During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. That nightThe phrase "that night" signifies a specific and pivotal moment in Jacob's life. In the Hebrew context, "night" often symbolizes a time of uncertainty or trial. This particular night precedes Jacob's encounter with God, marking a transition from fear to faith. It is a reminder that God often works in the darkness, bringing about transformation and revelation. Jacob got up
The act of Jacob getting up indicates a deliberate decision and readiness to face what lies ahead. In Hebrew, the name "Jacob" means "supplanter" or "heel-grabber," reflecting his earlier life of deception. However, this moment signifies a shift as Jacob prepares to confront his past and seek reconciliation with his brother Esau. It is a call for believers to rise from complacency and take action in faith. took his two wives
Jacob's two wives, Leah and Rachel, represent the complex family dynamics and personal struggles he faced. In the cultural and historical context, polygamy was practiced, though it often led to familial strife. This phrase highlights the importance of family unity and the challenges of maintaining harmony amidst personal ambitions and divine promises. his two maidservants
The mention of the maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah, reflects the societal norms of the time, where maidservants could bear children on behalf of their mistresses. This practice, while culturally accepted, often led to tension and rivalry. It serves as a reminder of the imperfections in human relationships and the need for God's grace to bring about reconciliation and peace. his eleven sons
Jacob's eleven sons, who would later become the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel, symbolize the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to make his descendants a great nation. This phrase underscores the importance of legacy and the role of family in God's redemptive plan. It encourages believers to trust in God's promises, even when the path seems uncertain. crossed the ford of the Jabbok
The Jabbok River, a tributary of the Jordan, serves as a geographical and spiritual boundary. Crossing the Jabbok signifies a transition from one phase of life to another. In Hebrew, "Jabbok" can mean "to empty" or "to wrestle," foreshadowing Jacob's upcoming struggle with God. This crossing is a metaphor for the believer's journey of faith, where one must leave behind the old self and embrace a new identity in Christ. Persons / Places / Events 1. JacobThe central figure in this passage, Jacob is the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac. He is known for his struggles and eventual transformation into Israel, a name given to him after wrestling with God. 2. Jacob's FamilyThis includes his two wives, Leah and Rachel, his two maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah, and his eleven sons. They are significant as the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. 3. Jabbok RiverA tributary of the Jordan River, the Jabbok is the site of Jacob's significant encounter with God. The crossing of the Jabbok symbolizes a transition and a moment of deep spiritual significance. 4. NightThe timing of this event is significant, as night often symbolizes a time of trial or testing in biblical accounts. 5. CrossingThe act of crossing the Jabbok represents a pivotal moment of change and preparation for Jacob, as he is about to face his brother Esau. Teaching Points Transformation through StruggleJacob's crossing of the Jabbok is a precursor to his wrestling with God, symbolizing the transformative power of struggle and perseverance in faith. Preparation for ReconciliationBefore meeting Esau, Jacob's actions demonstrate the importance of preparation and seeking God's guidance in times of potential conflict. Faith in UncertaintyThe night crossing signifies moving forward in faith despite uncertainty, trusting in God's promises and protection. Family and LegacyJacob's concern for his family highlights the importance of protecting and leading one's family in faith, ensuring the continuation of God's covenant promises. Symbolism of CrossingThe act of crossing a boundary or barrier can represent a spiritual journey or transition, encouraging believers to trust God in their own life changes. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Jacob's experience at the Jabbok River reflect the broader theme of transformation in his life, and how can this apply to personal spiritual growth? 2. In what ways does the crossing of the Jabbok prepare Jacob for his encounter with Esau, and how can we prepare for reconciliation in our own relationships? 3. How does the symbolism of night in this passage relate to other biblical instances of night as a time of testing or divine encounter? 4. What lessons can we learn from Jacob's leadership and protection of his family during this critical moment, and how can these lessons be applied to modern family dynamics? 5. How does the concept of crossing a boundary or barrier in faith appear in other biblical accounts, and what does this teach us about trusting God in times of transition? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 28:10-22Jacob's dream at Bethel, where God reaffirms His covenant, connects to his journey and transformation at the Jabbok. Hosea 12:3-4This passage reflects on Jacob's struggle with God, emphasizing his perseverance and the divine encounter at the Jabbok. Exodus 14:21-22The crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites parallels Jacob's crossing of the Jabbok, both symbolizing deliverance and divine intervention. Matthew 14:22-33Jesus walking on water and Peter's attempt to join Him can be seen as a New Testament parallel of faith and testing, similar to Jacob's experience. People Esau, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Laban, Penuel, SeirPlaces Edom, Jabbok River, Jordan River, Mahanaim, Mizpah, Peniel, Penuel, SeirTopics Crossed, Eleven, Ford, Got, Handmaids, Jabbok, Maids, Maidservants, Maid-servants, Passage, Passed, Passeth, Riseth, River, Rose, Servant-women, Sons, Taketh, Taking, Wives, Womenservants, Women-servantsDictionary of Bible Themes Genesis 32:22 1654 numbers, 11-99
4260 rivers and streams Genesis 32:22-26 4918 dawn Genesis 32:22-32 4438 eating Library Mahanaim: the Two Camps
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim' (i.e. Two camps).--GENESIS xxxii. 1, 2. This vision came at a crisis in Jacob's life. He has just left the house of Laban, his father-in-law, where he had lived for many years, and in company with a long caravan, consisting of wives, children, servants, and all his wealth turned into cattle, is journeying back again to Palestine. His road …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Twofold Wrestle --God's with Jacob and Jacob's with God
'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: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 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 …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture "And He Said, Let Me Go, for the Day Breaketh. " --Genesis xxxii. 26
"And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh."--Genesis xxxii. 26. Let me go, the day is breaking, Dear companions, let me go; We have spent a night of waking In the wilderness below; Upward now I bend my way, Part we here at break of day. Let me go, I may not tarry, Wrestling thus with doubts and fears, Angels wait my soul to carry, Where my risen Lord appears; Friends and kindred, weep not so, If you love me let me go. We have travell'd long together, Hand in hand, and heart in heart, Both …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns Of the Name of God
Exod. iii. 13, 14.--"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." We are now about this question, What God is. But who can answer it? Or, if answered, who can understand it? It should astonish us in …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Jacob-Wrestling
"Lord, teach us to pray."--Luke xi. 1. "Jacob called the name of the place Peniel."--Gen. xxxii. 30. ALL the time that Jacob was in Padan-aram we search in vain for prayer, for praise. or for piety of any kind in Jacob's life. We read of his marriage, and of his great prosperity, till the land could no longer hold him. But that is all. It is not said in so many words indeed that Jacob absolutely denied and forsook the God of his fathers: it is not said that he worshipped idols in Padan-aram: that …
Alexander Whyte—Lord Teach Us To Pray The Great Shepherd
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. I t is not easy for those, whose habits of life are insensibly formed by the customs of modern times, to conceive any adequate idea of the pastoral life, as obtained in the eastern countries, before that simplicity of manners, which characterized the early ages, was corrupted, by the artificial and false refinements of luxury. Wealth, in those …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 Pleading
We shall consider our text, then, as one of the productions of a great master in spiritual matters, and we will study it, praying all the while that God will help us to pray after the like fashion. In our text we have the soul of a successful pleader under four aspects: we view, first, the soul confessing: "I am poor and needy." You have next, the soul pleading, for he makes a plea out of his poor condition, and adds, "Make haste unto me, O God!" You see, thirdly, a soul in it's urgency, for he cries, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871 Explanatory and Biographical
INTRODUCTION TO [202]BOOK I English lyrical religious poetry is less easily divisible than our secular verse into well-marked periods, whether in regard to matter or to manner. Throughout its long course it has in great measure the groundwork of a common Book, a common Faith, and a common Purpose. And although incidents from human life and aspects of nature are not excluded (and have in this selection, when possible, been specially gathered, with the view of varying the garland here presented)--yet …
Francis Turner Palgrave—The Treasury of Sacred Song The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly
DO not mistake me, I do not say that of their own nature the worst things are good, for they are a fruit of the curse; but though they are naturally evil, yet the wise overruling hand of God disposing and sanctifying them, they are morally good. As the elements, though of contrary qualities, yet God has so tempered them, that they all work in a harmonious manner for the good of the universe. Or as in a watch, the wheels seem to move contrary one to another, but all carry on the motions of the watch: …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Meditations for the Morning.
1. Almighty God can, in the resurrection, as easily raise up thy body out of the grave, from the sleep of death, as he hath this morning wakened thee in thy bed, out of the sleep of nature. At the dawning of which resurrection day, Christ shall come to be glorified in his saints; and every one of the bodies of the thousands of his saints, being fashioned like unto his glorious body, shall shine as bright as the sun (2 Thess. i. 10; Jude, ver. 14; Phil. iii. 21; Luke ix. 31;) all the angels shining …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety St. Malachy's Apostolic Labours, Praises and Miracles.
[Sidenote: 1140, October] 42. (23). Malachy embarked in a ship, and after a prosperous voyage landed at his monastery of Bangor,[576] so that his first sons might receive the first benefit.[577] In what state of mind do you suppose they were when they received their father--and such a father--in good health from so long a journey? No wonder if their whole heart gave itself over to joy at his return, when swift rumour soon brought incredible gladness even to the tribes[578] outside round about them. …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh A Treatise of the Fear of God;
SHOWING WHAT IT IS, AND HOW DISTINGUISHED FROM THAT WHICH IS NOT SO. ALSO, WHENCE IT COMES; WHO HAS IT; WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS; AND WHAT THE PRIVILEGES OF THOSE THAT HAVE IT IN THEIR HEARTS. London: Printed for N. Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, over against the Stocks market: 1679. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and "a fountain of life"--the foundation on which all wisdom rests, as well as the source from whence it emanates. Upon a principle …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Thirdly, for Thy Actions.
1. Do no evil, though thou mightest; for God will not suffer the least sin, without bitter repentance, to escape unpunished. Leave not undone any good that thou canst. But do nothing without a calling, nor anything in thy calling, till thou hast first taken counsel at God's word (1 Sam. xxx. 8) of its lawfulness, and pray for his blessings upon thy endeavour; and then do it in the name of God, with cheerfulness of heart, committing the success to him, in whose power it is to bless with his grace …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Fragrant Spices from the Mountains of Myrrh. "Thou Art all Fair, My Love; There is no Spot in Thee. " --Song of Solomon iv. 7.
FRAGRANT SPICES FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF MYRRH. HOW marvellous are these words! "Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee." The glorious Bridegroom is charmed with His spouse, and sings soft canticles of admiration. When the bride extols her Lord there is no wonder, for He deserves it well, and in Him there is room for praise without possibility of flattery. But does He who is wiser than Solomon condescend to praise this sunburnt Shulamite? Tis even so, for these are His own words, and were …
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come A Believer's Privilege at Death
'For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' Phil 1:1I. Hope is a Christian's anchor, which he casts within the veil. Rejoicing in hope.' Rom 12:12. A Christian's hope is not in this life, but he hash hope in his death.' Prov 14:42. The best of a saint's comfort begins when his life ends; but the wicked have all their heaven here. Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.' Luke 6:64. You may make your acquittance, and write Received in full payment.' Son, remember that …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Genesis 32:22 NIVGenesis 32:22 NLTGenesis 32:22 ESVGenesis 32:22 NASBGenesis 32:22 KJV
Genesis 32:22 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
