Genesis 32
1599 Geneva Bible
32 1 God comforteth Jacob by his Angels. 9, 10 He prayeth unto God confessing his unworthiness. 13 He sendeth presents unto Esau. 24, 28 He wrestled with the Angel who nameth him Israel.
1 Now Jacob went forth on his journey, and (A)the Angels of God met him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, [a]This is God’s host: and he called the name of the same place [b]Mahanaim.
3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, unto the land of Seir into the country of Edom.
4 To whom he gave commandment, saying, Thus shall ye speak to my [c]lord Esau: thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have been a stranger with Laban, and tarried unto this time.
5 I have beeves also and asses, sheep, and men servants, and women servants, and have sent to show my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
6 ¶ So the messengers came again to Jacob, saying, We came unto thy brother Esau, and he also cometh against thee and four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was [d]greatly afraid, and was sore troubled, and divided the people that was with him, and the sheep, and the beeves, and the camels into two companies.
8 For he said, If Esau come to the one company and smite it, the other company shall escape.
9 ¶ Moreover Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Lord, which (B)saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good.
10 I am not [e]worthy of the least of all the mercies, and all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant: for with my [f]staff came I over this Jordan, and now have I gotten two bands.
11 I pray thee, Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the [g]mother upon the children.
12 And thou saidest, I will surely do to thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
13 ¶ And he tarried there that same night and took of that which came to hand, a [h]present for Esau his brother:
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams:
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bullocks, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 So he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves, and said unto his servants, Pass before me, and put a space between drove and drove.
17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, If my brother Esau meet thee, and ask thee, saying, Whose servant art thou? And whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s: it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and behold, he himself also is behind us.
19 So likewise commanded he the second and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, After this manner, ye shall speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
20 And ye shall say moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob cometh after us. (for he thought, I [i]will appease his wrath with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face: it may be that he will [j]accept me.)
21 So went the present before him: but he tarried that night with the company.
22 And he rose up the same night, and took his two wives, and his two maids, and his eleven children, and went over the ford Jabbok.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the river, and sent over that he had.
24 ¶ Now when Jacob was left himself alone, there wrestled a [k]man with him unto the breaking of the day.
25 And he saw that he could not [l]prevail against him: therefore he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was loosed, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the morning appeareth. Who answered, (C)I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 Then said he unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And said he, (D)Thy name shall be called Jacob no more, but Israel: because thou hast had [m]power with God, thou shalt also prevail with men.
29 And Jacob demanded, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore now dost thou ask my name? and he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place, Peniel: for, said he, I have seen God face to face, and [n]my life is preserved.
31 And the sun rose up to him as he passed Peniel, and he [o]halted upon his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank in the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the sinew that shrank in the hollow of Jacob’s thigh.
Footnotes
- Genesis 32:2 He acknowledgeth God’s benefits: who for the preservation of his, sendeth hosts of Angels.
- Genesis 32:2 Or, tents.
- Genesis 32:4 He reverenced his brother in worldly things, because he chiefly looked to be preferred to the spiritual promise.
- Genesis 32:7 Albeit he was comforted by the Angels, yet the infirmity of the flesh doth appear.
- Genesis 32:10 Hebrew, I am less than all thy mercies.
- Genesis 32:10 That is, poor and without all provision.
- Genesis 32:11 Meaning, he will put all to death. This proverb cometh of them which kill the bird together with his young ones.
- Genesis 32:13 Not distrusting God’s assistance, but using such means as God had given him.
- Genesis 32:20 He thought it no loss to depart with these goods, to the intent he might follow the vocation whereunto God called him.
- Genesis 32:20 Hebrew, receive my face.
- Genesis 32:24 That is, God in form of man.
- Genesis 32:25 For God assaileth his with the one hand, and upholdeth them with the other.
- Genesis 32:28 God gave Jacob both power to overcome, and also the praise of the victory.
- Genesis 32:30 Or, my soul is delivered.
- Genesis 32:31 The faithful to overcome their tentations, that they feel the smart thereof, to the intent that they should not glory, but in their humility.
Genesis 32
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
32 Then Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him.
2 When Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s army! So he named that place Mahanaim [two armies].(A)
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, Say this to my lord Esau: Your servant Jacob says this: I have been living temporarily with Laban and have stayed there till now.
5 And I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and women servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find mercy and kindness in your sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau; and now he is [on the way] to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups,
8 Thinking, If Esau comes to the one group and smites it, then the other group which is left will escape.
9 Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord Who said to me, Return to your country and to your people and I will do you good,
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercy and loving-kindness and all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant, for with [only] my staff I passed over this Jordan [long ago], and now I have become two companies.
11 Deliver me, I pray You, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite [us all], the mothers with the children.
12 And You said, I will surely do you good and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
13 And Jacob lodged there that night and took from what he had with him as a present for his brother Esau:
14 Two hundred she-goats, 20 he-goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,
15 Thirty milk camels with their colts, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 she-donkeys, and 10 [donkey] colts.
16 And he put them into the charge of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, Pass over before me and put a space between drove and drove.
17 And he commanded the first, When Esau my brother meets you and asks to whom you belong, where you are going, and whose are the animals before you,
18 Then you shall say, They are your servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover, he is behind us.
19 And so he commanded the second and the third and all that followed the droves, saying, This is what you are to say to Esau when you meet him.
20 And say, Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.
21 So the present went on before him, and he himself lodged that night in the camp.
22 But he rose up that [same] night and took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons and passed over the ford [of the] Jabbok.
23 And he took them and sent them across the brook; also he sent over all that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 And when [the [a]Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him.
26 Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me.
27 [The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!
28 And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed.(B)
29 Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [b][the Angel of God declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God], saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not snatched away.
31 And as he passed Penuel [Peniel], the sun rose upon him, and he was limping because of his thigh.
32 That is why to this day the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the hollow of the thigh, because [the Angel of the Lord] touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh on the sinew of the hip.
Footnotes
- Genesis 32:25 This is God Himself (as Jacob eventually realizes in Gen. 32:30) in the form of an angel. See footnote on Gen. 16:7, as well as Hos. 12:3-4.
- Genesis 32:29 This is God Himself (as Jacob eventually realizes in Gen. 32:30) in the form of an angel. See footnote on Gen. 16:7, as well as Hos. 12:3-4.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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