Genesis 32:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

NIV: So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.'

NASB: So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, 'I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.'

CSB: Jacob then named the place Peniel, "For I have seen God face to face," he said, "yet my life has been spared."

NLT: Jacob named the place Peniel (which means 'face of God'), for he said, 'I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.'

KJV: And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

NKJV: So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

Jacob has wrestled with God in some physical form. Or, perhaps his opponent was some kind of manifested angel. Jacob's hip has been dislocated. He has received a new name and a blessing, after finally admitting his true name—symbolically, by confessing that he is a "heel puller" and a "usurper:" that he is Ya'aqōb, or "Jacob," rather than once again pretending to be someone else in order to gain a blessing (Genesis 27:19).

As Jacob has done after previous encounters with God, he gives the place where the encounter happened a new name. This place he calls Peniel, which means "face of God." This is an interesting choice, since the common stance given in Scripture is that literally seeing God would bring death (John 1:18). However, some men in the Bible are said to have been allowed to see God "face to face," at least in a symbolic or manifested form (Exodus 33:11). Jacob certainly recognizes his situation is unique, which is why he chooses this particular name for the site.

Genesis 32:22–32 describes the fight Jacob was not expecting. While preparing in fear to meet his brother Esau, Jacob finds himself grappling with an unknown stranger in the dark. He wrestles with the mysterious man for much of the night. Near morning, the man gains a massive advantage over Jacob by dislocating Jacob's hip. Jacob realizes his opponent is divine, and asks for a blessing. Poetically, God insists that Jacob, known for his deception and lies, identify himself first. In response to Jacob's honest answer, God changes his name to Israel and blesses him. As the sun rises, Jacob limps to rejoin his family and meet his brother.

As Jacob turns from Laban and returns to his own country, he must face another fearful potential conflict. His twin brother Esau is coming with 400 men. Jacob fears this group approaches to take revenge for cheating Esau out of the family blessing 20 years earlier. Jacob is so afraid that he splits his company into two camps, even as he prays for deliverance. He also prepares an enormous gift to appease Esau. Finally, while alone in the dark, Jacob is unexpectedly forced to wrestle a mysterious man, who turns out to be God Himself in some manifested form. In a profound moment of symbolism, God forces Jacob to state his own name, which God then changes to Israel.

Jacob came to work for Laban while running from the murderous rage of his twin brother, Esau. Jacob was routinely cheated by Laban, eventually resolving to go back home along with his entire family. Unfortunately, this means coming back to face Esau. Jacob soon learns that Esau is headed his way with 400 men. Are they coming to kill Jacob in revenge for his deceit in stealing Isaac's blessing 20 years earlier? Jacob is afraid. He divides his large company into two camps. He prays earnestly to God for deliverance, and he prepares a huge gift to appease Esau. Finally, alone in the dark, Jacob physically grapples with a mysterious man who turns out to be God Himself, in some form. The man questions Jacob, changes his name to Israel, and pronounces a blessing. Thus prepared, Jacob will finally be reunited with his brother in the next chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/1/2024 7:03:31 PM