Genesis 31:17–45:28

31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels.27 31:18 He took28 away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac.29

31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep,30 Rachel stole the household idols31 that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived32 Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving.33 31:21 He left34 with all he owned. He quickly crossed35 the Euphrates River36 and headed for37 the hill country of Gilead.

31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left.38 31:23 So he took his relatives39 with him and pursued Jacob40 for seven days.41 He caught up with42 him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him,43 “Be careful44 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.”45

31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.46 31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me47 and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war!48 31:27 Why did you run away secretly49 and deceive me?50 Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps?51 31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren52 good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have53 the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful54 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’55 31:30 Now I understand that56 you have gone away57 because you longed desperately58 for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?”59

31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!”60 Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought61 you might take your daughters away from me by force.62 31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death!63 In the presence of our relatives64 identify whatever is yours and take it.”65 (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.)66

31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols.67 Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s.68 31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle69 and sat on them.)70 Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.71 31:35 Rachel72 said to her father, “Don’t be angry,73 my lord. I cannot stand up74 in your presence because I am having my period.”75 So he searched thoroughly,76 but did not find the idols.

31:36 Jacob became angry77 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban.78 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit?79 31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you?80 Set it here before my relatives and yours,81 and let them settle the dispute between the two of us!82

31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself.83 You always made me pay for every missing animal,84 whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat85 during the day and by piercing cold86 at night, and I went without sleep.87 31:41 This was my lot88 for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave89 for you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father—the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears90—had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked,91 and he rebuked you last night.”

31:43 Laban replied92 to Jacob, “These women93 are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren,94 and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today95 or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement,96 you and I, and it will be97 proof that we have made peace.”98

31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he99 said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile.100 They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha,101 but Jacob called it Galeed.102

31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement103 today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah104 because he said, “May the Lord watch105 between us106 when we are out of sight of one another.107 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize108 that God is witness to your actions.”109

31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob.110 31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me.111 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor,112 the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared.113 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice114 on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal.115 They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

31:55 (32:1)116 Early in the morning Laban kissed117 his grandchildren118 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.119

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God1 met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed,2 “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.3

32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead4 to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region5 of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant6 Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent7 this message8 to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’ ”

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,”9 he thought,10 “then the other camp will be able to escape.”11

32:9 Then Jacob prayed,12 “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said13 to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’14 32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love15 you have shown16 your servant. With only my walking stick17 I crossed the Jordan,18 but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me,19 I pray, from the hand20 of my brother Esau,21 for I am afraid he will come22 and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children.23 32:12 But you24 said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper25 and will make26 your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’ ”27

32:13 Jacob28 stayed there that night. Then he sent29 as a gift30 to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to31 his servants, who divided them into herds.32 He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd,33 “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong?34 Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’35 32:18 then you must say,36 ‘They belong37 to your servant Jacob.38 They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau.39 In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’ ”40

32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.41 32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ”42 Jacob thought,43 “I will first appease him44 by sending a gift ahead of me.45 After that I will meet him.46 Perhaps he will accept me.”47 32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him48 while he spent that night in the camp.49

32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took50 his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons51 and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.52 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.53 32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man54 wrestled55 with him until daybreak.56 32:25 When the man57 saw that he could not defeat Jacob,58 he struck59 the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

32:26 Then the man60 said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.”61 “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied,62 “unless you bless me.”63 32:27 The man asked him,64 “What is your name?”65 He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him,66 “but Israel,67 because you have fought68 with God and with men and have prevailed.”

32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.”69 “Why70 do you ask my name?” the man replied.71 Then he blessed72 Jacob73 there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel,74 explaining,75 “Certainly76 I have seen God face to face77 and have survived.”78

32:31 The sun rose79 over him as he crossed over Penuel,80 but81 he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day82 the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck83 the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew. …

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27	tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”
28	tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.
29	tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”
30	tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.
31	tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (térafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239–48.
32	tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.
33	tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.
34	tn Heb “and he fled.”
35	tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.
36	tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
37	tn Heb “he set his face.”
38	tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”
39	tn Heb “his brothers.”
40	tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
41	tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”
42	tn Heb “drew close to.”
43	tn Heb “said to him.”
44	tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
45	tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26–30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.
46	tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.
47	tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
48	tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
49	tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”
50	tn Heb “and steal me.”
51	tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”
52	tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
53	tn Heb “there is to my hand.”
54	tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
55	tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.
56	tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
57	tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.
58	tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.
59	sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192–207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90–92.
60	tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’ ” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
61	tn Heb “for I said.”
62	tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”
63	tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
64	tn Heb “brothers.”
65	tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
66	tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
67	tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
68	tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”
69	tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”
70	tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.
71	tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
72	tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
73	tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.
74	tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”
75	tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.
76	tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
77	tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
78	tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’ ” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
79	tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).
80	tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”
81	tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.
82	tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”
83	tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.
84	tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.
85	tn Or “by drought.”
86	tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.
87	tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”
88	tn Heb “this to me.”
89	tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”
90	tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42, 53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192–200.
91	tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”
92	tn Heb “answered and said.”
93	tn Heb “daughters.”
94	tn Heb “children.”
95	tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”
96	tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
97	tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lé) means “become.”
98	tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”
99	tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
100	sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.
101	sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”
102	sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.
103	tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”
104	tn Heb “and Mizpah.”
105	sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the Lord to keep watch at the border. Jacob did not need this treaty, but Laban, perhaps because he had lost his household gods, felt he did.
106	tn Heb “between me and you.”
107	tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”
108	tn Heb “see.”
109	tn Heb “between me and you.”
110	tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’ ” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
111	tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”
112	tn The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor. The Hebrew verb translated “judge” is plural, suggesting that Laban has more than one “god” in mind. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, apparently in an effort to make the statement monotheistic, have a singular verb. In this case one could translate, “May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” However, Laban had a polytheistic world view, as evidenced by his possession of household idols (cf. 31:19). The translation uses “God” when referring to Abraham’s God, for Genesis makes it clear that Abraham worshiped the one true God. It employs “god” when referring to Nahor’s god, for in the Hebrew text Laban refers to a different god here, probably one of the local deities.
113	tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.
114	tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.
115	tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.
116	sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
117	tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”
118	tn Heb “his sons.”
119	tn Heb “to his place.”
1	sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2–3,” VT 28 (1978): 37–44.
2	tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”
3	sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.
4	tn Heb “before him.”
5	tn Heb “field.”
6	sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.
7	tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense—as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows—much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.
8	tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
9	tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”
10	tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
11	tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.
12	tn Heb “said.”
13	tn Heb “the one who said.”
14	tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.
15	tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).
16	tn Heb “you have done with.”
17	tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.
18	tn Heb “this Jordan.”
19	tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.
20	tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”
21	tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”
22	tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”
23	sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.
24	tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons. sn Some commentators have thought this final verse of the prayer redundant, but it actually follows the predominant form of a lament in which God is motivated to act. The primary motivation Jacob can offer to God is God’s promise, and so he falls back on that at the end of the prayer.
25	tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.
26	tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.
27	tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.
28	tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29	tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.
30	sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).
31	tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
32	tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
33	tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
34	tn Heb “to whom are you?”
35	tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
36	tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
37	tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
38	tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
39	tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
40	tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
41	tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’ ”
42	tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”
43	tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”
44	tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.
45	tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”
46	tn Heb “I will see his face.”
47	tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.
48	tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”
49	tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.
50	tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.
51	tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16–19).
52	sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.
53	tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”
54	sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.
55	sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.
56	tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”
57	tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58	tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
59	tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob—it would be comparable to a devastating blow.
60	tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61	tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”
62	tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’ ” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
63	sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.
64	tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
65	sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the Lord obviously knew Jacob’s identity. But since the Lord is going to change Jacob’s name, this question is designed to bring focus Jacob’s attention on all that his name had come to signify.
66	tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
67	sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.
68	sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51–62).
69	sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12–50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23–33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21–33.
70	tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
71	tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ ” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
72	tn The verb here means that the Lord endowed Jacob with success; he would be successful in everything he did, including meeting Esau.
73	tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
74	sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.
75	tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
76	tn Or “because.”
77	sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.
78	tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.” sn I have survived. It was commonly understood that no one could see God and live (Gen 48:16; Exod 19:21, 24:10; and Judg 6:11, 22). On the surface Jacob seems to be saying that he saw God and survived. But the statement may have a double meaning, in light of his prayer for deliverance in v. 11. Jacob recognizes that he has survived his encounter with God and that his safety has now been guaranteed.
79	tn Heb “shone.”
80	sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).
81	tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.
82	sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279–92.
83	tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.

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