Genesis 32 Footnotes

32:24-31 The mysterious “man” (v. 24) whom Jacob wrestled with until dawn was God himself (vv. 28,30). The Lord had taken human form previously to interact with Abraham (18:2,10,16). Remarkably, the all-powerful Lord did not see fit to overpower Jacob, but allowed him to cling tenaciously to him all night. The concept of a Christian “wrestling with God” during particularly difficult or fearful times originates in this passage. Though Jacob limped away from this unexpected struggle (32:25,31), his new divinely given name, “Israel,” indicated that “he struggled with God” and prevailed, growing spiritually in the process.