Genesis 32:24

 Genesis 32:24

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

a. ASV: And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT:  And Jacob is left alone, and one wrestleth with him till the ascending of the dawn;  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT:  This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.  [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

e. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: [Genesis 32:24 in our Bible is Genesis 32:25 in the Jewish Bibles]: Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

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

a. [And] Jacob [Strong: 3290 Yaʻăqôb, yah-ak-obe'; from H6117; heel-catcher (i.e. supplanter); Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch:—Jacob.]

b.  [was] left [Strong: 3478 yâthar, yaw-thar'; a primitive root; to jut over or exceed; by implication, to excel; (intransitively) to remain or be left; causatively to leave, cause to abound, preserve:—excel, leave (a remnant), left behind, too much, make plenteous, preserve, (be, let) remain(-der, -ing, -nant), reserve, residue, rest.]

c. alone [Strong: 905 bad, bad; from H909; properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of a tree, bar for carrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besides:—alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.]

d. [and there] wrestled [Strong: 79 ʼâbaq, aw-bak'; a primitive root, probably to float away (as vapor), but used only as denominative from H80; to bedust, i.e. grapple:—wrestle.]

1). This wrestling was a wrestling in prayer between the Angel of the Covenant and Jacob.

e. [a] man [Strong: 376 ʼîysh, eesh; contracted for H582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation):—also, another, any (man), a certain, champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), none, one, people, person, steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.]

f. with [him] [Strong: 5973 ʻim, eem; from H6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English):—accompanying, against, and, as (× long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from (among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-) to, with(-al).]

g. until [Strong: 5704 ʻad, ad; properly, the same as H5703 (used as a preposition, adverb or conjunction; especially with a preposition); as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with):—against, and, as, at, before, by (that), even (to), for(-asmuch as), (hither-) to, how long, into, as long (much) as, (so) that, till, toward, until, when, while, (+ as) yet.]

h. [the] breaking [Strong: 5927 ʻâlâh, aw-law'; a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative:—arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.]

i. [of the] day [Strong: 7837 shachar, shakh'-ar; from H7836; dawn (literal, figurative or adverbial):—day(-spring), early, light, morning, whence riseth.]

1). Many commentators teach that this was a theophany, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ in human form, such as Genesis 18. I agree with this. There are a number of details in this story that convinces me of this. The passage in Genesis 32 and the companion passage in Hosea 12 give clues regarding it.Jacob said that he had seen God face to face (Genesis 32:32:30). In Hosea 12 it refers to Jacob having strength with God. This episode is a mixture of physical and spiritual elements. Each element will be dealth with in the individual verses.    

a). Genesis 32:24-30 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

32:25 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.

32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

32:28 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.

32:29 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.

32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

b). Hosea 12:3, 4 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:

12:4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;