Genesis 32:22

22 But during the night he got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.

Genesis 32:22 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 32:22

And he rose up that night
In the middle of it, for it was long before break of day, as appears from ( Genesis 32:24 ) ; and took his two wives,
Rachel and Leah, and his two womenservants,
Bilhah and Zilpah, or, "his two concubines", as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; which distinguishes them from other womenservants or maidservants, of which, no doubt, he had many: and his eleven sons;
together with Dinah his daughter, though not mentioned, being the only female child, and a little one: and passed over the ford Jabbok;
over that river, at a place of it where it was fordable, or where there was a ford or passage: this was a river that took its rise from the mountains of Arabia, was the border of the Ammonites, washed the city Rabba, and ran between Philadelphia and Gerasa, and came into the river Jordan, at some little distance from the sea of Gennesaret or Galilee F4, about three or four miles from it.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 Hieron, de loc. Heb. fol. 92. f. Adrichom, Theatrum Terrae, S. p. 32.

Genesis 32:22 In-Context

20 "Say 'Your servant Jacob is on his way behind us.'" He thought, "I will soften him up with the succession of gifts. Then when he sees me face-to-face, maybe he'll be glad to welcome me."
21 So his gifts went before him while he settled down for the night in the camp.
22 But during the night he got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
23 He got them safely across the brook along with all his possessions.
24 But Jacob stayed behind by himself, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.