Historical chapter commentary
Verse 1. Angels. Guardians of Chanaan and Mesopotamia. Jarchi.—The latter escorted him as far as the torrent Jaboc. That angels guard different provinces, is well attested, Daniel 12:1. Acts 16:9. Calmet.—Michael protected Chanaan and the people of God. Diodorus of Tarsus. Menochius.
Verse 2. Mahanaim, “two camps.” A town was afterwards built here.
Verse 3. Edom; comprising the countries east, west, and south of the Dead sea. Calmet.—Providentially, Esau had now left his father’s house open to his brother; who, on this occasion, addresses him with the utmost civility, and speaks of the riches which he had obtained; in order that Esau might neither be ashamed of him, nor suspect that he would impoverish his father. Menochius.
Verse 6. Men. Jonathan has Polemarchoi; officers or warriors, either to punish Jacob, (Wisd. 10:12) as the latter feared, verse 11; or to do him honour, as Esau protested. Calmet. 33:15. Calmet.
Verse 9. God of … Isaac. It is not true, therefore, that God never has the title of God of any man, while living, as some assert. Calmet. 31:42. Jacob addresses him by those very titles which he had assumed at Bethel. Calmet. 28:13. Bible.
Verse 10. Not worthy. Chal. “my merits are beneath all thy kindnesses.” Saint Augustine reads, with S. Cyril, idoneus es, and so forth “thou art sufficient for me.”
Verse 11. The children; sparing neither sex nor age, but destroying all. Calmet.—Jacob insists on the promises of God; yet fears lest he should, by some offence, have deserved to forfeit his protection; particularly, as he had been living 20 years among idolaters. He acts with all prudence. Worthington.
Verse 15. Camels. The milk of these animals is most exquisite, being mixed with three parts water. Pliny xi. 41, who says, “They give milk till they be with young again.” The Arabs feed chiefly on their milk and flesh. Saint Jerome c. Jor. ii. The value of all these presents, may give us some idea of the prodigious wealth which God had heaped upon Jacob in the space of six years! Bible.
Verse 20. He said, and so forth These words were not to be related to Esau; they are the words of the sacred historian. There were probably five droves of goats, sheep, camels, kine and asses; by the successive presenting of which, Esau might be appeased.
Verse 22. Sons, with Dina his daughter, and all his household.
Verse 23. All things. Grotius thinks this has been lost in the Hebrew copies; as it occurs in the Sam. Septuagint and Syriac.
Verse 24. A man, and so forth This was an angel in human shape, as we learn from Osee 12:4. He is called God, verse 28 and 30, because he represented the person of the Son of God. This wrestling, in which Jacob, assisted by God, was a match for an angel, was so ordered, (verse 28) that he might learn by this experiment of the divine assistance, that neither Esau, nor any other man, should have power to hurt him. It was also spiritual, as appeareth by his earnest prayer, urging, and at last obtaining the angel’s blessing. Challoner.—The father will not refuse a good gift to those who ask him with fervour and humility. Jacob had before set us an excellent pattern how to pray, placing his confidence in God, and distrusting himself, verse 9. and so forth Bible.—It is not certain, whether Jacob remained alone on the northern or on the southern banks of Jaboc. Calmet.
Verse 25. Sinew, near the coxendix, or huckel-bone. D. This was to convince Jacob, how easily he could have gained the victory over him; and to make him remember, that it was not simply a vision, but a real wrestling. Tirinus.
Verse 28. Israel. This name was more honourable, and that by which his posterity were afterwards known; being called Israelites, and not Jacobites. God ratifies the title. Calmet. 35:10. It means a prince of God. Saint Jerome q. Hebrew ( Calmet.) or one standing upright, and contending victoriously with God, rectus Dei, yisrael. Bible.—Many have expounded it, a man seeing God; aiss-rae-al. Philo, and so forth
Verse 29. Why, and so forth He represses Jacob’s curiosity, ( Bible.) perhaps because God did not as yet choose to reveal his name. Exodus 6:3. Some Greek and Latin copies add, which is wonderful, taken from Judith 13:6. 18. Calmet.
Verse 30. Phanuel. This word signifies the face of God, or the sight, or seeing of God. Challoner.—Hebrew reads here Peni-el, though it has Phanuel in the next verse. Jacob thus returns thanks to God for the preservation of his life, after having seen God or his angel in a corporeal form, and not in a dream only. Calmet.
Verse 31. Halted, or was lame. Alulensis thinks the angel healed him very soon. Menochius.
Verse 32. The sinew in beasts of any kind, corresponding with that part of Jacob’s thigh. Bible.—Some refrain from the whole quarter, others extract the sinew. This they do, without any command, in memory of this transaction. Calmet.
“Mahanaim” means “two camps”.
Peniel means “face of God”.