Genesis 32:2

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

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Mahanaim.—That is, the two camps, his own and that of the angels; or, possibly, two camps of angels, one on either side of him. Mahanaim was in the tribe of Gad, and became an important town. (See 2Samuel 2:8; 2Samuel 17:24; 1Kings 4:14.)

Benson Commentary

Genesis 32:2. This is God’s host — Or army; so the angels are justly called, because of their great number, their excellent order, their mighty power, and the service they perform for God and his church, for the protection of which they are sent. A good man may see by faith what Jacob saw with his bodily eyes. To preserve the remembrance of this favour Jacob named the place Mahanaim, two hosts, or two camps. Probably they appeared to him in two hosts, one on either side, or one in the front and the other in the rear, to protect him from Laban behind and Esau before, and be a complete guard: or Jacob’s family made one army, representing the church militant and itinerant on earth, and the angels another army, representing the church triumphant, and at rest in heaven.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

32:1-8 The angels of God appeared to Jacob, to encourage him with the assurance of the Divine protection. When God designs his people for great trials, he prepares them by great comforts. While Jacob, to whom the promise belonged, had been in hard service, Esau was become a prince. Jacob sent a message, showing that he did not insist upon the birth-right. Yielding pacifies great offences, Ec 10:4. We must not refuse to speak respectfully, even to those unjustly angry with us. Jacob received an account of Esau's warlike preparations against him, and was greatly afraid. A lively sense of danger, and quickening fear arising from it, may be found united with humble confidence in God's power and promise.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Jacob has a vision of the heavenly host. This passage, recording Laban's farewell and departure, closes the connection of Jacob with Haran and all its toils of servitude, and is hence, annexed to the previous chapter in the English version. In the distribution of the original text, it is regarded as the counterpart of the two following verses, in which Jacob's onward progress is mentioned, and so placed with them at the beginning of a new chapter. "The angels of God met him." Twenty years ago Jacob saw the mystical ladder connecting heaven and earth, and the angels of God thereupon ascending and descending from the one to the other. Now, in circumstances of danger, he sees the angels of God on earth, encamped beside or around his own camp Psalm 34:8. He recognizes them as God's camp, and names the place Mahanaim, from the double encampment. This vision is not dwelt upon, as it is the mere sequel of the former scene at Bethel. Mahanaim has been identified with Mahneh, about eight miles from the cairn of Laban and Jacob.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. Mahanaim—"two hosts," or "camps." The place was situated between mount Gilead and the Jabbok, near the banks of that brook.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

God’s host; so the angels are justly called for their great number, Daniel 7:10 Luke 2:13, excellent order, mighty power, and for their use and service to God, and to his church, for whose protection they are sent. See 2 Kings 6:17 Psalm 34:7.

Mahanaim, i.e. two hosts; so called, either because the angels divided themselves into two companies, and placed themselves some before, others behind him, or some on each side of him, for his greater comfort and security; or because the angels made one host, and his family another.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when Jacob saw them,.... These appeared in a visible form, most probably human, and in the habit, and with the accoutrements of soldiers, and therefore afterwards called an host or army. Aben Ezra thinks that Jacob alone saw them, as Elisha first saw the host of angels before the young man did that was with him, 2 Kings 6:17,

he said, this is God's host: or army, hence he is often called the Lord of hosts; angels have this name from their number, order, strength, and military exploits they perform:

and he called the name of the place Mahanaim; which signifies two hosts or armies; either his own family and company making one, and the angels another, as Aben Ezra observes; or they were the angels, who very probably appeared in two companies, or as two armies, and one went on one side of Jacob and his family, and the other on the other side; or the one went before him, and the other behind him; the latter to secure him from any insult of Laban, should he pursue after him, and distress him in the rear, and the former to protect him from Esau, near whose country Jacob now was, and of whom he was in some fear and danger; thus seasonably did God appear for him. The Jewish writers (t) say, the host of God is 60,000, and that the Shechinah, or divine Majesty, never dwells among less, and that Mahanaim, or two hosts, are 120,000; there was afterwards a city of this name near this place, which very likely was so called in memory of this appearance, Joshua 21:38; and there seems to be an allusion to it in the account of the church, Sol 6:13; it was in the land of Gilead, and tribe of Gad, forty four miles from Jerusalem to the southeast (u).

(t) In Bereshit Rabba, sect. 75. fol. 66. 1.((u) Bunting's Travels, p. 74.

Geneva Study Bible

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

(a) He acknowledges God's benefits: who for the preservation of his, sends hosts of angels.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

2. This is God’s host] The Heb. word for “host” (maḥaneh) is usually, and ought here to be, rendered “camp.” The angels are regarded as the warriors of Jehovah; cf. the narrative in Joshua 5:13-15, and 1 Kings 22:19; Psalm 103:21; Psalm 148:2.

Mahanaim] That is, Two hosts, or, companies. The termination -aim denotes the dual. Possibly Jacob here refers to the two “companies,” or “encampments,” one of the angels, and the other of his own followers. The LXX renders παρεμβολαί = “camps”; Lat. Mahanaim, id est, Castra, without reference to the dual number. For another derivation of the name, see on Genesis 32:7; Genesis 32:10.

Mahanaim was in later times a place of considerable importance. During Absalom’s rebellion it was the residence and head-quarters of David; see 2 Samuel 17:24; 2 Samuel 17:27. Cf. 2 Samuel 2:8; 2 Samuel 2:12; 2 Samuel 2:29; 1 Kings 2:8. The site is uncertain: from Genesis 32:11 it would appear to be not far from the banks of the Jordan, and from Genesis 32:22 to lie north of the Jabbok (modern Zerka). In Joshua 13:26-30, it appears to lie on the confines of Gad and Manasseh.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: - Mahaneh Elohim; i.e. the army (cf. Genesis 1:9; Exodus 14:24) or camp (1 Samuel 14:15; Psalm 27:3) of God, as opposed to the Mahanoth, or bands of Jacob himself (vide ver. 7, 10) - and he called the name of that place Manahan. - i.e. Two armies or camps, from the root חָנַה decline or bend, and hence to fix oneself down or encamp; meaning either a multitudinous host, reading the dual for a plural (Malvenda), or two bands of angels, one before, welcoming him to Canaan, and another behind, conducting him from Mesopotamia (Jarchi and others), or one on either side to typify the completeness of his protection, as in Psalm 34:8 (Calvin, Bush, Gcrlach, 'Speaker's Commentary'), or, as the best expositors interpret, his own company and the heavenly host (Abort Ezra, Clericus, Dathe, Keil, Lange, Rosenmüller, Kalisch, Murphy). Mahanaim, afterwards a distinguished city in the territory of Gad (Joshua 13:26), and frequently referred to in subsequent Scripture (2 Samuel 2:8; 2 Samuel 17:24; 27; 19:32; 1 Kings 4:14), as well as mentioned by Josephus ('Ant.,' 7.9, 8), as a strong and beautiful city, has been identified with Mahneh, a deserted ruin six or seven miles north-west by north of Ajlun (Mount Gilead), and about twenty miles from the Jabbok (vide 'Robinson,' vol. 3. App. 166; and cf. Tristram, 'The Land of Israel, p. 483); but the narrative appears to say that Mahanaim lay not north of Ga-leed, but between that place and Jabbok. Hence Porter suggests Gerasa, the most splendid ruin east of the Jordan, and bordering on the Jabbok, as occupying the site of Mahanaim (vide Kitto s 'Cyclopedia,' art. Mahanaim, and cf. 'Handbook for S. and P.' 2. 311, seq.). Genesis 32:2

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The Host of God. - When Laban had taken his departure peaceably, Jacob pursued his journey to Canaan. He was then met by some angels of God, in whom he discerned an encampment of God; and he called the place where they appeared Mahanaim, i.e., double camp or double host, because the host of God joined his host as a safeguard. This appearance of angels necessarily reminded him of the vision of the ladder, on his flight from Canaan. Just as the angels ascending and descending had then represented to him the divine protection and assistance during his journey and sojourn in a foreign land, so now the angelic host was a signal of the help of God for the approaching conflict with Esau of which he was in fear, and a fresh pledge of the promise (Genesis 28:15), "I will bring thee back to the land," etc. Jacob saw it during his journey; in a waking condition, therefore, not internally, but out of or above himself: but whether with the eyes of the body or of the mind (cf. 2 Kings 6:17), cannot be determined. Mahanaim was afterwards a distinguished city, which is frequently mentioned, situated to the north of the Jabbok; and the name and remains are still preserved in the place called Mahneh (Robinson, Pal. Appendix, p. 166), the site of which, however, has not yet been minutely examined (see my Comm. on Joshua, p. 259).