his old crookednesses. He has learned to
pray, not as before, prayers for mere deliverance from Esau and the like, but his whole
being has gone out in yearning for the continual nearness of his mysterious antagonist—
friend. So, though still the old nature remains, its power is broken, and he is a new
creature. Therefore he needs a new name, and gets it from Him who can name men,
because He sees the heart’s depths, and because He has the right over them. To impose a
name is the sign of authority, possession, insight into character. The change of name
indicates a new epoch in a life, or a transformation of the inner man. The meaning of
“Israel” is “He (who) strives with God”; and the reason for its being conferred is more
accurately given by the Revised version, which translates, “For thou hast striven with
God and with men,” than in the Authorized rendering. His victory with God involved the
certainty of his power with men. All his life he had been trying to get the advantage of
them, and to conquer them, not by spear and sword, but by his brains. But now the true
way to true sway among men is opened to him. All men are the servants of the servant
and the friend of God. He who has the ear of the emperor is master of many men. Jacob
is not always called Israel in his subsequent history. His new name was a name of
character and of spiritual standing, and that might fluctuate, and the old self resume its
power; so he is still called by the former appellation, just as, at certain points in his life,
the apostle forfeits the right to be “Peter,” and has to hear from Christ’s lips the old
name, the use of which is more poignant than many reproachful words—“Simon, Simon,
behold, Satan hath desired to have you.” But in the last death-bed scene, when the
patriarch lifted himself in his bed, and with prophetic dignity pronounced his parting
benediction on Joseph’s sons, the new name re-appears with solemn pathos. That name
was transmitted to his descendants, and has passed over to the company of believing
men, who have been overcome by God, and have prevailed with God. It is a charter and a
promise. It is a stringent reminder of duty and a lofty ideal. A true Christian is an
“Israel.” His office is to wrestle with God. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Power in prayer
Jacob, though a man, a single man, a travelling man, a tired man, yea, though a worm,
that is easily crushed and trodden under foot, and no man (Isa_41:14), yet in private

179. prayer he is so potent that he overcomes the Omnipotent God; he is so mighty, that he
overcomes the Almighty. (Thomas Brooks.)
Successful importunity
A stern father has been conquered by a tear in the eye of his daughter. An unwilling
heart has relented and bestowed an alms at the sight of the disappointment caused by a
refusal. Sorrow constrains to pity. When importunity takes the hand of grief, and the two
go together to the gate of mercy, it opens of its own accord. Sincerity, earnestness,
perseverance, confidence, and expectancy are all potent instruments of power with God.
God yields to importunity
How often have I seen a little child throw its arms around its father’s neck, and win, by
kisses and importunities and tears, what had else been refused. Who has not yielded to
importunity, even when a dumb animal looked up in our face with suppliant eyes for
food? Is God less pitiful than we? (T. Guthrie.)
A praying prince
In a certain town (says the Rev. Mr. Finney), there had been no revival for many years;
the church was nearly run out, the youth were all unconverted, and desolation reigned
unbroken. There lived in a retired part of the town an aged man, a blacksmith by trade,
and of so stammering a tongue that it was painful to hear him speak. On one Friday, as
he was at work in his shop alone, his mind became greatly exercised about the state of
the church, and of the impenitent. His agony became so great that he was induced to lay
aside his work, lock the shop door, and spend the afternoon in prayer. He prevailed, and
on the Sabbath called in the minister and desired him to appoint a conference meeting.
After some hesitation, the minister consented, observing, however, that he feared but
few would attend. He appointed it the same evening, at a large private house. When
evening came, more assembled than could be accommodated in the house. All were
silent for a time, until one sinner broke out in tears, and said, if any one could pray, he
begged him to pray for him. Another followed, and another, and still another, until it
was found that persons from every quarter of the town were under deep convictions.
And what was remarkable, was that they all dated their conviction at the hour when the
old man was praying in his shop. A powerful revival followed. Then this old stammering
man prevailed, and as a prince, had power with God.
Power with God
The mightiest man on earth is the man who has most power with God. For God is
almighty, and man is omnipotent for the accomplishment of His purpose when he has
the promise of all needed help from the Most High. The hiding of the power which
determines the destiny of nations is not in the cabinets of kings or the heavy battalions
of war, but in the closets of praying men, who have been raised by faith to the exalted
rank of princes with God. The conflict which gained the greatest victory for Scotland,
and gave her such freedom and intelligence as she enjoys to-day, did not originate in
Holyrood Palace, nor was it waged upon the high places of the field, but in the solitary
chamber of the man who prayed all night, crying in the agony and desperation of faith,
“Give me Scotland or I die.” (D. March, D. D.)

180. The conflict and its result
I. THE CONFLICT, AND—
II. ITS RESULT. “Thou hast power with God,” said He who had wrestled the whole
night with Jacob. Unequal conflict! God against man! Unheard of, incredible result! The
man overcomes! Jacob now learnt with whom he had had to do—not with a foe, but with
his best Friend. How is the soul astonished, when at the end of the darkest paths, in
which it was inclined to think that God had in wrath forgotten to be merciful, and to say,
“Is His mercy clean gone for ever?” it perceives in these very paths the most striking
condescension of the Lord, and the greatest kindness in a guidance which seemed only
to aim at its destruction. Then indeed a wonderful and glorious morning dawns. He
wrestled with God. God, therefore, seemed in some respects not to be for him, but
against him. God seemed not to be for him; for why was it otherwise with him with
regard to Esau than it had been with regard to Laban? Why did fear obtain such
possession of his mind without his being able to defend himself against it? Why did it
not depart at his humble prayer and thanksgiving? If God intended to do him good, why
did tie expose him to so much danger—and he at the same time so defenceless? If He
loved him, why did He ask him to let Him go? And why did He put him so entirely to
shame?. The Lord, however, seemed to be entirely against Jacob; against him with
words; for He must have said bitter things to him, otherwise why did he weep, as Hosed
informs us? He must have reproached, reproved, rejected, and threatened him;
otherwise why did he entreat Him? It did not rest in mere words: actions are added to
them. He increases Jacob’s distress by wrestling with him, and that so violently that
Jacob, according to the expression of Hosea, is obliged to resist with all his might. He
chooses for this purpose the night, a season the most appalling of all; and the period
when Jacob’s distress had, besides that, reached a terrific height, and when his fear was
great. By the dislocation of his thigh He deprived him of all strength, and rendered it
impossible for him to continue the conflict, although the ceasing from it was equally
impossible. He caused him pain. He casts him, as it were, defenceless before his enemy
by making escape impracticable. Jacob therefore found it necessary to defend himself,
and to strive against his adversary, be He who He might. And the Lord bears him
witness that he had struggled with God and had prevailed. With God? How wonderful!
What!-does God act in such a manner with men? Does He so degrade Himself as to
wrestle with a man—as man against man? It is not credible! Not credible? Thou shalt see
still greater and more unaccountable things than these. How wilt thou believe the latter
if the former are incredible to thee? Go to Bethlehem; there thou wilt find Him lying in a
manger as a little needy infant. Go to Jerusalem; there thou wilt see Him in the hands of
the wicked, who nail Him to the cross; there thou wilt behold Him crucified between two
malefactors, hear Him complain of being forsaken of God, see Him die, and witness His
interment. What sayest thou to these astonishing mysteries? If thou canst not believe the
less, how will it be with the greater? Jacob wrestled with God first with the exertion of all
his powers, in the most determined struggle, as long as he felt any power in himself; but
this only served to convince him that we do not gain the prize by our own efforts and
that the kingdom of peace is not taken by violence. This mode of wrestling was rendered
impracticable to him since he was deprived of the requisite power for it by the
dislocation of his thigh. The conflict was now obliged to be continued in an entirely
different manner—that is, by a passive conduct which the circumstances pointed out.
The paralyzed combatant had no alternative than that of casting himself into the arms of
Him who had thus disabled him, and, instead of exerting himself, to let himself be

181. carried; in other words—instead of caring for himself, to cast his burden upon the Lord—
to believe, and to turn from the law to the gospel. But why did God enter into such a
conflict with Jacob?
1. Because it pleased Him.
2. To give a particular proof of His condescension, how minutely He concerns
Himself about His people.
3. It serves also as a representation to others of the ways by which the Lord may lead
them in a similar manner to Jacob. It is true the Lord will scarcely think it needful to
enter into a bodily conflict with any one, although He is able, and really does,
exercise His children by temporal occurrences. There are instances in which, from
the time the individual was converted to God success no longer attends him, but
sicknesses or misfortunes befal himself or his family; nay, it may even be the case
that he himself is deprived of his natural ability to take charge of his affairs, and they
fall into confusion, however much he may exert himself and however cautiously he
may act, so that even in natural things he is put to shame. Generally speaking, those
to whom the Lord is willing to manifest Himself more intimately, as He did to Jacob,
experience many trials and much adversity for a period; and at length an Esau stands
in their way who threatens them with destruction—nay, not only an Esau, but the
Lord Himself. They are brought low in themselves that the Lord may be magnified.
They desire to be holy, strong, righteous, wise, believing, and good; they pray and
labour as much as possible; but instead of advancing forward they go back. They
increasingly exert themselves like Jacob, but only dislocate their limbs the more.
Whatever they lay hold of eludes their grasp; what they seek they do not obtain.
Jesus makes sinners of them without mercy, and their sin appears extremely sinful
to them by means of the commandment, however much they may moan and groan
on account of it. At length their very hip is dislocated; they can no longer maintain
their former footing, and nothing is left them but to yield themselves to the Son of
God at discretion, and creep, as chickens, under His expanded wings. O glorious
result, but highly disagreeable path to nature, to which nothing is left, and to which
nothing ought to be left! Here it is manifest that the mystery of godliness is great.
But what was the result of the conflict? It is described in the unparalleled words,
“Thou hast had power with God, and hast prevailed.” Jacob therefore, gained the
victory over God; nay, he gained it of necessity. And why? God could not strive with
him as the Almighty, or as the Holy One, because He had bound His own hands by
His truth and by His promise, “I will do thee good.” God had rendered it impossible
for Him to strive with Jacob in such a manner as would have resulted in his ruin.
This would have been at complete variance with His truth, the thoughts of peace He
had towards him, and with the whole contents of the covenant of grace, as well as the
spiritual espousals of the Lord with His Church. He could, therefore, only strive
against him in love, and do him no further injury than the glory of God and Jacob’s
salvation necessarily required. Under these circumstances, therefore, Jacob could
not fail to succeed. He saves sinners and justifies the ungodly. Now, since He has
said this Himself, He cannot treat those who are sinners and ungodly in any other
manner. “As a prince thou hast had power with God.” Wherein consisted his princely
conduct? He was sincere, and did not wish to appear before God better than he really
was. He confessed his sins by frankly owning that he was afraid. He believed the
word which the Lord had spoken. (D. C. Krummacher.)

182. Jacob at Penuel; or, the interpretation of life
I. Jacob had at Penuel the mystery of his past life interpreted to him. His miseries and
hardships were in consequence of his mingling fraud and treachery with his Divinely-
ordered destiny. Had he never fallen into crooked ways, he had never halted on his
thigh.
II. Jacob had at Peniel the secret of true life interpreted to him. An attitude of
supplication and submission, rather than resistance. Human ends are best achieved by
Divine assistance.
III. Jacob at Penuel had the highest type of human life revealed to him. He feels himself
brought into more immediate personal relations with God at Peniel, than when visited
by the Angels of God at Bethel So higher subjects occupy his thoughts. And his desires
are now elevated and enlarged. (W. Roberts.)
The changed name
There is one result of this change of name, which is familiar to us all, and will continue to
the end of time: the descendants of the patriarch Jacob became known as the Children of
Israel. My text, in this connection, shows the origin of the change. Jacob was a man of
prayer. It was good for him to draw near to God; and surely God drew near to him this
memorable night. In the likeness of a man He approached, “and wrestled with Jacob
until the breaking of the day.” It was an age of figures and emblems; things physical were
used to denote things spiritual; and doubtless, in this midnight conflict, Jacob’s
prayerfulness was tried. And how does he stand the test? The Divine wrestler prevailed
not against him Jacob’s faith was not weakened by the protraction of the struggle. Here
is a model for us—a model of closeness of communion, of unwavering confidence, of
pious importunity in prayer. And if a model, what an encouragement! The change of
name. Observe his first name—Jacob. This is a word which conveys no favourable omen;
it means “supplanter”—“one taking hold of the heel”—“a layer of snares.” It suggests a
very faulty character. A man who is ready to descend to petty shifts and crafty
stratagems, in order to gain some personal advantage, can never be ranked with the
loftiest of his fellows. Jacob, the supplanter does not show to advantage besides Daniel,
or beside his own son, Joseph. But now observe his second name Israel. What a
difference of meaning—“a prince of God.” The difference between the two names is
immense; so that it is difficult to imagine how both could belong to one man. For here is
a prince of loftiest creation—other titles are bestowed by earthly sovereigns, but this by
the King of kings.
1. It is a title implying the loftiest service. Some royal commissions are of doubtful
dignity, but this is given by One “glorious in holiness.”
2. It implies the loftiest communion. A prince has access to the throne at times when
others are debarred. A “prince of God” is one who holds intimate fellowship with
Jehovah.
3. It implies, also, the loftiest influence. All ranks look up to the prince. So, O Israel,
shall all people look up to thee. And why this change? It was the reward of faith in
God; “as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” The
blessing Isaac gave him, he got by fraud; but this which God gives him, he got by
faith. Brother, what is your first name? What does God call you in your unregenerate
state? Names that you might well blush to bear; names that your natural pride can

183. hardly tolerate to listen to; names which often perhaps awake your anger and your
enmity! Listen! for it is God that speaks. He calls you names of complaint, of
reproach, of threatening. He calls you unmindful, unjust, ungrateful; calls you
foolish, depraved, corrupt; earthly, sensual, devilish; a child of wrath and heir of
perdition. These, and such as these, are the names you bear. And, O my brother!
these names are more than names—they denote facts; they express realities! What
complacency can you have, then, in your degenerate state? how bear to reflect on the
being that you arc? One might fancy that Jacob never thought on the meaning of his
first name without being ashamed! and can you think of the names that belong to
you without burning shame? But is it not possible to change your name? Must you
always go about with the brand on your brow? Read this sacred book and see! Here I
find the record of not a few whose names God changed. And the change—O how
marvellous! They were sinners against God—now they are called Saints of God. They
were condemned—but are now justified; pronounced guilty—but are now declared
righteous. They were once rebels—they are now subjects, servants, friends. “They are
called God’s people, that were not God’s people; and those beloved, that were not
beloved.” Nay, brethren, there are dearer titles still—titles which admit them into
God’s family, and permit them to share His glory. And it is no mockery to say that
these are given to the same persons who once bore those hard and repellent names.
The monarch’s sword has been ]aid on the shoulder—or rather, instead of the sword,
the “golden sceptre” of Divine favour; and the name has been declared changed.
Down, child of wrath—Rise, child of God! Down, heir of perdition—Rise, heir of
heaven! It is this that has moved the wonder and fired the praise of multitudes gone
before us. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the children of God.” “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ.” How has this change been brought about? By faith in God!
Taking Him at His word—meeting Him as He approaches—laying hold of His
strength—and resolving not to let Him go until He bless you! (F. Tucker, B. A.)
Love the true interpreter
There is no such thing as interpreting the will of God unless we have in us the spirit of
children. What is the spirit of children? Love—confidence. If a man comes to the
interpretation of adverse or of fortunate events in the spirit of pride, he will never know
their meaning: God locks up His best blessings, but gives to every man a key wherewith
to open the lock. One man takes his key, and goes up to the lock and tries to unlock it;
but his key will not fit; it will not go in, because it is pride that he has been trying to
unlock with. Another man says, “Let me try my key.” He takes vanity; but he finds that
vanity will not unlock the door of Divine Providence and reveal the secrets that are
within. Another man comes up with the key of wilful selfishness. His key is three times
as big as the keyhole, and he can’t get in. They all fail to unlock the door, and go away. By
and by another man comes. He puts his key to the lock, it slides in; there is not a ward
that it does not touch; the bolt slides back without a sound, and the door swings open.
He knows the secret. He comes in the spirit of love, obedience, and resignation, and to
him God’s will is revealed. Pride could not open the door; vanity could not open it;
selfishness could not open it: love could open it. (H. W. Beecher.)
Power of young men

184. Ah! young men, what power you have! I remember reading in a fairy-tale that a whole
city was in one night changed into stone. There stood a war horse, with nostrils
distended, caparisoned for the battle. There stood the warrior, with his stone hand on
the cold mane of that petrified horse. All is still, lifeless, death-like, silent. Then the
trumpet’s blast is heard ringing through the clear atmosphere; the warrior leaps upon
his steed; the horse utters the war-neigh, and starts forth to battle; and the warrior, with
his lance in rest, rides on to victory. Now, young men, put the trumpet to your lips, blow
a blast that shall wake the dead stocks and stones, and on, on—upward to victory over all
evil habits and evil influences surrounding you. (J. B. Gough.)
Prevailing prayer
A little more than two centuries ago a thoroughly devoted English minister was full of
anxiety in view of the dangers that threatened many of the seamen who belonged to his
parish. They were about to engage in a fearful battle with the French, and be exposed to
all the perils of the fight. His heart yearning over them, he calls together his people, and
appoints a day of fasting and prayer, that the shield of the Almighty might be thrown
before them in the day of battle. It is said the good man wrestled in prayer as in an
agony, that the seamen might be preserved in the hour of danger. When the battle was
over, it was found that John Flavel too had wrestled with the angel; that he was a prince
with God, and had prevailed. His prayers were a wall of defence round about those for
whom he pleaded. Not a single sailor from Dartmouth was lost, though many of them
were in the hottest of the fight. If the real history of many a soldier in our fearful civil
war were written, it would doubtless be found that he came forth unscathed because
defended by the believing prayers of a Christian wife, mother, or sister.
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”
Then he blessed him there.
CLARKE, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name - It is very likely that Jacob wished to
know the name of this angel, that he might invoke him in his necessities: but this might
have led him into idolatry, for the doctrine of the incarnation could be but little

185. understood at this time; hence, he refuses to give himself any name, yet shows himself to
be the true God, and so Jacob understood him; (see Gen_32:28); but he wished to have
heard from his own lips that name by which he desired to be invoked and worshipped.
Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? - Canst thou be ignorant
who I am? And he blessed him there - gave him the new heart and the new nature which
God alone can give to fallen man, and by the change he wrought in him, sufficiently
showed who he was. After this clause the Aldine edition of the Septuagint, and several
MSS., add ᆇ εστι θαυµαστον, or και τουτο εστι θαυµαστον, which is wonderful; but this
addition seems to have been taken from Jdg_13:18.
GILL, "And Jacob asked him, and said, tell me, I pray thee, thy name,....
Being asked his own name, and told it, and having another given him more significative
and expressive, he is emboldened to ask the person that wrestled with him what was his
name; Exo_3:13; for Jacob knew that he was God, as appears by his earnest desire to be
blessed by him; and he knew it by the declaration just made, that he had power with God
as a prince; but he hoped to have some name, taken by him from the place or
circumstance of things in which he was, whereby he might the better remember this
affair; as he was pleased to call himself the God of Bethel, from his appearance to Jacob
there, Gen_31:13; therefore since he did not choose to give him his name, Jacob himself
imposed one on the place afterwards, as a memorial of God being seen by him there:
and he said, wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? which is both a
reproof of his curiosity, and a denial of his request; signifying that he had no need to put
that question, it was enough for him that he had got the blessing, and which he
confirms:
and he blessed him there; in the same place, as the Vulgate Latin version, where he
had been wrestling with him, as he was taking his leave of him; for this was a farewell
blessing, and a confirmation of that he had received, through the name of Israel being
given him.
HE RY, " He dismisses him with a blessing, Gen_32:29. Jacob desired to know the
angel's name, that he might, according to his capacity, do him honour, Jdg_13:17. But
that request was denied, that he might not be too proud of his conquest, nor think he
had the angel at such an advantage as to oblige him to what he pleased. No, “Wherefore
dost thou ask after my name? What good will it do thee to know that?” The discovery of
that was reserved for his death-bed, upon which he was taught to call him Shiloh. But,
instead of telling him his name, he gave him his blessing, which was the thing he
wrestled for: He blessed him there, repeated and ratified the blessing formerly given
him. Note, Spiritual blessings, which secure our felicity, are better and much more
desirable than fine notions which satisfy our curiosity. An interest in the angel's blessing
is better than an acquaintance with his name. The tree of life is better than the tree of
knowledge. Thus Jacob carried his point; a blessing he wrestled for, and a blessing he
had; nor did ever any of his praying seed seek in vain. See how wonderfully God
condescends to countenance and crown importunate prayer: those that resolve, though
God slay them, yet to trust in him, will, at length, be more than conquerors.
JAMIESO , "Jacob asked, Tell me ... thy name — The request was denied that
he might not be too elated with his conquest nor suppose that he had obtained such

186. advantage over the angel as to make him do what he pleased.
HAWKER, "Genesis 32:29-31
The disjointed thigh testified what the Lord could have done. Sweet is it to have divine
strength perfected in human weakness. What was Paul’s experience but this, when
carrying about with him in his body, the dying of the Lord Jesus. Gal_6:17. Reader!
observe it is always sunshine in the soul, in or soon after seasons of divine communion.
CALVI , "29.Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. This seems opposed to what is declared above;
for I have lately said, that when Jacob sought a blessing, it was a token of his submission. Why,
therefore, as if he were of doubtful mind, does he now inquire the name of him whom he had
before acknowledged to be God? But the solution of the question is easy; for, though Jacob does
acknowledge God, yet, not content will an obscure and slight knowledge, he wishes to ascend
higher. And it is not to be wondered at, that the holy man, to whom God had manifested himself
under so many veils and coverings, that he had not yet obtained any clear knowledge of him,
should break forth in this wish; nay, it is certain that all the saints, under the law, were inflamed
with this desire. Such a prayer also of Manoah, is read in Jude 13:18, to which the answer from
God is added, except that there, the Lord pronounces his name to be wonderful and secret, in
order that Manoah may not proceed further. The sum therefore is this, that though Jacob’s wish
was pious, the Lord does not grant it, because the time of full revelation was not yet completed:
for the fathers, in the beginning, were required to walk in the twilight of morning; and the Lord
manifested himself to them, by degrees, until, at length, Christ the Sun of Righteousness arose, in
whom perfect brightness shines forth. This is the reason why he rendered himself more
conspicuous to Moses, who nevertheless was only permitted to behold his glory from behind: yet
because he occupied an intermediate place between patriarchs and apostles, he is said, in
comparison with them, to have seen, face to face, the God Who had been hidden from the
fathers. But now, since God has approached more nearly unto us, our ingratitude is most impious
and detestable, if we do not run to meet with ardent desire to obtain such great grace; as also
Peter admonishes us in the first chapter of his first epistle. (1 Peter 1:12.) It is to be observed, that
although Jacob piously desires to know God more fully, yet, because he is carried beyond the
bounds prescribed to the age in which he lived, he suffers a repulse: for the Lord, cutting short his
wish, commands him to rest contented with his own blessing. But if that measure of illumination
which we have received, was denied to the holy man, how intolerable will be our curiosity, if it
breaks forth beyond the contended limit now prescribed by God.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:29-30. Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? — Canst thou be at any
loss to know who I am? The discovery of that was reserved for his death-bed, upon which he was
taught to call him Shiloh. But instead of telling him his name, he gave him his blessing, which was
the thing Jacob wrestled for; he blessed him there — Repeated and ratified the blessing formerly
given him. See how wonderfully God condescends to countenance and crown importunate prayer!
Those that resolve, though God slay them, yet to trust him, will at length be more than
conquerors. Peniel — That is, the face of God. For I have seen God face to face — Not in his
divine essence, for no man ever saw God in that respect, John 1:18; but manifested in a more
satisfactory, familiar, and friendly manner, than in dreams or visions.
COKE, "Genesis 32:29. And Jacob said,—Tell me, I pray thee, thy name— i.e.. That I may do
thee honour, and pay thee worship, under that peculiar attribute and title which suits this
condescension and revelation of thyself to me. The Divine Person replies, Wherefore is it that
thou dost ask after my name? as much as to say, Can'st thou be ignorant who I am, or how I have
regarded thee and thy family? I who am the God of Beth-el, &c. But, fully to satisfy thee, I will
bless thee; that is, most probably, renew to thee the Abrahamic blessing. For we find that Jacob
doubted no longer: he gave the place the name of Penuel, or Peniel, immediately; and he adds,
because I have seen God face to face, i.e.. have had an immediate and direct revelation of God to

187. me. See ch. Genesis 35:9. and note on ch. Genesis 16:13.
PULPIT, "And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. A request indicating
great boldness on the part of Jacob—the boldness of faith (Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:19); and
importing a desire on Jacob's part to be acquainted, not merely with the designation, but with the
mysterious character of the Divine personage with whom he had been contending. And he (the
mysterious stranger) said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? Cf. 13:18, where the
angel gives the same reply to Manoah, adding, "seeing it is secret;" literally, wonderful, i.e.
incomprehensible to mortal man; though here the words of Jacob's antagonist may mean that his
name, so far as it could be learnt by man, was already plain from the occurrence which had taken
place (Murphy, 'Speaker's Commentary,' Bush). And he blessed him there. After this, every
vestige of doubt disappeared from the soul of Jacob.
TRAPP, "Ver. 29. And he blessed him there.] That was a better thing to Jacob than to answer his
curious request of knowing the angel’s name. So when the disciples asked our Saviour, [Acts 1:6]
"Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" "It is not for you to know the times,"
saith he, "but ye shall receive the Holy Ghost"; that is better for you, &c. [Acts 1:8] God sometimes
doth not only "grant a man’s prayer," but "fulfil his counsel." [Psalms 20:4] This if he do not,
because we sometimes ask we know not what, yet some better thing we shall be sure of. "I will
strengthen the house of Judah, and they shall be as if I had not cast them off l and I will hear
them." [Zechariah 10:6]
SBC, "Genesis 32:29
This is the question of all questions. For the name of God denotes His nature and His
essence, the sum of all His properties and attributes.
I. It is a question worth the asking. There is a despair of religious knowledge in the
world, as though in God’s rich universe, Theology, which is the science of God Himself,
were the one field in which no harvest could be reaped, no service of sacred knowledge
gained.
II. The knowledge of God is the one thing needful. He who seeks to do the work of a
Paley in presenting Christian evidences in a sense conformable to the intellectual state of
thoughtful men, as the shadows are folding themselves about this wearied century—
above all, he who cultivates and disciplines his spirituality until it has become the central
fact of his being—it is he who offers in a right and reverent spirit the prayer of Jacob at
Peniel, "Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name."
III. It is necessary not only to ask the great question of the Divine nature, but to ask it in
a right spirit. Jacob acted as though there were no other way of asking the question
aright than by prayer; he must also ask it at the cost of personal suffering.
IV. What is the answer when it comes? Jacob’s question was asked, but was not
answered; or, rather, it was answered not directly and in so many words, but effectually:
"He blessed him there." It is not knowledge that God gives to striving souls, but blessing.
He stills your doubtings; He helps you to trust Him. You go forth no longer as Jacob, the
supplanter, mean, earthly, temporal, but in the power of a Divine enthusiasm, as an
Israel, a prince with God.
J. E. C. Welldon, The Anglican Pulpit of To-day, p. 428.
Reference: A. Fletcher, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. xi., p. 413.

188. Genesis 32:29
God blessed Jacob at Peniel because he asked to be blessed, and his desire for it
constituted at once his worthiness and his capacity. He began the blessing by the agony
of prayer, and he completed it with the discipline of sorrow.
I. Life being itself a blessing, and to one who believes in God and hopes for Him the
greatest of all blessings, God makes it a yet greater blessing by ordaining for it a fixed
plan.
II. God does not expect perfect characters to fulfil His purpose. He chooses the fittest
instruments He can find for His purest purposes, and trains them and bears with them
until their work is done.
III. God uses circumstances as His angels and voices to us, and He has special epochs
and crises in which He visits our souls and lives.
IV. The perfection of youth is eagerness without impetuosity; the perfection of old age is
wisdom without cynicism, and a faith in the purpose of God which deepens and widens
with the years.
Bishop Thorold, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxi., p. 145.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name
The great question
This is the question of all questions.
For the name of God denotes His nature and His essence, the sum of all His properties
and attributes.
I. It is a question worth the asking. There is a despair of religious knowledge in the
world, as though in God’s rich universe, theology, which is the science of God Himself,
were the one field in which no harvest could be reaped, no service of sacred knowledge
gained.
II. The knowledge of God is the one thing needful. He who seeks to do the work of a
Paley in presenting Christian evidences in a sense conformable to the intellectual state of
thoughtful men, as the shadows are folding themselves about this wearied century—
above all, he who cultivates and disciplines his spirituality until it has become the central
fact of his being—it is he who offers in a right and reverent spirit the prayer of Jacob at
Penuel, “Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name.”
III. It is necessary not only to ask the great question of the Divine nature, but to ask it in
a right spirit. Jacob acted as though there were no other way of asking the question
aright than by prayer; he must also ask it at the cost of personal suffering.
IV. What is the answer when it comes? Jacob’s question was asked, but was not
answered; or, rather, it was answered not directly and in so many words, but effectually:
“He blessed him there.” It is not knowledge that God gives to striving souls, but blessing.
He stills your doubtings; He helps you to trust Him. You go forth no longer as Jacob, the
supplanter, mean, earthly, temporal, but in the power of a Divine enthusiasm, as an
Israel, a prince with God. (J. E. C. Welldon, M. A.)

189. Inquiry and reply
The Lord had asked Jacob how he was called, not as if He did not know it, but in order to
give him a name more in accordance with his present state of grace. Jacob, meanwhile,
feels emboldened to ask his antagonist His name. It may be that he was desirous of
knowing how the Lord ought properly to be called. He was usually called “Elohim”—the
Most High. God Himself had said to Abraham, “I am the El Shaddai, the Almighty or All-
sufficient God.” He was also called simply El, the Strong One. But these appellations no
longer satisfied the patriarch after his recent experience. They all expressed something
of the Divine glory, but none of them the whole of it. There was probably an ardour in
his soul, which would gladly have poured itself out in hymns of praise, but for which he
could not find words. But Jacob doubtless was not anxious merely about the name when
he said, “Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name.” I think he meant to say by it, “Lord, how shall
I call Thee? I know not what to think, much less to say. Such a condescension as that
which Thou hast shown to me, who am but dust, is more than my heart could have
remotely anticipated. I know and confess that Thou, O Lord! art wonderful and gracious.
It was Thou who madest me competent to all this, and yet commendest me, as if I, a
poor timid creature, had done it of myself. Thou, who art the Holy One, sufferest Thyself
to be embraced by my unholy arms; Thou, who art Almighty, to be overcome by one so
weak as I! This is too much, this is too wonderful and too lofty; I cannot comprehend it.
Tell me, what is Thy name? What shall I say of Thee? for I know not. Who, indeed, can
know how he ought to bless, praise, exalt, and extol Thee as he ought, when he learns
and is conscious of what Thou doest to Thy children? “If it had been said to Jacob, thus
filled with God,” This that the Lord hath now done unto thee is something very trifling
compared with that which He is willing to do for thee. He has, in this instance, assumed
the human form only for a short time; but in the fulness of time He will really be born of
a woman, and not spend merely a few hours, but three-and-thirty years, upon earth;
suffer in body and soul the most extreme anguish; and even die for Israel that they may
live. And the people will not meet Him, as thou hast done, with prayers and tears, but
with great wrath and bitter fury will they do Him all conceivable injury; whilst He, from
love, will bear it as a lamb.” If the patriarch could then have been told these things—
which were not fitted, however, for that period—“Oh,” he would have exclaimed, by
God’s grace, “I can believe it! I can believe it! What can be too much for Him to
perform?” Had he been told that He would be called Love, he would have exclaimed,
“That is His true name!”’ And who can say what an insight Jacob may have obtained into
the mystery of salvation during this event, and of which he uttered many things in his
parting blessing? At least, Jesus says of Abraham, “He saw my day, and was glad.” But
“tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name. Reveal Thyself more intimately to my soul.” Such a
desire is very laudable. Christ declares that “this is life eternal, that they might know
Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” Paul found so much
comprised in the knowledge of Jesus Christ that he regarded everything else in
comparison with it as loss and dung. Moses also once experienced such a strong desire
that he prayed, saying, “If I have now found grace in Thy sight, I beseech Thee show me
Thy glory.” And the Lord really granted him his request, as far as was possible. Who
would not tong for such an acquaintance, and pray, “Make Thyself known to me; cause
Thy face to shine upon me; make me acquainted with Thee!” especially since we have the
promise, “Thou shalt know the Lord”? Certainly this is a pearl worthy of the whole of our
poor property; a treasure for the sake of which we may well sell everything in order to
obtain it. But it is only in the light of God that we see light. Blessed are the eyes which
see what ye see. “Flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in
heaven.” The Lord does all things well in due time, in general, as well as in particular—

190. He only knows also the proper manner; and hence we must be content to be told, “my
hour is not yet come.” Jacob’s question was also fully answered; eternity, however, is
destined for its further elucidation. Israel thought he might then become acquainted
with the whole mystery of redemption; but a couple of centuries must elapse ere it was
fully made known. Israel was obliged to learn to wait—to see the promises afar off, and
to be satisfied with it. He was satisfied, and held his peace. (D. C. Krumreacher.)
The search after God
In this experience there seem to be three things—a request, a denial, and a
compensation.
I. THE REQUEST here, as Jacob urges it, is this: “Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name.”
1. The manner is bold and abrupt. It appears strange, sometimes, as we note the real
prayers on record in the Bible, to find them so short, so sharp, so resolute in
utterance. “Master, carest Thou not that we perish!”—“Lord, remember me when
Thou comest into Thy kingdom!” . . . Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”—
“Lord, save me, I perish!” It is an old Reformer’s saying: “Prayer is the Christian’s
gun-shot. As then the bullet out of a gun, so prayers out of the mouth, can go no
further than they are carried. If they be put out faintly, they cannot fly far. If they be
hollow-hearted, then they will not pierce much. Only the fervent, active devotion hits
the mark, and pierceth the walls of heaven, though, like those of Gaza, made of brass
and iron.”
2. But what does this request of Jacob’s mean? Indeed, it seems quite fair to retort
the question of the angel. Jacob asked to know the name of the Being he had been
wrestling with. Most surely, we are not left to imagine he still remained in ignorance
who his antagonist was. You have already learned, from the change in Jacob’s own
name, that names in those days meant character—indicated personality. And when
this wearied man girds up his remaining force for a new petition, he is simply
pressing the old answerless question of the human soul: Who is God—and What is
God?
3. The order of experience in this heart-history is of special value, and must be noted
also. It follows success and not failure. It best becomes, therefore, the symbol of
prayer founded on encouragement. It suggests to us a rewarded soul standing on the
vantage-ground of a previous welcome, and stretching out its hand for a yet more
advanced disclosure of love.
II. THE DENIAL. It seems to be the settled determination of the Divine will to hold in a
holy and unbroken reserve the heights and depths of His character and being. Enough
only is revealed for us to be sure He is our friend and our well-wisher. It cannot be called
an unwholesome question, this in our text, even though it never meets an earthly
answer. It stimulates the soul. Even a reverent curiosity about God is better than a dead
apathy.
III. THE COMPENSATION. “And He blessed him there.” There is something
surpassingly beautiful in this quiet statement. The mystery remains unrelieved, but the
affection pays for it. Just as a loving mother grants every wish of her little one, until a
serious mistake is pressed as a petition. Then she declines with a smile, and compensates
with a kiss, so that the child is glad to be disappointed. And that is exactly the delicate
figure of the Scripture: “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you,”

191. saith the Lord. But now you press the inquiry—Is there any answer to the old question—
does not this same Being, who is to judge us at the last, as He made us in the beginning,
elude our every search—oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even
to His seat—has He no word to speak to me? Yes—I answer; there are two disclosures at
least in this experience of compensation that give relief. They are always made. They are
here, as elsewhere, in the story of Jacob. One of these is a clear revelation of the right of
human petition. The other is a new repetition of Divine confidence. (C. S. Robinson, D.
D.)
The secret revealed to wrestling Jacob
I. Jacob in that hour felt THE DARK SECRET AND MYSTERY OF EXISTENCE.
1. The contrast observable between this and a former revelation made to Jacob’s
soul. Twenty years before he had seen in vision a ladder reared against the sky, and
angels ascending and descending on it. Exceedingly remarkable. Immediately after
his transgression, when leaving his father’s home, a banished man, to be a wanderer
for many years, this first meeting took place. Fresh from his sin, God met him in
tenderness and forgiveness. After twenty years God met him again; but this second
intercourse was of a very different character. It was no longer God the Forgiver, God
the Protector, God the covenanting Love, that met Jacob; but God the Awful, the
Unnameable, whose breath blasts, at whose touch the flesh of the mortal shrinks and
shrivels up.
2. Again I remark, that the end and aim of Jacob’s struggle was to know the name of
God. “Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name.” In the Hebrew history are discernible three
periods distinctly marked, in which names and words bore very different characters.
These three, it has been observed by acute philologists, correspond to the periods in
which the nation bore the three different appellations of Hebrews, Israelites, Jews.
In the first of these periods, names meant truths, and words were the symbols of
realities. The characteristics of the names given then were simplicity and sincerity.
They were drawn from a few simple sources: either from some characteristic of the
individual, as Jacob, the supplanter, or Moses, drawn from the water; or from the
idea of family, as Benjamin, the son of my right hand; or from the conception of the
tribe or nation, then gradually consolidating itself; or, lastly, from the religious idea
of God. But in this case not the highest notion of God—not Jah or Jehovah, but
simply the safer and simpler idea of Deity. The second period begins about the time
of the departure from Egypt, and it is characterized by unabated simplicity, with the
addition of sublimer thought and feeling more intensely religious. The heart of the
nation was big with mighty and new religious truth—and the feelings with which the
national heart was swelling found vent in the names which were given abundantly.
God, under His name Jah, the noblest assemblage of spiritual truths yet conceived,
became the adjunct to names of places and persons. Oshea’s name is changed into
Jehoshua. The third period was at its zenith in the time of Christ—words had lost
their meaning, and shared the hollow unreal state of all things. A man’s name might
be Judas, and still he might be a traitor. Yet in this period, exactly in proportion as
the solemnity of the idea was gone, reverence was scrupulously paid to the corpse-
like word which remained and had once enclosed it. In that hollow, artificial age, the
Jew would wipe his pen before he ventured to write the Name—he would leave out
the vowels of the sacred Jehovah, and substitute those of the less sacred Elohim. In
that kind of age, too, men bow to the name of Jesus, often just in that proportion in

192. which they have ceased to recognize His true grandeur and majesty of character. In
such an age it would be indeed preposterous to spend the strength upon an inquiry
such as this—“Tell me Thy name?” Jehovah, Jove, or Lord what matter? But Jacob
did not live in this third period, when names meant nothing; nor did he live in the
second, when words contained the deepest truth the nation is ever destined to
receive. But he lived in the first age, when men are sincere, and truthful, and earnest,
and names exhibit character. To tell Jacob the name of God was to reveal to him
what God is and who.
3. This desire of Jacob was not the one we should naturally have expected on such an
occasion. He is alone—his past fault is coming retributively on a guilty conscience—
he dreads the meeting with his brother. His soul is agonized with that, and that we
naturally expect will be the subject and the burden of his prayer. No such thing l Not
a word about Esau—not a word about personal danger at all. All that is banished
completely for the time, and deeper thoughts are grappling with his soul. To get safe
through to-morrow? No, no, no! To be blessed by God—to know Him, and what He
is—that is the battle of Jacob’s soul from sunset till the dawn of day. And this is our
struggle—the struggle.
II. THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY.
1. It was revealed by awe. Very significantly are we told that the Divine antagonist
seemed as it were anxious to depart as the day was about to dawn; and that Jacob
held Him more convulsively fast, as if aware that the daylight was likely to rob him of
his anticipated blessing; in which there seems concealed a very deep truth. God is
approached more nearly in that which is indefinite than in that which is definite and
distinct. He is felt in awe, and Wonder and worship, rather than in clear conceptions.
2. Again, this revelation was made in an unsyllabled blessing. Jacob requested two
things. He asked for a blessing—and he prayed to know the name of God. God gave
him the blessing. “He blessed him there,” but refused to tell His name. “Wherefore
dost thou ask after My name?” In this, too, seems to lie a most important truth.
Names have a power, a strange power, of hiding God. Speech has been bitterly
defined as the art of hiding thought. Well, that sarcastic definition has in it a truth.
The Eternal Word is the revealer of God’s thought; and every true word of man is
originally the expression of a thought; but by degrees the word hides the thought.
Language is valuable for the things of this life; but for the things of the other world, it
is an encumbrance almost as much as an assistance. Lastly, the effect of this
revelation was to change Jacob’s character. His name was changed from Jacob to
Israel, because himself was an altered man. Hitherto there had been something
subtle in his character—a certain cunning and craft—a want of breadth, as if he had
no firm footing upon reality. The forgiveness of God twenty years before had not
altered this. He remained Jacob, the subtle supplanter still. For, indeed, a man
whose religion is chiefly the sense of forgiveness, does not thereby rise into integrity
or firmness of character—a certain tenderness of character may very easily go along
with a great deal of subtlety. Jacob was tender and devout, and grateful for God’s
pardon, and only half honest still. But this half-insincere man is brought into contact
with the awful God, and his subtlety falls from him. He becomes real at once. Every
insincere habit of mind shrivels in the face of God. One clear, true glance into the
depths of Being, and the whole man is altered. The name changes because the
character has changed, No longer Jacob the supplanter, but Israel the Prince of
God—the champion of the Lord, who had fought with God and conquered; and who,
henceforth, will fight for God and be His true loyal soldier: a larger, more unselfish

193. name—a larger and more unselfish man—honest and true at last. No man becomes
honest till he has got face toface with God. (F. W. Robertson, M. A.)
Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after My name?—
God’s revelation of Himself to Jacob
This answer of the Being—“Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after My name?”—what
does it mean? So far as I can judge, it is the same reply that was given long afterward to
the wise and learned Moses—“When I speak to the people, who shall I say hath sent me?
What is Thy name? . . . I am that I am. This shalt thou say, I AM hath sent me unto you”;
that is, as I think, “I am, the nameless One, the One who refuses to be named, whose
being transcends all description.” The highest revelation of God must consist of two
sides—the apprehensible, the inapprehensible. God must be the apprehensible and
inapprehensible God. Throughout the Bible He is introduced generally with the
definition and distinction of a high man; He talks, acts, feels before us as plainly as any
character in the history, and we have the satisfaction of the clearest knowledge. But were
this all, it would not have been God, and would have ended in the rankest idolatry. So in
this singular tale of Jacob—so far back—for the first time, I think, is there a revelation of
theinfinite, unspeakable God, manifested so simply in the fact that He refuses to be or
cannot be revealed. “Wherefore?” “I am.” (A. G. Mercer, D. D.)
He blessed him there
Blessing from God
God blessed Jacob at Penuel because he asked to be blessed, and his desire for it
constituted at once his worthiness and his capacity. He began the blessing by the agony
of prayer, and he completed it with the discipline of sorrow.
1. Life being itself a blessing, and to one who believes in God and hopes from Him
the greatest of all blessings, God makes it a yet greater blessing by ordaining for it a
fixed plan.
2. God does not expect perfect characters to fulfil His purposes. He chooses the
fittest instruments He can find for His purest purpose, and trains them and bears
with them until their work is done.
3. God uses circumstances as His angels and voices to us, and He has special epochs
and crises in which He visits our souls and lives.
4. The perfection of youth is eagerness without impetuosity; the perfection of old age
is wisdom without cynicism, and a faith in the purpose of God which deepens and
widens with the years. (Bishop Thorold.)
Fulness of blessing
1. Evil conduct will, sooner or later, bring trouble to those guilty of it.
2. We may meet with trouble in the way God bids us go.
3. The memory of former wrong-doing robs us of comfort and hope under new trials.

194. 4. God will help us if we repent, confess, seek pardon, and call for His aid.
I. THERE IS A FULNESS OF BLESSING IN GOD TO MEET OUR NEEDS BEYOND
ALL WE HAVE EVER REALIZED. We can have blessings spiritual, moral, mental,
physical, secular, personal, family, national.
II. GOD IS WILLING AND WAITING TO BESTOW ALL WE NEED OUT OF THAT
FULNESS. We see this from—
1. The nature of God. “God is love.”
2. The promises.
3. Past dealings.
III. THE MEANS BY WHICH THE BLESSING BECOMES OURS IS EARNEST,
FERVENT PRAYER. This the key that opens the treasure, the channel that conducts the
water to my soul, the hand that grasps the blessing. (J. Marsden, B. A.)
Blessed by God
I. WHAT WAS JACOB’S BLESSING IN THAT PLACE?
1. He was saved from a great peril—Esau’s attack.
2. He was forgiven a great wrong—supplanting.
3. He was able to feel that a great breach was healed (Gen_33:4).
4. He had won a new name and rank (Gen_32:28). He was knighted on the spot,
made a prince on the field.
5. He was now under a fresh anointing: he was a superior man ever after. “The angel
redeemed him from all evil” (Gen_48:16).
II. WHAT WAS THE PLACE? “He blessed him there.”
1. A place of great trial (Gen_32:6-7).
2. A place of humble confession. “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and
of all the truth, which Thou hast showed to Thy servant” (Gen_32:10).
3. A place of pleading (Gen_32:11-12). “There wrestled a man with him until the
breaking of the day” (Gen_32:24).
4. A place of communion. “I have seen God face to face” (Gen_32:30).
5. A place of conscious weakness. “As he passed over Penuel, the sun rose upon him,
and he halted upon his thigh.”
III. ARE THERE OTHER SUCH PLACES?
1. Before the earth was created the Lord blessed His chosen people in Christ Jesus
(Eph_1:3-4).
2. At the Cross the tomb, and the throne of Jesus.
3. In the heavenly places.
4. At conversion (Psa_32:1-2).
5. In times of stripping, humbling, chastening, pleading, &c. Jas_1:12).

195. 6. In times of prompt obedience (Psa_1:1).
7. At the ordinances (Act_8:39; Luk_24:30-31).
IV. IS THIS SUCH A PLACE? Yes, if you are—
1. Willing to give up sin.
2. Willing to have Jesus for your all in all.
3. Willing to resign yourself to the Father’s will.
4. Willing to serve God in His own way. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Lessons
1. God’s blessing on His saints unites their hearts unto Him to seek His praise.
2. Saints ascribe all their blessings to the face or favour of God.
3. Gracious souls desire that exaltations of God be monumental and perpetual.
4. God’s face-discoveries have been in measure to sight towards His saints of old.
5. God’s sensible discoveries of Himself have been dangerous to the life of His saints
(Dan_8:27).
6. God’s appearance, visible in grace, hath been to the preservation of humbled souls
(Gen_32:30).
7. God giveth a pass to His servants in their way after He hath tried them. (G.
Hughes, B. D.)
Jacob’s blessing
This blessing wherewith Christ here blessed Jacob was a Divine blessing containing all
other blessings within its bowels. It was that blessing of the throne which comprehended
in it the blessings of the footstool. Jacob had got already a great store of footstool
mercies—much wealth, wives and children, &c. These worldly blessings would not (and
indeed could not) content him. He tugs hard still, and must have some better mercy than
these, even the throne mercy, to wit, peace with God; well knowing that this would bring
peace with his brother, and all other good things; as Job saith, “Acquaint now thyself
with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee” (Job_22:21). He knew
that his power to prevail with Emmanuel Himself would fill him with power to prevail
with Esau. (Christopher Ness.)
Blessing sought and found
It was with a young man a day of seeking, and he entered a little sanctuary and heard a
sermon from “Look unto Me, and be ye saved.” He obeyed the Lord’s command, and “He
blessed him there.” Soon after he made a profession of his faith before many witnesses,
declaring his consecration to the Lord, and “He blessed him there.” Anon he began to
labour for the Lord in little rooms, among a few people, and “ He blessed him there.” His
opportunities enlarged, and by faith he ventured upon daring things for the Lord’s sake,

196. and “He blessed him there.” A household grew about him, and together with his loving
wife he tried to train his children in the fear of the Lord, and “He blessed him there.”
Then came sharp and frequent trial, and he was in pain and anguish, but the Lord
“blessed him there.” This is that man’s experience all along, from the day of his
conversion to this hour: up hill and down dale his path has been a varied one, but every
part of his pilgrimage he can praise the Lord, for “He blessed him there.”
Blessed by God
I have here (said Mr. Fuller) two religious characters, who were intimately acquainted in
early life. Providence favoured one of them with a tide of prosperity. The other, fearing
for his friend, lest his heart should be overcharged with the cares of this life and the
deceitfulness of riches, one day asked him if he did not find prosperity a snare to him.
He paused and answered, “I am not conscious that I do, for I enjoy God in all things.”
Some years afterwards his affairs took another turn; he lost, if not the whole, yet the far
greater part of what he had once gained, and by this disaster was greatly reduced. His
old friend, being one day in his company, renewed his question, whether he did not find
what had lately befallen him to be too much for him. Again he paused and answered,” I
am not conscious that I do, for now I enjoy all things in God.” This was truly a life of
faith. To him it was as true as to Jacob—“He blessed him there.” (Arvine’s Anecdotes.)
The present blessing
It is a common temptation to men to think that if their circumstances were different they
could become religious, put forth all its fruits, enjoy all its blessings; but with things as
they are they can hope for little. By this miserable temptation thousands are deluded, life
is wasted, souls are lest. What I wish to show is that the realization of salvation and the
maintenance of a holy life are possible to us anywhere, everywhere, if we have the true
disposition of heart. Goodness is never a question of the outer world; it is always a
question of the inner world. Now, in nature climate determines everything respecting
the animals which live, the flowers which grow; the character of the climate, not the
nature of the soil, or the conformation of the ground. It is from difference of climate that
tropical life differs so much from arctic, and both these from the life of temperate
regions. It is climate, and climate alone, that causes the orange and vine to blossom, and
the olive to flourish in the south, but denies them to the north of Europe. It is climate,
and climate alone, that enables the forest tree to grow on the plain, but not on the
mountain top; that causes wheat and barley to flourish on the mainland of Scotland, but
not on the steppes of Siberia. Not the quality of the ground, or the form of the ground,
but the climate; the products of the landscape are determined not by the soil itself, or by
what is below the soil, but by what is outside it, above it, beyond it. But human character
is not governed by circumstance as the landscape is determined by climate. The supreme
distinction of man, the characteristic that marks him out from the mere physical
universe, is that there is in him a self-energy, an inner freedom, a fundamental liberty
and strength of soul, by which he triumphs over the unfriendliest conditions in pursuit
of his ideal. How Demosthenes, in spite of his stammering, became an orator; how
Huber, in his love of science, triumphed over his blindness; how Beethoven created
splendid music despite his deafness! It is the same in the moral life of man; victory is
from within, no matter what may be the state of things without. The patriarch struggling
with the angel until he overcame is the picture of man’s ability to overcome all
difficulties in the way of the highest life, to realize purity and peace and uttermost
salvation. And so we constantly see men getting goodness and exemplifying goodness in

197. circumstances which seem altogether to forbid moral excellence. We see here how
mistaken men are in fancying that they cannot give themselves to God and live for Him
just where they find themselves. And yet that is a common mistake. Thousands to-day
are waiting for the propitious hour, the fitting place, the convenient season.
1. “I cannot serve God in this home,” says one. If their parents and friends had been
religious, if their training had been otherwise, it would have been otherwise with
them. Now, believe it, God can bless and keep you there. There was “ some good
thing in the house of Jeroboam,” the most unlikely house in Israel. Abijah was there,
a God-fearing and a God-favoured youth. Some little while ago I noticed in a field
quite a vast growth of fungi—yellow, purple, black, spotted, no end of toadstools and
devil’s snuff-boxes—and right in the middle of the ghastly, pestilent, poisonous
growth there was a single mushroom, white and fragrant, a veritable pearl of the
field. So Abijah stood in the house of Jeroboam.
2. “I cannot serve God in this neighbourhood,” says another. Ours is a bad
neighbourhood, say they, and nobody can live in it and be what they ought to be.
Have you never thought how wonderfully God preserved the primitive Christians in
such cities as Rome and Ephesus and Corinth, full of atheism, idolatry, sensuality, as
they were?
3. “I cannot serve God in this calling,” says another. They feel their business is
unfriendly to religious life, that their business relations are so. The tailor says, We
are a loose set; the shoemaker feels as if all his comrades were infidels; the horse-
dealer wants to know how he is going to keep a conscience; the collier, the soldier,
the sailor, feel how difficult it is with their vocation to serve God. Do not spend your
life sighing for another and more helpful calling; God can bless you where you are;
He can give you grace to resist the special temptations of your lot; m slippery places
He can make you to stand, in dark places He can make you to shine.
4. “I cannot serve God in this situation,” says another. The domestic servant feels
this sometimes. She lives where there is not a thought of religion, and it seems
incredible that she could keep her soul alive there. Seek God’s blessing now. That
was a strange place where Jacob wrestled with the angel, on the wild heath beneath
the stars; but he was resolute for the blessing, and he got it. Are you earnest for the
blessing as he was? (W. L.Watkinson.)
Deliverance from affliction
Be not earnest, in time of affliction, to use inordinate means to speed deliverance. Jacob
was too nimble in bending his knees for his father’s blessing. It cost him twenty years’
exile and a shrunk sinew before he obtained it fully from the angel. Stay God’s time, and
mercy will ripen more kindly. It is no wisdom to break prison unadvisedly; our troubles
will end more auspiciously when angels are sent from heaven to open the iron gate, as
they did to Peter, and led him to the house of prayer. When God intends a salvation, the
shackles will fall off easily, and the gates will fly open at night; and you shall be like them
that dream, when God turns your captivity like streams in the south. (J. Lee.)
Power of wrestling prayer
“There’s nae gude dune, John, till ye get to the close grips.” So said “Jeems,” the

198. doorkeeper of Broughton Place Church, Edinburgh, to the immortal Dr. John Brown,
the author of “Rab and His Friends.” Old Jeems got into a marvellous nearness with God
in prayer, and conversed with Him as he would with his “ain father.” (Dr. Cuyler.)
The name of that place Peniel
Peniel
This world possesses many uncommonly glorious places. The natural man finds those
the most remarkable where Nature manifests herself in peculiar splendour and majesty,
where lofty mountains yield delightful prospects, and smiling plains exhibit the blessings
of heaven; where majestic rivers roll along, or the wide ocean expands itself like an
eternity before the eye which seeks in vain its limit. The scientific man lingers with
pleasure on the monuments of ancient and modern art; he gazes with admiration at the
enormous dome which ancient times reared heavenwards, or is ravished with the
productions of the painter or the statuary, which animate, as it were, the lifeless canvas
and the solid marble. He admires the magnificence and beauty of princely palaces, and
lingers astonished at the works of art. The historian loses himself in reflection when
visiting the scene of former important events, when coming in sight of ancient Rome
with all its reminiscences; or when upon a field where memorable battles have been
fought. Who at this present period does not think with admiration of Wittenberg and its
royal chapel, of the Wartburg, of Zurich and Geneva, and of the names of Luther,
Zuinglius, and Calvin, because they remind us of a multiplicity of events connected with
them? The Christian has also his memorable spots and places in the world; Bethlehem,
Capernaum, Jerusalem, Calvary, and the Mount of Olives, are these remarkable spots.
Formerly they were personally visited by the piously superstitious pilgrim, whilst his
heart, perhaps, was far from God. His bodily eye saw the remarkable places, whilst the
eye of his spirit remained closed against the wonders which there took place for the
salvation of sinners. His feet wandered in what is called the Holy Land, where Abraham
once sojourned; which the Son of God touched with His sacred feet, and even with His
face; which He bedewed with His tears, His bloody sweat, and His atoning blood; in
which His lifeless body slumbered three days, and where He again rose to heaven from
whence He had come down. There the foot of many a pilgrim wanders, whilst it is not
given him to walk in the steps of faithful Abraham, and to know the way of peace—nay,
whilst rejecting the Son of God, by thinking to render his own works effectual as an
atonement for his sins. These places are Peniels to believers, revelations of the glory of
God, since His faith and love find the pastures of eternal life in that which there took
place. And has not every Christian his particular Peniels in which God revealed Himself
to him in an especial manner?—his closet, a sermon, a book, a company, a solitary hour,
and the like, which continue ever memorable to him. Jacob called this remarkable place
Peniel—not as a memorial of himself, nor of that which he had there performed and
accomplished; but of that which he had apprehended and experienced of God, and of the
gracious benefit bestowed upon him. (D. C. Krummacher.)

199. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[g] saying, “It
is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life
was spared.”
GILL, "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,.... In Gen_32:31; Penuel,
which signifies the face of God, or God hath looked upon me, or hath had respect to me:
there was afterwards a city built here, called by the same name; see Jdg_8:8; it is said
(k) to be four miles from Mahanaim; the reason of it follows:
for I have seen God face to face: it may be observed, that in wrestling men are face
to face, and in this position were Jacob and the man that wrestled with him; which he
seems to have respect unto, as well as to the familiarity and intimate communion he was
admitted to:
and my life is preserved: though he had wrestled with one so vastly superior to
himself, who could have easily crushed this worm Jacob to pieces, as he is sometimes
called; and though he had had such a sight of God as face to faces referring, as is
thought, to a notion that obtained early, even among good men, that upon sight of God a
man instantly died; though we have no example of that kind: but perhaps he observed
this for his encouragement; that whereas he had met with God himself, and wrestled
with him in the form of a man, and yet was preserved, he doubted not that, when he
should meet with his brother and debate matters with him, he should be safe and
unhurt.
HE RY, "Jacob gives a new name to the place; he calls it Peniel, the face of God
(Gen_32:30), because there he had seen the appearance of God, and obtained the favour
of God. Observe, The name he gives to the place preserves and perpetuates, not the
honour of his valour or victory, but only the honour of God's free grace. He does not say,
“In this place I wrestled with God, and prevailed;” but, “In this place I saw God face to
face, and my life was preserved;” not, “It was my praise that I came off a conqueror, but
it was God's mercy that I escaped with my life.” Note, It becomes those whom God
honours to take shame to themselves, and to admire the condescensions of his grace to
them. Thus David did, after God had sent him a gracious message (2Sa_7:18), Who am
I, O Lord God? 8. The memorandum Jacob carried of this in his bones: He halted on his
thigh (Gen_32:31); some think he continued to do so to his dying-day; and, if he did, he
had no reason to complain, for the honour and comfort he obtained by this struggle were
abundantly sufficient to countervail the damage, though he went limping to his grave.
He had no reason to look upon it as his reproach thus to bear in his body the marks of
the Lord Jesus (Gal_6:17); yet it might serve, like Paul's thorn in the flesh, to keep him
from being lifted up with the abundance of the revelations. Notice is taken of the sun's
rising upon him when he passed over Penuel; for it is sunrise with that soul that has
communion with God. The inspired penman mentions a traditional custom which the
seed of Jacob had, in remembrance of this, never to eat of that sinew, or muscle, in any

200. beast, by which the hip-bone is fixed in its cup: thus they preserved the memorial of this
story, and gave occasion to their children to enquire concerning it; they also did honour
to the memory of Jacob. And this use we may still make of it, to acknowledge the mercy
of God, and our obligations to Jesus Christ, that we may now keep up our communion
with God, in faith, hope, and love, without peril either of life or limb.
CALVI , "30.And Jacob called the name of the place (110) The gratitude of our father Jacob is
again commended, because he took diligent care that the memory of God’s grace should never
perish. He therefore leaves a monument to posterity, from which they might know that God had
appeared there; for this was not a private vision, but had reference to the whole Church.
Moreover, Jacob not only declares that he has seen the face of God, but also gives thanks that he
has been snatched from death. This language frequently occurs in the Scriptures, and was
common among the ancient people; and not without reason; for, if the earth trembles at the
presence of God, if the mountains melt, if darkness overspreads the heavens, what must happen
to miserable men! Nay, since the immense majesty of God cannot be comprehended even by
angels, but rather absorbs them; were his glory to shine on us it would destroy us, and reduce us
to nothing, unless he sustained and protected us. So long as we do not perceive God to be
present, we proudly please ourselves; and this is the imaginary life which the flesh foolishly
arrogates to itself when it inclines towards the earth. But the faithful, when God reveals himself to
them, feel themselves to be more evanescent than any smoke. Finally; would we bring down the
pride of the flesh, we must draw near to God. So Jacob confesses that, by the special indulgence
of God, he had been rescued from destruction when he saw God. It may however be asked,
“Why, when he had obtained so slight a taste only of God’s glory, he should boast that he had
seen him, face to face?” I answer, it is in no way absurd that Jacob highly celebrates this vision
above all others, in which the Lord had not so plainly appeared unto him; and yet, if it be
compared with the splendor of the gospel, or even of the law, it will appear like sparks, or obscure
rays. The simple meaning then is, that he saw God in an unwonted and extraordinary manner.
Now, if Jacob so greatly exults and congratulates himself in that slender measure of knowledge;
what ought we to do at this day, to whom Christ, the living image of God, is evidently set before
our eyes in the mirror of the gospel! Let us therefore learn to open our eyes, lest we be blind at
noonday, as Paul exhorts us in 2 Corinthians 3:1 :1.
PETT, "This was a play on words. The site was called Penuel (Genesis 32:31) and was probably
an important pass for fortresses were built there (Judges 8:8 on) and eventually a city. Jacob
takes the name and changes it to fit his experience. The two forms differ only in the archaic
nominal ending in Genesis 32:30. Seeing the face of God did not just mean seeing God. It meant
that God’s heart was right towards him. Thus did he know that he was not about to die at Esau’s
hand.
“My life is preserved.” Esau will now not be able to harm the favoured of God. Indeed he will later
be able to say to Esau, “I have seen your face as the face of God and you were pleased with me”
(Genesis 33:10). He believes that his acceptance by Esau is because of his acceptance by God.
Alternately the words may reflect amazement that he has seen God and lived (compare Exodus
33:20; Judges 6:22 on; 13:22). But the way God reveals Himself in Genesis never seems to cause
this problem.
TRAPP, "Ver. 30. I have seen God face to face.] Christ would not tell Jacob his name, to lift up his
mind above what he saw of him, and to insinuate that his name was "Wonderful," his essence
incomprehensible. [ 13:17-18] And whereas Jacob said here, he had "seen God face to face": he
means only, praesens praesentem, as Moses spake with God "mouth to mouth". [Numbers 12:8]
He saw not God’s majesty and essence; for he is a God "that hides himself," [Isaiah 8:17] and
"dwells in the light unapproachable". [1 Timothy 6:16] But he saw him more apparently and
manifestly than ever he had done before. We can see but his "back parts" [Exodus 33:23] and
live; we need see no more, that we may live. God that fills all, saith Nazianzen, though he lighten

201. the mind, yet flies before the beams thereof; still leaving it, as it is able, in sight to follow him;
draws it by degrees to higher things; but ever interposeth between it and his incomparable
essence, as many vails as were over the tabernacle. Some created shape, some glimpse of glory,
Jacob saw; whereby God was pleased, for the present, to testify his more immediate presence;
but not himself.
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[h]
and he was limping because of his hip.
BAR ES,"Gen_32:31-32
Peniel - the face of God. The reason of this name is assigned in the sentence, “I have
seen God face to face.” He is at first called a man. Hosea terms him the angel (Hos_12:4-
5 (3, 4). And here Jacob names him God. Hence, some men, deeply penetrated with the
ineffable grandeur of the divine nature, are disposed to resolve the first act at least into
an impression on the imagination. We do not pretend to define with undue nicety the
mode of this wrestling. And we are far from saying that every sentence of Scripture is to
be understood in a literal sense. But until some cogent reason be assigned, we do not feel
at liberty to depart from the literal sense in this instance. The whole theory of a
revelation from God to man is founded upon the principle that God can adapt himself to
the apprehension of the being whom he has made in his own image. This principle we
accept, and we dare not limit its application “further than the demonstrative laws of
reason and conscience demand.” If God walk in the garden with Adam, expostulate with
Cain, give a specification of the ark to Noah, partake of the hospitality of Abraham, take
Lot by the hand to deliver him from Sodom, we cannot affirm that he may not, for a
worthy end, enter into a bodily conflict with Jacob. These various manifestations of God
to man differ only in degree. If we admit anyone, we are bound by parity of reason to
accept all the others.
We have also already noted the divine method of dealing with man. He proceeds from
the known to the unknown, from the simple to the complex, from the material to the
spiritual, from the sensible to the super-sensible. So must he do, until he have to deal
with a world of philosophers. And even then, and only then, will his method of teaching
and dealing with people be clearly and fully understood. The more we advance in the
philosophy of spiritual things, the more delight will we feel in discerning the marvelous
analogy and intimate nearness of the outward to the inward, and the material to the
spiritual world. We have only to bear in mind that in man there is a spirit as well as a
body; and in this outward wrestling of man with man we have a token of the inward
wrestling of spirit with spirit, and therefore, an experimental instance of that great
conflict of the Infinite Being with the finite self, which grace has introduced into our

202. fallen world, recorded here for the spiritual edification of the church on earth.
“My life is preserved.” The feeling of conscience is, that no sinner can see the infinitely
holy God and live. “And he halted upon his thigh.” The wrenching of the tendons and
muscles was mercifully healed, so as to leave a permanent monument, in Jacob’s halting
gait, that God had overcome his self-will.
CLARKE, "The sun rose upon him - Did the Prophet Malachi refer to this, Mal_
4:2 : Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his
wings? Possibly with the rising of the sun, which may here be understood as
emblematical of the Sun of righteousness - the Lord Jesus, the pain and weakness of his
thigh passed away, and he felt both in soul and body that he was healed of his plagues.
GILL, "And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him,.... It was break of
day when the angel desired to be let go, and by that time the parley held between them
ceased, and they parted, the sun was rising; and as Jacob went on it shone upon him, as
a token of the good will and favour of God to him, and as an emblem of the sun of
righteousness arising on him with healing in his wings, Mal_4:2,
and he halted upon his thigh; it being out of joint, of which he became more
sensible when he came to walk upon it; and besides, his attention to the angel that was
with him caused him not so much to perceive it until he had departed front him: some
think he went limping all his days; others, that he was healed immediately by the angel
before he came to Esau; but of either there is no proof.
JAMIESO , "halted upon his thigh — As Paul had a thorn in the flesh given to
humble him, lest he should be too elevated by the abundant revelations granted him
[2Co_12:7], so Jacob’s lameness was to keep him mindful of this mysterious scene, and
that it was in gracious condescension the victory was yielded to him. In the greatest of
these spiritual victories which, through faith, any of God’s people obtain, there is always
something to humble them.
SBC, "Genesis 32:31
I. From the great conflict with sin none come off without many a scar. We may wrestle
and prevail, but there will be touches of the enemy, which will leave their long and bitter
memories. The way to heaven is made of falling down and rising up again. The battle is
no steady, onward fight, but rallies and retreats, retreats and rallies.
II. The reason of our defeats is that the old sin of the character continues, and continues
with unabated force, in the heart of a child of God. There are two ways in which sin
breaks out and gains an advantage over a believer. (1) A new temptation suddently
presents itself. (2) The old habit of sin recurs—recurs, indeed, sevenfold, but still the
same sin.
III. All sin in a believer must arise from a reduction of grace. This is the result of grieving
the Holy Ghost by a careless omission of prayer or other means of grace. There was an
inward defeat before there was an outward and apparent one.

203. IV. Defeat is not final. It is not the end of the campaign. It is but one event in the war. It
may even be converted into a positive good to the soul, for God can and will overrule
guilt to gain. He allows the defeat to teach us repentance and humility.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 6th series, p. 33.
CALVI , "31.And he halted upon his thigh. It is probable, and it may be gathered even from
the words of Moses, that this halting was without the sense of pain, in order that the miracle might
be the more evident. For God, in the flesh of his servant, has exhibited a spectacle to all ages,
from which the faithful may perceive that no one is such a powerful combatant as not to carry
away some wound after a spiritual convict, for infirmity ever cleaves to all, that no one may be
pleased with himself above measure. Whereas Moses relates that the Jews abstained from the
shrunken sinew, or that part of the thigh in which it was placed: this was not done out of
superstition. (111) For that age, as we know, was the infancy of the Church; wherefore the Lord
retained the faithful, who then lived, under the teaching of the schoolmaster. And now, though,
since the coming of Christ, our condition is more free; the memory of the fact ought to be retained
among us, that God disciplined his people of old by external ceremonies.
BENSON, "Genesis 32:31. He halted on his thigh — And many think he continued to do so to his
dying day. If he did he had no reason to complain, for the honour and comfort he obtained by his
struggle were abundantly sufficient to countervail the damage, though he went limping to his
grave.
ELLICOTT, "(31) As he passed over Pemiel.—Rather, as he passed Penuel. It was the place
where he had wrestled, and as soon as the angel left him he proceeded onwards to rejoin his
wives. It appears, from what is here said, that it was not till he tried to walk that he found out that
he was lame. As his sinews grew cool, the injury to his hip-joint showed itself.
PETT, "“The sun rose on him.” This may well be intended to reflect more than the weather. He
had come from night into sunrise (compare Genesis 19:23).
“And he limped because of his thigh.” Jacob bears a reminder of this encounter with God.
COKE, "Genesis 32:31. He halted upon his thigh, &c.— Some think that he continued to do so all
his life after; others, that his lameness continued only for a time: the latter seems the most
probable. However, to preserve the memory of this extraordinary event, the descendants of Israel
eat not of that sinew (or tendon) of any animal, which fastens the hip-bone in its socket, which
comprehends the flesh of that muscle which is connected with it. See Bishop Patrick. Some have
been so scrupulous as never to eat of the whole hind-quarter; while others, less so, abstain from
the thigh only, and some only from the sinew above-mentioned. Dr. Harle, in his Essay on Physic
in the Old and New Testament, says, that "the Angel touched (when it was upon the stretch) the
sinew, or gave it a smart stroke, to disable his antagonist, by stupefying and benumbing the part
for the present, which was all that was necessary for his yielding. If it had been a luxation, or a
dislodging of the head of the thigh-bone from its socket on a sudden, and with violence, he must
have felt it immediately; whereas it was not taken notice of till the sun was up, and he was walking
up the hill. It seems rather to have been a subluxation, a less and partial remove of the bone from
its place, which has less pain, and is easier gone with. Either of these might continue his life-long.
These luxations, especially those of the first sort, are hard, some say impossible, to be cured, and
frequently happened in wrestling. It is said to be the sinew that shrank, because of the apparent
shortness of the leg upon standing or moving. Luxations of this kind were so common among
wrestlers, that they had physicians or surgeons provided to give some immediate assistance to
the sufferer." See Saurin's 31st Dissertation.
REFLECTIONS.—Jacob having dismissed his servants, in the next place takes care to remove
his family and children over the brook, choosing to spend some time alone with God in prayer and
supplication. Note; While we are using means, we must be looking up to God for a blessing on
them. We have hereupon a very singular occurrence.

204. 1. A man wrestled with him: a man in form, but more than man in nature, even the great God-
man, the Angel of the Covenant. Jacob now had a sore conflict to sustain, which extorted from
him strong crying and tears; for while he struggled, he wept, and made supplications to the Angel.
Note; They who would prevail in temptation, must first wrestle in prayer with God.
2. Jacob's perseverance. He who wrestled with him, upheld his strength, and but opposed to
make his victory more glorious. Note; If God exercises us with sore conflicts, we may have
confidence in him, that as our day is, our strength shall be.
3. The Angel's touch disjointing his thigh: probably without pain, yet incapacitating him for corporal
struggle: not, however, inducing him to quit his hold, or give up the contest. Note; When we are
weak, then are we strong: the deepest sense of our own insufficiency gives our faith more hold of
Christ and determined trust in him.
4. The Angel's request to be gone, because the day breaks. He who had disjointed his thigh,
might have disjointed his arms too; but he seeks not to prevail, only to exercise Jacob's faith and
constancy. His family calls, business approaches; and these usually oblige us to leave the closet
of prayer for the employments of our profession. But,
5. He will not let him go without a blessing. He knew with whom he had to do, and resolves,
though he were slain, to trust in him, and by a holy importunity extorts his benediction. Note; Christ
loves importunate fervent prayer.
6. His prayer is granted, and, in token of it, his name is changed into Israel, a Prince with God.
Note; (1.) Perseverance will certainly be crowned with victory. (2.) Let every Israelite indeed shew
by his prayers his relation to the patriarch.
7. In grateful acknowledgment of the mercy shewn him, he calls the place Peniel. They who have
received most from God, will never value themselves on their own prayers or piety, but wonder at
God's pity and condescension to them.
8. On parting, at sun-rising he finds his halting. In the heat of contest, the hurt is less felt. But it is
an honourable scar; and the inconvenience it occasioned, is well repaid by the constant
remembrance of the mercy. Note; It were happy for professors, if the rising sun found them not on
beds of sloth, but rising from the place of prayer.
9. The custom observed by posterity, to continue the memory of God's goodness to their father
Jacob. Children's children should look back upon their fathers' mercies as their own.
TRAPP, "Ver. 31. He halted upon his thigh.] Yet had the blessing. So God’s people are promised
a hundredfold here, with persecution; that is tied, as a rag, to the profession of Christianity. Christ,
our Captain, had a bloody victory of it. Paul "bare in his body the marks," or scars, "of the Lord
Jesus"; [Galatians 6:17] and glories in these "infirmities," [2 Corinthians 12:9-10] as he calls them.
These are God’s gems and precious ornaments, said Munster to his friends, pointing them to his
sores and ulcers, wherewith God decketh his children, that he may draw them to himself. This he
said a little before his death. At death, saith Piscator, God wrestles with his people, laying hold on
their consciences by the menaces of the law. (a) They again resist this assault by laying hold upon
God, by the faith of the gospel, well assured that Christ hath freed them from the curse of the law,
by being made a curse for them on the cross. God yields himself overcome by this re-encounter;
but yet toucheth their thigh, takes away their life. Howbeit, this hindereth not the sun of life eternal
to arise upon them as they pass over Penuel.
NISBET, "LIFE’S SUNRISE
‘And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.’
Genesis 32:31
I. From the great conflict with sin none come off without many a scar. We may wrestle and prevail,
but there will be touches of the enemy, which will leave their long and bitter memories. The way to

205. heaven is made of falling down and rising up again. The battle is no steady, onward fight, but
rallies and retreats, retreats and rallies.
II. The reason of our defeats is that the old sin of the character continues, and continues with
unabated force, in the heart of a child of God. There are two ways in which sin breaks out and
gains an advantage over a believer. (1) A new temptation suddenly presents itself. (2) The old
habit of sin recurs—recurs, indeed, sevenfold, but still the same sin.
III. All sin in a believer must arise from a reduction of grace. This is the result of grieving the Holy
Ghost by a careless omission of prayer or other means of grace. There was an inward defeat
before there was an outward and apparent one.
IV. Defeat is not final. It is not the end of the campaign. It is but one event in the war. It may even
be converted into a positive good to the soul, for God can and will overrule guilt to gain. He allows
the defeat to teach us repentance and humility.
Rev. J. Vaughan.
Illustration
‘In a spirit of humility, Jacob at last returns to Canaan, but first must pass the moral crisis of his
life. God grapples with him, and not until Jacob had tried, in vain, every means of self-defence
does he yield wholly to God and become his man. Whether this interpretation of Genesis 32:24-32
as a spiritual struggle exhausts its significance is not easily dertermined. The writer apparently
describes it as a literal wrestling of Jacob with God. Its importance, however, is due to the spiritual
revolution which took place. The Jacob of the days that follow is another man. He is in the keeping
of God, ready to confess his dependence, and patient under every dispensation. The
consequences of his earlier deeds follow him, but he endures them.’
PULPIT, "And as he passed over Penuel—this some suppose to have been the original name of
the place, which Jacob changed by the alteration of a vowel, but it is probably nothing more than
an old form of the same word—the sun rose upon him,—"there was sunshine within and sunshine
without. When Judas went forth on his dark design, we read, 'It was night,' John 13:30" (Inglis)—
and he halted upon his thigh—thus carrying with him a memorial of his conflict, as Paul afterwards
bore about with him a stake in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7).
PULPIT, "Genesis 32:1, Genesis 32:2
Divine protection.
The pilgrim on his way is met by the angels of God. They are two hosts—"Mahanaim," that is,
twofold defense, before and behind. There was fear in the man, but there was trust and prayer.
He saw the objective vision, but the inward preparation of heart enabled him to see it. On our way
we may reckon on supernatural protection—protection for ourselves, protection for those who are
Divinely appointed to be with us. The double host is an emblem of that angelic guardianship which
we are told (Psalms 34:1-22, and Psalms 91:1-16.) "encampeth round about them that fear the
Lord, and delivereth them," "keepeth them in all their ways."—R.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he
halted upon his thigh
Defeats in life
I. FROM THE GREAT CONFLICT WITH SIN NONE COME OFF WITHOUT MANY A
SCAR. We may wrestle and prevail, but there will be touches of the enemy, which will
leave their long and bitter memories. The way to heaven is made of falling down and
rising up again. The battle is no steady, onward fight, but rallies and retreats, retreats
and rallies.

206. II. The reason of our defeats is that THE OLD SIN OF THE CHARACTER CONTINUES,
AND CONTINUES WITH UNABATED FORCE, IN THE HEART OF A CHILD OF GOD.
There are two ways in which sin breaks out and gains an advantage over a believer.
1. A new temptation suddenly presents itself.
2. The old habit of sin recurs—recurs, indeed, sevenfold, but still the same sin.
III. ALL SIN IN A BELIEVER MUST ARISE FROM A REDUCTION OF GRACE. This is
the result of grieving the Holy Ghost by a careless omission of prayer or other means of
grace. There was an inward defeat before there was an outward and apparent one.
IV. DEFEAT IS NOT FINAL. It is not the end of the campaign; it is but one event in the
war. It may even be converted into a positive good to the soul, for God can and will
overrule guilt to gain; he allows each defeat to teach us repentance and humility. (J.
Vaughan, M. A.)
Lessons
1. The sun-rising may be in special mercy unto tempted persons, as well as good to
all.
2. Holy conquerors in temptation may go out halters.
3. Halting is no evil while it tends to humbling Jacob and his seed (Gen_32:31). (G.
Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. God’s visible actions to his saints have been apt to be mistaken by men.
2. Jacob’s children have been forward to turn God’s spiritual intentions to carnal
interpretations (Gen_32:32). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Memorials of conflict
In these bodies of ours there is often perpetuated the recollection of some former sin,
and the wrestle for pardon which grew out of it. You remember that during the awful
fight with Apollyon in the Valley of Humiliation, Bunyan tells us that Christian, despite
of all he could do, was wounded in his head, his hand, and his foot. Few men there are,
whose early life has been profligate, who do not even to this day bear in their persons
most recognizable pains, and perplexing inabilities, and mortifying memorials of the
sorrowful past. Repentance brings pardon, but never restores the ravages of sin. In the
child’s story, we were taught that it was easy to draw the nails that numbered our faults
from the tree-trunk that recorded them; but the scars remained for ever. More often,
however, this memorial of conflict takes the form of constitutional weakness, or
besetting sin. An early inadvertence, a youthful vice, a wild habit, an impulsive act of
criminal evil, from the guilt of which the penitent man has been restored by the
pardoning mercy of God, has yet proved to be of sufficient moral force to leave behind it
a permanent mark. The wound healed, but it is only cicatrized over; it can never be less
than a centre of solicitude, tender and sensitive to exposure. Always after this that soul
has one insecure, one vulnerable point to be watched. There are men to-day who, just

207. because they once swore an oath, have to put up special guards against profanity. There
are men who once read a page of a vile book that have never got over the tendency to
impurity it bred in their souls. We may definitely conclude, from wide observation, that
no wickedness has ever been committed which has, in the end, left the man where it
found him. God may forgive much; but the devil’s service fixes its own memorial on the
soul. One of its natural sinews of strength has been shrunken, and now it betrays itself
by the limp. Two lessons will follow just here. One is this:—Let every person, young and
growing beware of all vice, and be on thealert against even early sin. You maybe called
upon to carry its stigmas with you to the great day of your death. You may be a weaker
man all the days and years you live afterwards, just because of one seemingly trifling
indulgence. This body of ours is a wonderful thing. It is the most beautiful object in the
world. When the artists searched the universe for the curve of absolute beauty, they
found it in the maiden’s shoulder; when they wanted the colour of absolute purity, they
found it in the infant’s cheek. But this body may be deformed, disfigured, ruined, by sin.
Be careful about that! The other lesson is one of consideration for others. When we see a
man with a personal mutilation, every instinct of courteous life bids us hesitate to
causelessly wound his feelings. When the weakness is mental or moral, the appeal if yet
more direct and overwhelming to our thoughtfulness and care. He who would heedlessly
disregard a sign of weakness or old exposure like this is more unthinking and more
ungenerous even than he who would drink wine in the presence of one who had been a
drunkard, or rattle dice in a reformed gambler’s ear. The silent plea of feebleness ought
to be simply irresistible to every noble mind. It seems to say plaintively, like the suffering
Job: “Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath
touched me!” We must use our Christian freedom cautiously, lest with our indulgence
we should injure one for whom Christ died. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
The anomalies of Jacob’s character
Jacob is to me the most difficult character in the Bible history. He looks so worldly,
shrewd, and even unscrupulous, that it is hard to reconcile ourselves to him. I feel the
justice of the sneers about him, and sometimes it seems humbling that this should be
one of the patriarchs, even in that rude time. But if all were on one side, it would be easy,
however painful, to judge of him. It is his singular contradictions, with his visions of
angels, &c., that make it hard. He cheats his brother; and behold him just afterward with
his consecration, his awful sense of God’s presence, and hear his simple vow! Behold
Jacob so shrewd to Laban, so calculating and successful! Behold him returning; see the
shrinking of his guilty and timid heart; and then at night see this scene of wrestling! We
are all of us mixtures of earth and heaven, but I know of none like this. On the one hand
I see Jacob sometimes so merely a Jew that he seems the father of Jewish guile, fear,
unscrupulousness, and thrift. On the other I see him sometimes not only as the deeply
faithful lover in his youth, the most tender father, but as an elevated, majestic man of
faith, who believed in high things, who valued them, and who left on record such words
of lowliness and penitence for his faults, in such genuine tones, that the purest and most
repentant hearts take them up from age to age and repeat them as their own: “I am not
worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto
Thy servant”; “Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been,” &c. Nay, I see
him sometimes as so purely an inspired Hebrew, that he seems the father of the visions
of Hebrew prophets, the father of the Psalms, and the father of the deepest spiritual
insights of the Bible. How wonderful! The shame and sorrow and shock of such
contradictions is a common tale. Alas, that we, who are linked in some qualities, at some

208. moments, with the highest, purest, in the fellowship of Christ, should so blaspheme
ourselves, should descend from angels’ food to prey on garbage—that heavenly-
fashioned hearts should go into business and society and do mean things, and be worldly
Jacobs, and forget, and live our low lives, while we have in solemn moments our visions
and wrestlings! This is not merely for reproach, but for hope. Awful contradiction as
man is, Christ believed in the power of the better part. (A. G. Mercer, D. D.).
32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat
the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,
because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched
near the tendon.
CLARKE, "Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew - What this
sinew was neither Jew nor Christian can tell; and it can add nothing either to science, or
to a true understanding of the text, to multiply conjectures. I have already supposed that
the part which the angel touched or struck was the groin; and if this be right, the sinew,
nerve, or muscle that shrank, must be sought for in that place.
The serious reader must meet with much instruction in this chapter.
1. After his reconciliation with Laban, Jacob proceeds on his way to Canaan; and as
God, who was continually watching for his welfare, saw the trials to which he
would shortly be exposed, therefore he provided for him the instructive vision of
angels, that he might see that those who were for him were more than those who
could be against him. A proper consideration of God’s omniscience is of the
utmost advantage to every genuine Christian. He knows whereof we are made, he
remembers that we are but dust, he sees our trials and difficulties, and his eye
affects his heart. Hence he is ever devising means that his banished - be not
expelled from him.
2. Jacob’s recollection of his unkindness and injustice to his brother, when he hears
that he is coming to meet him, fills his soul with fear, and obliges him to betake
himself to God by prayer and supplication. How important is the office of
conscience! And how necessary are times of trial and difficulty when its voice is
loudest, and the heart is best prepared to receive its reproofs! In how many cases
has conscience slumbered till it pleased God to send some trial by which it has
been powerfully awakened, and the salvation of the sinner was the result! Before I
was afflicted I went astray.

209. 3. Though salvation be the free gift of God, yet he gives it not to any who do not
earnestly seek it. The deeper the conviction of guilt and helplessness is, the more
earnest the application to God for mercy is likely to be. They whose salvation costs
them strong crying and tears, are not likely (humanly speaking) to part with it
lightly; they remember the vinegar and the gall, and they watch and pray that they
enter not into temptation.
4. In the strife and agony requisite to enter in at the strait gate, it is highly necessary
that we should know that the grace and salvation of God are not purchased by our
tears, etc.; for those things which are only proofs and arguments that we have
sinned, can never remove the iniquity of our transgressions. A sensible and pious
man observes on this subject, “That prayer and wrestling with God should be made
as though no other means were to be practiced, and then the best means be
adopted as though no prayer or wrestling had been used.” God marks even this
strife, though highly pleasing in his sight, with such proofs of its own utter
insufficiency, that we may carry about with us the memorial of our own weakness,
worthlessness, and slowness of heart to believe. God smote the thigh of Jacob, 1.
That he might know he had not prevailed by his own strength, but by the power
and mercy of his God. 2. That he might, have the most sensible evidence of the
reality of the Divine interposition in his behalf. 3. That he might see God’s
displeasure against his unbelief. And 4. That men in general might be taught that
those who will be the disciples of Christ must deny themselves, take up their cross
daily, and mortify their members which are upon the earth. Those who have not
cut off a right hand or foot, or plucked out a right eye, for the kingdom of heaven’s
sake, are never likely to see God. The religion that costs us nothing, is to us worth
nothing.
GILL, "Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which
shrank,.... Which was contracted by the touch of the angel, and by which it was
weakened and benumbed; or the sinew of the part that was out of joint, the sinew or
tendon that keeps the thigh bone in the socket, together with the flesh that covered it, or
the muscle in which it is; or that sinew, others, that contracts itself and gives motion to
the thigh bone to work itself: of this the Israelites eat not:
which is upon the hollow of the thigh; or the cap of it:
unto this day; when Moses wrote this history:
because he the angel touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, in the sinew that
shrank; and very superstitiously do they abstain from it unto this day: they have a
whole chapter in one of their treatises in the Misnah (l), giving rules concerning it;
where it is forbidden to eat of it, whether in the land of Israel or out of it; whether in
common food or sacrifices, even in burnt offerings it was to be taken out; and whether in
cattle of the house or of the field; and both in the right and left thigh, but not in fowls,
because they have no hollow, and butchers are not to be trusted; and whoever eats of it
to the quantity of an olive is to be beaten with forty stripes; and because the Jews are
more ignorant of this nerve, as Mercer observes, therefore they abstain from all nerves in
the posteriors of animals. Leo of Modena says (m), of what beast soever they eat, they
are very careful to take away all the fat and the sinew which shrunk: and hence it is, that
in many places in Italy, and especially in Germany, they eat not at all of the hinder
quarters of ox, lamb, or goat; because there is in those parts of the beast both very much

210. fat, and also the forbidden sinew; and it asketh so much care to cleanse the parts of
these, that there are few that are able to do it, or dare to undertake it.
JAMIESO , "the sinew which shrank — the nerve that fastens the thigh bone in
its socket. The practice of the Jews in abstaining from eating this in the flesh of animals,
is not founded on the law of Moses, but is merely a traditional usage. The sinew is
carefully extracted; and where there are no persons skilled enough for that operation,
they do not make use of the hind legs at all.
HAWKER, "Perhaps this custom was piously observed by the Israelites, in order to
keep alive the remembrance how prevailing fervent prayer is, as manifested in this
instance of their Great Ancestor.
REFLECTIONS
Reader! I charge you not to close your review of this lovely chapter, which under God’s
teachings hath refreshed the minds of thousands, and will continue so to do until time
shall be no more, without first gathering to yourself some of the many sweet things it
speaks of to the people of God. You see, in the Patriarch’s instance, how those unto
whom angels minister, and even unto whom Jesus himself is revealed, may, and will, be
exercised with many sharp and trying dispensations. Are you thus exercised in the
spiritual warfare? Do you know what it is to have the ministry of angels meeting you in
the way to Canaan? Do the seed of Esau come forth, to obstruct your path? And are you
thereby constrained to seek aid from God? What nights of wrestlings in prayer have you
counted? What days of sunshine have broken in upon your soul, to manifest divine
communions? Can you call to mind the brook, the place, the time, when you have sent
away the best and tenderest of all earthly endearments, that you might be left alone to
enjoy the visits of God your Saviour.
Let these and the like questions arise in your minds, from the perusal of this chapter.
And may the same gracious Covenant God and Saviour, (for he is the same yesterday,
today, and forever,) grant both to you and to me, that in our going home to our Father’s
house, like the Patriarch, Jesus’s host may meet us, and give us comfort: nay, may Jesus
himself be there, in every step of the way; that Jordan’s waves, and the valley of the
shadow of death, that lie between, may not affright: for when he is near, his rod and staff
shall comfort. So will goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our life, till we come
to dwell in the house of our God forever.
SBC, "I. God selects men for His work on earth, not because of their personal
agreeableness, but because of their adaptation to the work they have to perform.
II. There is something affecting in the way in which guilty persons invoke the God of
their fathers. Conscious that they deserve nothing at the hands of God, they seek to bring
down on themselves the blessing of the God of their father and mother.
III. When a man is overtaken in his transgression, and all his wickedness seems to come
down upon him, how true it is that then there rises up before him the concurrent
suffering of all his household! It takes hold on him through his wife and his children and
all that he loves.
IV. Men’s sins carry with them a punishment in this life. Different sins are differently
punished.

211. V. Nothing but a change of heart will put a man right with himself, right with society,
and right with God.
VI. No man who is in earnest need ever despair because of past misdoing.
H. W. Beecher, Sermons, 2nd series, p. 106.
ELLICOTT, "(32) The sinew which shrank.—This translation has much authority in its favour,
as the LXX. render the sinew that became numb, and the Vulgate the sinew that withered. More
probably, however, it is the proper name for the large tendon which takes its origin from the spinal
cord, and extends down the thigh unto the ankle. Technically it is called nervus ischiaticus, and by
the Greeks was named tendo Achillis, because it reaches to the heel. Jewish commentators
notice that this was the second special ordinance imposed upon the race of Abraham,
circumcision having been enjoined upon them by God, while this grew out of an historical event in
the life of their progenitor, to the reality of which it bears remarkable testimony.
PULPIT, "Therefore the children of Israel cat not of the sinew which shrank,—the gid hannasheh,
rendered by the LXX. τὸ νεῦρον ὅ ἐνάρκησεν, the nerve which became numb, and by the Vulgate
nervus qui emarcuit, the nerve which withered, is the long tendon or sinew nervus ischiaticus (the
tends Achillis of the Greeks) reaching from the spinal marrow to the ankle. The derivation of
hannasheh is unknown (Gesenius), though the LXX. appear to have connected it with nashah, to
dislocate, become feeble; Ainsworth with nashah, to forget (i.e. the sinew that forgot its place),
and Furst with nashah, to be prolonged—which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day:—i.e.
the day of Moses; though the custom continues to the present time among the Hebrews of cutting
out this sinew from the beasts they kill and eat (vide Ainsworth in loco); but, according to
Michaelis, eo nemo omnino mortalium, si vel nullo cognationis gradu Jacobum attingat, nemo
Graecus, nemo barbarus vesci velit—because he (i.e. the angel) touched the hollow of Jacob's
thigh in the sinew that shrank.