1 Jacob's vision at Mahanaim.
3 His message to Esau.
6 He is afraid of Esau's coming.
9 He prays for deliverance.
13 He sends a present to Esau, and passes the brook Jabbok.
24 He wrestles with an angel at Peniel, where he is called Israel.
31 He halts.

angels. Ps 91:11 Heb 1:4 1Co 3:22 Eph 3:10

2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

God's. Jos 5:14 2Ki 6:17 Ps 34:7 103:21 148:2 Da 10:20 Lu 2:13

the name. Jos 21:38 2Sa 2:8,12 17:24,26,27 1Ki 2:8 4:14

Mahanain. i.e., two hosts, or camps. So 6:13 Mahanaim was situated between Gilead and the river Jabbok, near the present Djezan.

3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

sent. Mal 3:1 Lu 9:52 14:31,32

land. The land, or mountains, of Seir was situated south and east of the Dead Sea; forming a continuation of the eastern Syrian chain of mountains, beginning with Antilibanus, and extending from thence to the eastern gulf of the Red Sea.

Seir. 14:6 33:14,16 36:6-8 De 2:5,22 Jos 24:4

country. Heb. field. Edom. 25:30

4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

my lord. 5,18 4:7 23:6 27:29,37 33:8 Ex 32:22 1Sa 26:17 Pr 6:3 15:1 Lu 14:11 1Pe 3:6

servant. 1Ki 20:32 Ec 10:4

5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

have oxen. 30:43 31:1,16 33:11 Job 6:22

may find. 33:8,15 47:25 Ru 2:2 1Sa 1:18 2Sa 16:4

6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

and four. 8,11 27:40,41 33:1 Am 5:19

7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

greatly. Ex 14:10 Ps 18:4,5 31:13 55:4,5 61:2 142:4 Mt 8:26 Joh 16:33 Ac 14:22 2Co 1:4,8-10 2Ti 3:12

distressed. 35:3 Ps 107:6

and he. Ps 112:5 Pr 2:11 Isa 28:26 Mt 10:16

8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

33:1-3 Mt 10:16

9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

Jacob. 1Sa 30:6 2Ch 20:6,12 32:20 Ps 34:4-6 50:15 91:15 Php 4:6,7

O God. 17:7 28:13 31:29,42,53 Ex 3:6

the Lord. 31:3,13

10 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.

not worthy of the least of all. Heb. less than all. 18:27 2Sa 7:18 Job 42:5,6 Ps 16:2 Isa 6:5 63:7 Da 9:8,9 Lu 5:8 Lu 17:10 2Co 12:11 1Ti 1:12-15 1Pe 5:5 1Jo 1:8-10

mercies. 24:27 Ps 8:5

truth. 24:27 28:15 Ps 61:7 85:10 Mic 7:20

my staff. 28:10,11 Job 8:7 Ps 18:35

two bands. 5,7 30:43 De 8:18 Ps 18:35 84:7 Job 17:9 Pr 4:18

11 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.

Deliver. 1Sa 12:10 24:15 Ps 16:1 25:20 31:2 43:1 59:1,2 119:134 142:6 Pr 18:19 Da 3:17 Mt 6:13

the mother. De 22:6 Ho 10:14

with. Heb. upon.

12 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.

thou. 6 Ex 32:13 Nu 23:19 1Sa 15:29 Mt 24:35 2Ti 2:13 Tit 1:2 Heb 6:17

I will. 28:13-15 46:3,4

13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

which. 1Sa 25:8

to his hand. Or, 'under his hand' or power; i.e., what Providence had put in his power or possession.

a present. 20,21 18:2 33:10 42:6 43:11,26 1Sa 25:27 Pr 17:8 18:16 19:6 21:14

14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

This was a princely present. The 'thirty milch camels' were particularly valuable; for among the Arabs they constitute a principal part of their riches; being every way so serviceable, that the providence of God appears peculiarly kind and wise in providing such animals for those countries, where no other animal could be of equal service. The she-camel gives milk continually, not ceasing even when with young; the milk of which, when mixed with three parts of water, affords the most pleasant and wholesome beverage.

30:43 31:9,16 De 8:18 1Sa 25:2 Job 1:3 42:12

15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.

16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.

space. 20 33:8,9 Ps 112:5 Pr 2:11 Isa 28:26 Mt 10:16

17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

Whose art. 33:3

18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.

See on ver. 4,5

19 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.

20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. 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.

I will appease. 43:11 1Sa 25:17-35 Job 42:8,9 Pr 15:18 16:14 21:14

peradventure. 1Sa 6:5 1Ki 20:31 Jon 3:9 2Ti 2:25

of me. Heb. my face. Job 42:8,9 Pr 6:35

21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.

22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

his two wives. 29:21-35 30:1-24 35:18,22-26 1Ti 5:8

the ford Jabbok. Or, 'the ford of Jabbok,' a stream which takes its rise in the mountains of Gilead, and falls into the Jordan to the south of the lake of Gennesareth. It is now called the Zerka.

De 2:37 3:16 Jos 12:2

23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

sent them. Heb. caused to pass. 23

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

wrestled. 30:8 Lu 13:24 22:44 Ro 8:26,27 15:30 Eph 6:12,18 Col 2:1 4:12 Heb 5:7

man. 28,30 48:16 Isa 32:2 Ho 12:3-5 1Co 15:47

breaking of the day. Heb. ascending of the morning. Ex 14:27 So 2:17

25 And when he 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.

that he. 19:22 Nu 14:13,14 Isa 41:14 45:11 Ho 12:3,4 Mt 15:22-28 Lu 11:5-8

touched. 32 Ps 30:6,7 Mt 26:41,44 2Co 12:7-9

26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Let me go. Ex 32:10 De 9:14 So 7:5 Isa 45:11 64:7 Lu 24:28,29

I will not. So 3:4 Ho 12:4 Lu 18:1-7 Ro 8:37 1Co 15:58 2Co 12:8,9 Heb 5:7

thou bless. 1Ch 4:10 Ps 67:1,6,7 115:12,13

27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

28 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.

Thy name. 17:5,15 33:20 35:10 Nu 13:16 2Sa 12:25 2Ki 17:34 Isa 62:2-4 Isa 65:15 Joh 1:42 Re 2:17

Israel. i.e., a prince of God. as a prince. Or, according to the LXX., Vulgate, Houbigant, Dathe, and Rosenmuller, 'because thou hast power with God, thou shalt also prevail with men.' There is a beautiful antithesis between the two terms, with [Elohim,] Elohim, god, the Almighty, with [anashim,] anashim, weak, feeble men, as the word imports; seeing thou hast had power with the Almighty, surely thou shalt prevail over perishing mortals.

power. 24 Ho 12:3-5

with men. 25:31 27:33-36 31:24,36-55 33:4 1Sa 26:25 Pr 16:7

29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

Wherefore. 27 De 29:29 Jud 13:16-18 Job 11:7 Pr 30:4 Isa 9:6 Lu 1:19

blessed. 26 27:28,29 28:3,4,13,14 Ho 6:1

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

Jacob. 31

Penuel. 28:19 Jud 8:8,17 1Ki 12:25

Peniel. i.e., the face of God. Peniel, or Penuel, was evidently situated near the ford of Jabbok, on the north of that stream, about forty miles from Jerusalem.

I have. 16:13 Ex 24:10,11 33:14,19-23 Nu 12:8 De 5:24 34:10 Jud 6:22,23 13:21,22 Isa 6:5 Joh 1:18 2Co 3:18 4:6 Ga 1:6 Eph 1:17 Col 1:15 2Ti 1:10 Heb 11:27

31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

rose upon. 19:15,23 Mal 4:2

he halted. 25 Ps 38:17 2Co 12:7,9

32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

eat not. 1Sa 5:5