Jacob Wrestles With an Angel of God (Gen 32)
23 And he arose that night and took his two wives and his two handmaids and his eleven sons [having secreted Dinah in a chest so that Esau not take her] and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
Chizkuni
He arose during that night—He intended to flee via a different route (Rash’bam).
Rashi’s Commentary
And his eleven sons—But where was Dinah? He placed her in a chest and locked her in so that Esau should not set his fancy upon her (desire to marry her). On this account Jacob was punished—because he had kept her away from his brother for she might have led him back to the right path; she therefore fell into the power of Shechem (Genesis Rabbah 76:9).
Jabbok—The name of the river.
24 And he took them and sent them across the stream, and he sent over what was his [the beasts and the chattel].
Rabbeinu Bahya
And he brought his belongings across—He commanded his servants to do this. As a result he himself was the last one left on the wrong side of the river.
Rashi’s Commentary
What was his—The cattle and movables. He acted as a ferry-man taking them from one side and setting them down on the other.
25 Then Jacob was left alone [having returned for some small jars], and a man [Esau’s guardian angel] wrestled with him until daybreak.
Bereishit Rabbah 77:2
Rabbi Chunya said, “He appeared to him in the image of a shepherd. This one had a flock and this one had a flock. This one had camels, and this one had camels. He said to him, ‘Take across what is yours, and after that, I will take across what is mine.’ Jacob, our father, took across what was his, and said, ‘Let us return and let us see, lest we forgot something.’ After he returned, ‘a man wrestled with him’ ” (Gen 32:25).
Rashi’s Commentary
Then Jacob was left—He had forgotten some small jars and he returned for them (Chullin 91a).
And a man wrestled—Menachem (ben Seruk) explains: “a man covered himself with dust,” taking the verb as connected in sense with אָבָק “dust.” It would mean that they were raising the dust with their feet through their movements. I, however, am of opinion that is means “he fastened himself on,” and that it is an Aramaic word, as (Sanhedrin 63b) “after they have joined (דָּאִבִיקוּ) it,” and (Menachot 42a) “and he twined (the ‘fringes’) with loops.” It denotes “intertwining,” for such is the manner of two people who make strong efforts to throw each other—one clasps the other and twines himself round him with his arms. Our Rabbis of blessed memory explained that he was Esau’s guardian angel (Genesis Rabbah 77:3).
Luk 13:24
Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
Rom 15:30
Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.
Eph 6:12, 18
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
With all prayer and petition pray at all occasions in the Spirit, and with this in mind, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
Col 2:1
I want you to know how hard a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face.
Col 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always wrestling earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
Heb 5:7
In the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
26 When he saw that he could not prevail over him, he touched the socket [the upper bone] of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was wrenched as he wrestled with him.
Rashi’s Commentary
He touched the socket of his hip—The upper thigh-bone that is sunk in the hip is called כַּף because the flesh on it (on this bone) has the form of the hollow part of a pot-ladle.
Mat 15:22-28
And a Canaanite woman from that vicinity came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is terribly demon-possessed.”
But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
But he answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
And he answered and said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”
Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at that very moment.
Mat 26:41, 44
Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
So he left them and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Luk 11:5-8
Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine on his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
27 Then he said, “Let me go, for the morning star has risen” [and I must intone song (to God) in the daytime].
But he replied, “I will not let you go unless you have blessed me” [i.e., until you acquiesce in my father’s blessings to me and cease contesting them].
Rashi’s Commentary
For the morning star has risen, and I have to sing God’s praise at day (Chullin 91b; Genesis Rabbah 78:1).
Unless you have blessed me—Admit my right to the blessings which my father blessed me and to which Esau lays claim.
28 So he said to him, “What is your name?”
He answered, “Jacob.”
29 And he said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob [connoting gaining of the blessings by deception], but Israel, because you have struggled with an angel of God and with humans [Esau and Laban] and have overcome.”
Rashi’s Commentary
And with humans—Esau and Laban.
And have overcome over them.
Joh 1:42
And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter ).
Rev 2:17
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna. And I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.
30 And Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why is it that you ask my name?” [the names of the angels changing according to their deputation] And he blessed him there.
Rashi’s Commentary
Why is it that you ask—We have no fixed names; our names change, all depending upon the service we are commanded to carry out as the errand with which we are charged (Genesis Rabbah 78:4).
Luk 1:19
The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.”
31 So Jacob called the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen an angel face to face, yet my life was spared.”
Joh 1:18
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him.
2Co 3:18
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2Co 4:6
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the one who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the image of Christ.
Gal 1:6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
Eph 1:17
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.
Col 1:15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
2Ti 1:10
but has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Heb 11:27
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the anger of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
32 The sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.
Chullin 91b:9
I once asked R’ Gamliel and R’ Yehoshua in the meat market of Emmaus where they had gone to buy an animal for the wedding feast of R’ Gamliel's son: It is written, “The sun rose upon him . . .” (Gen 32:32). Did the sun rise only for him? Did it not rise for whole world?
Rashi’s Commentary
And he was limping because of his hip—He was limping because of his hip when the sun rose.
Sanhedrin 95b:3
It is written: “And he slept there because the sun had set” (Gen 28:11). After Jacob prayed and he sought to return to his travels, the Holy One, Blessed be he, said: This righteous man came to my inn. Will I allow him to take leave without sleeping here? Immediately the sun set, not at the proper time, and that is the meaning of that which is written with regard to Jacob: “The sun shone upon him as he passed Peniel” (Gen 32:32). The Gemara asks: And did the sun shine only for him? But didn’t the sun shine for the entire world? Rather, Rabbi Yitzḥak says: The sun that set not at the proper time exclusively for him shone not at the proper time exclusively for him in order to rectify the disparity created by the premature sunset.
2Co 12:7-9
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
33 Therefore to this day the sons of Israel eat not of the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the hip, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the tendon of the hip.
This work, "Jacob Wrestles With an Angel of God," is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0