3<\/strong>. He took his brother by the heel<\/em> ] As if Jacob meant, The Supplanter. The same verb is used by Esau in an unfavourable sense in Gen 27:36<\/span>; but Hosea here evidently means to edify his people by the allusion. Observe that Jacob is described as the head and representative of his family (comparing this with Hos 12:2<\/em><\/span>).<\/p>\n had power with God<\/em> ] Rather, contended with God.<\/strong> Again an etymological allusion, ‘Israel’ being explained (rightly or wrongly) as ‘God’s combatant.’ The word used for God is elhm<\/em>, which is applicable to any divine or superhuman form (comp. 1Sa 28:13<\/span>). Hence in the next verse we find ‘angel’, or, rendering etymologically, ‘administrator’ ( mal’akh<\/em>), substituted for it, to prevent misunderstanding. Comp. Gen 16:10<\/span>; Gen 16:13<\/span>; Gen 48:15-16<\/span>; Exo 13:21<\/span>; Exo 14:19<\/span>.<\/p>\n 3 6<\/strong>. Two episodes (for a third, see Hos 12:12<\/em><\/span>) in the history of Jacob are applied to the spiritual wants of his descendants. Jacob in the very womb seemed ambitious of the blessing, and when a grown man, he wrestled with the angel for a still higher blessing than before. But, as we are led to interpret the prophet’s thought, the Israelites, instead of justifying their name, and ‘waiting upon their God’, have denied Jehovah, and sought for weak human help. The parallel passages in Genesis are Gen 25:26<\/span> a<\/em>, Gen 32:28<\/span> b<\/em> (both ascribed to ‘the Jehovist’), though we cannot conclude with positive certainty that they were known to Hosea, for in Hos 12:4<\/em><\/span> he introduces a detail not mentioned in Genesis. Hosea may<\/em> have drawn from oral tradition.<\/p>\n He took his brother by the heel in the womb – <\/B>Whether or no the act of Jacob was beyond the strength, ordinarily given to infants in the womb, the meaning of the act was beyond mans wisdom to declare. Whence the Jews paraphrased , Was it not predicted of your lather Jacob, before he was born, that he should become greater than his brother? Yet this was not fulfilled until more than 500 years afterward, nor completely until the time of David. These gifts were promised to Jacob out of the free mercy of God, antecedent to all deserts. But Jacob, thus chosen without desert, showed forth the power of faith; By his strength he had power with God. : The strength by which he did this, was Gods strength, as well as that by which God contended with him; yet it is well called his, as being by God given to him. Yet he had power with God, God so ordering it, that the strength which was in Jacob, should put itself forth with greater force, than that in the assumed body, whereby He so dealt with Jacob. God, as it were, bore the office of two persons, showing in Jacob more strength than He put forth in the Angel. By virtue of that faith in Jacob, it is related that God could not prevail against him. He could not because he would not overthrow his faith and constancy. By the touch in the hollow of his thigh, He but added strength to his faith, showing him who it was who wrestled with him, and that He willed to bless him. For thereon Jacob said those words which have become a proverb of earnest supplication, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me, and, I have seen God, face to face, and my life is preserved Gen 32:26<\/span>, Gen 32:30<\/span>. : He was strengthened by the blessing of Him whom he overcame.<\/P> <\/p>\n Hos 12:3-4<\/span><\/p>\n And by his strength he had power with God.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Wrestling Jacob<\/strong><\/p>\n This story has a strange fascination for most Bible readers, due, in part, to the vividness with which it is told; in part, to the deep spiritual truth which it half reveals and half conceals. Jacob recalls in his prayer the time when he passed this very place twenty years before as he fled from the wrath of Esau. God has been with him, and prospered him. Let us picture again that weird night scene. The almost oppressive silence was only broken by the roar of the shallow Jabbok, which writhed and struggled between obstructing rocks as it plunged and tumbled to the Jordan valley two miles below. We can see the rough waters gleam under the torches as drove after drove of animals splashed and ploughed their way through,–the goats and the sheep, the camels and the cattle, the asses and their foals are carefully arranged in successive relays, to appease the wrath of Esau. Then, in two companies, his frightened household followed, and the sounds died away again until nothing was left but the deepened roar of the turbulent stream beside him, which seemed to intensify the dead silence all around. Jacob was left alone. He was anxious, and apprehensive of what might happen. He was a greedy man, and he stood to lose, at one stroke, the wealth which represented the struggles of twenty years. He was an intensely affectionate man, and it seemed as if wives and children might be snatched away from him at one fell swoop: I fear lest Esau come and smite me, the mother and the children. Then, through the long night there wrestled with him man till daybreak–till the reach of the Jabbok flashed again in the sudden Syrian sunrise. As he lay there in the growing light, thrown, exhausted, he knew it was no man who had striven with him. In the sunrise he had seen God face to face. So he called the place Peniel–Gods face. But that is only the outside of the story, the body of this experience. What is its inner meaning? An instinct tells us that this is the record of a moral and spiritual struggle, which doubtless has its counterpart in the human life of these breathless days. That shrivelled tendon was the mark left in Jacobs body of a moral and spiritual struggle–the crisis of his history. We know the long night ended in tearful and penitent prayer. What makes me feel certain that this is the record of a moral and spiritual struggle is the undoubted fact that from that day a great moral change came over Jacob–a change represented by his new name. He was no longer Jacob–sly, subtle, crafty, tricky Jacob, he was an Israelite, indeed, in whom there was no guile. He was Israel, Gods prince, for he had prevailed. He not only had a new name, but a new nature. The blessing which came with the dawn was the highest blessing which can ever come to any man–the assurance that his better self would become increasingly his truest self. He was a prince of God. It is not difficult to see that Jacobs whole life had been one long wrestle, a tough, hard struggle with others. He had wrestled for bread, for love, for justice. Yes; and he had prevailed. He had succeeded, he had reaped the fruit of struggle–strength. He had gained what comes with victory–self-confidence. He had outwitted the crafty Laban. He went to his uncle a penniless tramp; he left him a wealthy man. And now he comes back to the land which was promised him. And here, on the very border and frontier of it, just as he is about to grasp what seems to be already his, he is brought up suddenly face to face with an old sin; and, as old sins are wont to do, it unnerved him. Do you know men who sinned–twenty years ago? They have been successful in spite of their sin–nay, by means of it, and God has given no sign. Then, after twenty years, they are brought face to face with the consequences. They do not ask now: What will it mean to me? There is a question which cuts deeper than that: What will it mean to wife and children? If no one else were involved, if the man knew definitely what it would mean and how it would end he could face it. Though it brought ruin and exposure and shame, he could meet it like a man, But when the vague dread of it hangs over his life, and he lies awake at night and goes over all the possibilities and chances of what may happen, and wonders if any contingency has been left unprovided for, till the heart is sick with a nameless dread–then suspense becomes anguish. Now, that was Jacobs case. He had done all that foresight and long experience could devise. He had sent messages, intended to convey to Esau the impression that he was a man of some consequence–obsequious messages, toe, to my lord Esau. And my lord sent back a soldiers answer: Esau cometh to meet thee with four hundred men. With great astuteness Jacob divides his household into two companies, so that if Esau falls on one, the other may perhaps escape. His trouble drives him to his knees, for with all his subtlety and shrewdness Jacob was a praying man. He appeals, in his extremity–like many a trickster since–to his fathers God. And yet, apprehension of his loss breaks through his very prayer. He is a rich man now, and has much to lose I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant,. . . deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother. In the very act of prayer his subtle brain is scheming how he <\/strong>will send presents to Esau–not in a lump, but first one, then another, drove after drove. He knew very well how to appeal to the frank, generous heart of the rough twin-brother. What a mixture the man is!–craft and prayer, cunning and faith, daring and dread!. . . Then Jacob was greatly afraid, and was distressed. Does all this let any light on some past experience of your own? You were walking, as you thought, in the way of Gods leading–in obedience to His call–to some land of promise, and on the very border of it you are suddenly brought face to face with some past wrong. The power in which you trusted–the result of long experience–fails you. Your self-confidence is rudely shaken. You betake yourself to prayer, and yet you will not trust wholly in that either; you do all that foresight can suggest–and stretch a point in doing it–to make quite sure that the blessing shall be yours. You try to deal with God as you have dealt with men. Is that the meaning of Jacobs wrestling? You come to the very border of your land of promise. It is almost your own. And you will make quite sure of it by human means,–as if God could be tricked and managed, as if the blessing must be wrested from unwilling hands. Then you find that you have more than Esau to deal with. There is another Antagonist–unknown, mysterious, persistent. So you struggle on through the darkness, unwilling to cast aside the powers which have never failed when dealing with your fellows. Does not your own experience interpret this story for you? Then, at daybreak, with one touch the nameless wrestler shrivels the strongest muscle in Jacobs body, and shows what He might have done at any moment. The strong man falls back spent and thrown. His self-confidence is broken, he has met more than this match.<\/p>\n Nay, but I yield, I yield;<\/p>\n I can hold out no more!<\/p>\n Is that the end, then? It would have been with some men, but Jacob clings with all his remaining strength to his great antagonist, until he wrings a blessing from the struggle. It was after <\/em>his defeat, you observe, after <\/em>he was worsted and thrown, that he prevailed. Look at the text again (R.V. margin), In his strength he strove with God; yea, he strove with the angel, and prevailed. But how? In this way: He wept, and made supplication unto Him. He supplicates the possession he cannot win. The blessing he sought to wring from God was his in a free and gracious gift. The sun rose on a changed and chastened life. But the long struggle had left its mark on him. He halted on his thigh. He lost the proud, self-confident swing in his gait. He was a humbler and a better man. Is that an old story I have been telling you? Is it not your story? Yours and mine? Do you remember that dark and troubled day when the Unseen asserted its rights–when you wrestled, but not with flesh and blood? And you found that the tricks and quirks which avail in that warfare were no use, for you were dealing with God. Is that the explanation of some struggle in the darkness which is going on here and now? Have we never heard of the striving of the Spirit? Is that the meaning of some bitter disappointment which comes unexpectedly into the life of some self-confident man who has hitherto never known what failure means? The power which wrestles with you is a power which longs to bless. If you will cling with all your strength, it may be you will come out of that struggle crowned and with a new name, because in the struggle you have learned His name, and in defeat you have learned to pray. (A. Moorhouse, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jacobs strength<\/strong><\/p>\n The strength that God puts into us, though it be Gods own, yet when we have it, and work by it, God accounts it as ours; it is called Jacobs strength, though the truth is, it was Gods strength. It is a great honour to manifest much strength in wrestling with God in prayer. In this was the honour of Jacob, with his strength he prevailed with God. We should not come with weak and empty prayers, but we should put forth strength; if a Christian has any strength in the world for anything, he should have it in prayer. According to the strength of the fire, the bullet, ascends; so according to what strength we put forth in prayer, so is our prevalence. This strength of Jacob was a type of the spiritual strength which God gives His saints when they have to deal with Him. See Eph 3:16<\/span>. Surely the strength is great that is by the Spirit of God, but such strength shall manifest the glory of the Spirit of God. This is the strength attainable for Christians, even here in this world. Let us not be satisfied with faint desires and wishes, when Jesus Christ is tendered to us as the fountain of strength. But do you walk so that your strength manifests that such riches of the glory of God dwell in you? Christians should seek to be strengthened with all might, according to the glorious power of God. The way to prevail with men is to prevail with God. (Jeremiah Burroughs.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jacobs victory and our duty<\/strong><\/p>\n The <\/em>prophet takes the opportunity of showing the difference between their conduct and that of Jacob, after whom they were called. His design in doing so was to make them know that, if they expected to be saved, it was not by proving their descent from Jacob, but by acting as did that pious patriarch when he was in danger and was suffering from the effects of his former misconduct. Reference is to the scene of wrestling with the angel. We use it as an example of the mode and nature of faithful and successful prayer. All must pray, and to be heard must pray aright, in the same persevering manner as Jacob, and in the same holy temper. We are taught, in other parts of Scripture, to address our God with penitence, holiness, faith, and perseverance; and all these essentials of acceptable devotion are illustrated in this narrative. (Beaver H. Blacker, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Israel unlike Jacob<\/strong><\/p>\n Alas! <\/em>a nearer view of Judah shows that all the descendants of Jacob, in Zion as in Samaria, provoke judgment. How unlike the early devotion and fervent faith of the pilgrim-patriarch their father! From the strong prayer amidst the stones at Bethel, where the eternal pathway between heaven and earth was opened in vision, and from the wrestling of supplication at Peniel, what moral degeneracy a idst the wealthy traffic adopted in Canaan! And what a cry to God may not the prophet raise for a restoration of the old simple tent-life, when it seemed natural to men that God should raise up speakers of His will, and quicken their spiritual life by fervent preachers! In those days of prophets Israel dwelt safely: under her kings she sins and suffers. God spared the ten tribes, notwithstanding that Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, made them sin. Now, since idolatry multiplies, since Baal is worshipped, and perhaps even human bloodshed, either to Moloch, or through contagion of Moloch worship, notwithstanding Abrahams purer faith had sought better propitiations, the nation drifts like chaff, stubble, smoke. All Gods appeals are in vain. Stolid and obstinate, the nation which God called to for a new birth of a pious generation, and for new thoughts and hope, stands gazing on its idols. God would have saved them from the Assyrian sword, and would have foiled the besieger, and bidden death and the grave stay their devouring. But since sinners do not repent, God cannot relent. (Rowland Williams, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Bethel and Peniel<\/strong><\/p>\n The house of God and the face of God. God is here. God is mine.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>To see Gods relation to his life. The vision showed God caring for sinful, wandering Jacob, watching over his slumbers, peopling the desert for him with ministering angels, and assuring him of unfailing guardianship. He could never be the same man again when this fact had been brought home to his very heart.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>To feel a conviction of the Divine claims of God is here, I must wait, listen, obey.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>To realise the Divine love, the sovereign fulness and freeness of Divine grace, Jacob woke in the morning to feel–God loves me, even me.<\/p>\n Verse 3<\/span>. He took his brother by the heel<\/B><\/I>] See on Ge 25:26<\/span>; Ge 32:24<\/span>, &c.<\/P> <\/p>\n He, <\/B>Jacob, <\/P> took his brother, <\/B>Esau, by the heel in the womb: the matter of fact you have Gen 25:26<\/span>; the design of mentioning it in this place is to mind them of that goodness which God showed to them in their father Jacob, who was by a miracle foretold to be superior to Esau, that he and his should have the birth-right: this.should never be forgotten. The true worship of God they should have preserved, since in the priesthood, part of the primogeniture, it was included both as privilege and duty; justice and equity they should have maintained as a flower of the crown and kingly authority included in the birth-right, and a double portion or share in Gods blessings was theirs too. But all these blessings are forfeited by their apostacy, for which at once they should blush, repent, and humble themselves, and at last remember their primogeniture, and labour to recover to a temper worthy this their original. Jacob strove for the blessing in the womb, but you profanely neglect it in full age. <\/P> By his strength; <\/B>this strength was not of nature, But of grace, a fruit of the Divine love and election, strength from God. <\/P> He had power with God; <\/B>strength received of God was well employed betimes, in it he wrestled for and obtained the blessing; but you let it slip out of your hands, and sin it away. There was somewhat of heroic, a conqueror from his birth, but you are revolters from the womb. <\/P> <\/p>\n 3. He<\/B>Jacob, contrasted withhis degenerate descendants, called by his name, Jacob (Ho12:2<\/span>; compare Mic 2:7<\/span>). He<\/I>took Esau by the heel in the womb in order to obtain, if possible,the privileges of the first-born (Ge25:22-26<\/span>), whence he took his name, Jacob, meaning “supplanter”;and again, by his strength, prevailed in wrestling with God for ablessing (Ge 32:24-29<\/span>);whereas ye disregard My promises, putting your confidence in idolsand foreign alliances. He<\/I> conquered God, ye<\/I> are theslaves of idols. Only have Jehovah on your side, and ye are strongerthan Edom, or even Assyria. So the spiritual Israel lays hold of theheel of Jesus, “the First-born of many brethren,” beingborn again of the Holy Spirit. Having no right in themselves to theinheritance, they lay hold of the bruised heel, the humanity ofChrist crucified, and let not go their hold of Him who is not, asEsau, a curse (Heb 12:16<\/span>;Heb 12:17<\/span>), but, by becoming acurse for us, is a blessing to us. <\/P> power with God<\/B>referringto his name, “Israel,” prince of God,<\/I> acquired onthat occasion (compare Mt 11:12<\/span>).As the promised Canaan had to be gained forcibly by Israel, so heavenby the faithful (Re 3:21<\/span>;compare Lu 13:24<\/span>). “Strive,”literally, “as in the agony of a contest.” So theCanaanitess (Mt 15:22<\/span>). <\/P> his strength<\/B>which layin his conscious weakness, whence, when his thigh was put out ofjoint by God, he hung upon Him.<\/I> To seek strength was hisobject; to grant it, God’s. Yet God’s mode of procedure was strange.In human form He tries as it were to throw Jacob down. When simplewrestling was not enough, He does what seems to ensure Jacob’s fall,dislocating his thigh joint, so that he could no longer stand. Yet itwas then that Jacob prevailed. Thus God teaches us the irresistiblemight of conscious weakness. For when weak in ourselves, we arestrong by His strength put in us (Job 23:6<\/span>;Isa 27:5<\/span>; 2Co 12:9<\/span>;2Co 12:10<\/span>).<\/P><\/p>\n He took his brother by the heel in the womb<\/strong>,…. That is, Jacob took his brother Esau by the heel, as he came forth from his mother’s womb; the history of it is in Ge 25:25<\/span>. It is here observed, upon mentioning the name of Jacob in Ho 12:2<\/span>, meaning the posterity, of the patriarch; but here he himself is intended, and occasionally taken notice of, to show how very different his posterity were from him, and how sadly degenerated; as well as to upbraid them with ingratitude, whose ancestors, and they also, had received such and so many favours from the Lord; Jacob the patriarch was a hero from the womb, but they transgressors from it; this action of his observed was a presage and pledge of his having the superiority of his brother, and of his getting the birthright and blessing from him. So the Targum,<\/p>\n “prophet, say unto them, was it not said of Jacob, before he was born, that he would be greater than his brother?”<\/p>\n see Ro 9:11<\/span>. In this action there was something divine, miraculous, and preternatural; it was not the effort of nature merely, but contrary to it, or at least above it; and not done by chance, but ordered by the providence of God, as a prediction and testification of his future greatness, and even of his posterity’s, in times yet to come, as Kimchi observes, who refers to Ob 1:18<\/span>;<\/p>\n and by his strength he had power with God<\/strong>; the Targum is, with the angel, as in Ho 12:4<\/span>; he is called a man in the history of this event in Ge 32:24<\/span>; not that he was a mere man, since he is here expressly called God, and afterwards the Lord God of hosts; and there it is evident, from the context, he was a divine Person, and no other than the Son of God; who, though not as yet incarnate, appeared in a human form, as a presage of his future incarnation; though this was not a mere apparition, spectre, or phantasm, as Josephus t calls it; for it was not in a dream, or in a visionary way, that this wrestling and striving was between this divine Person in this form and Jacob, but in reality; it was a real substance which the Son of God formed, animated, actuated, and assumed, for that time and purpose, and then laid it aside; which touched Jacob, and he touched that, laid hold on it, and held it fast, and strove with it, and had power over it, and over God in it; even over him that is God over all, the true God and eternal life, the Lord Jesus Christ; not a created God, or God by office, but by nature; as the perfections that are in him, and the works and worship ascribed to him, declare: now Jacob had power over him “by his strength”; not by his natural strength; either of his body, which could not have been equal to the strength of this human body assumed for the time, as it was used and managed by a divine Person, unless he had been extraordinarily assisted and strengthened; or of his mind and soul, not by any spiritual strength he had of himself; but by what he had from this divine Person, with whom he wrestled; who put strength into him, and supported and increased the power and strength of faith in prayer; so that he prevailed over him, and got the blessing, for which reason his name was called Israel, Ge 32:28<\/span>.<\/p>\n t Antiqu. l. 1. c. 20. sect. 2.<\/p>\n “He held his brother’s heel in the womb, and in his man’s strength he fought with God.<\/em> Hos 12:4<\/span>. He fought against the angel, and overcame; wept, and prayed to Him: at Bethel he found Him, and there He talked with us. <\/em> Hos 12:5<\/span>. And Jehovah, God of hosts, Jehovah is His remembrance.” <\/em> The name Jacob, which refers to the patriarch himself in Hos 12:3<\/span>, forms the link between Hos 12:2<\/span> and Hos 12:3<\/span>. The Israelites, as descendants of Jacob, were to strive to imitate the example of their forefather. His striving hard for the birthright, and his wrestling with God, in which he conquered by prayer and supplication, are types and pledges of salvation to the tribes of Israel which bear his name.<\/p>\n (Note: “He shows what good Jacob received, and the son is named in the father: he calls to remembrance the ancient history, that they may see both the mercy of God towards Jacob, and his resolute firmness towards the Lord.” – Jerome.)<\/p>\n , a denom. from , “to hold the heel” = in Gen 25:26<\/span>, which the prophet has in his mind, not “to overreach,” as in Gen 27:36<\/span> and Jer 9:3<\/span>. For the wrestling with God, mentioned in the second clause of the verse, proves most indisputably that Jacob’s conduct is not held up before the people for a warning, as marked by cunning or deceit, as Umbreit and Hitzig suppose, but is set before them for their imitation, as an eager attempt to secure the birthright and the blessing connected with it. This shows at the same time, that the holding of the heel in the mother’s womb is not quoted as a proof of the divine election of grace, and, in fact, that there is no reference at all to the circumstance, that “even when Jacob was still in his mother’s womb, he did this not by his own strength, but by the mercy of God, who knows and loves those whom He has predestinated” (Jerome). , is his manly strength (cf. Gen 49:3<\/span>) he wrestled with God (Gen 32:25-29<\/span>). This conflict (for the significance of which in relation to Jacob’s spiritual life, see the discussion at Genesis l.c.<\/em>) is more fully described in Hos 12:4<\/span>, for the Israelites to imitate. is the angel of Jehovah, the revealer of the invisible God (see the Commentary on the Pentateuch<\/em>, pp. 118ff. transl.). is from Gen 32:29<\/span>. The explanatory clause, “he wept, and made supplication to Him” (after Gen 32:27<\/span>), gives the nature of the conflict. It was a contest with the weapons of prayer; and with these he conquered. These weapons are also at the command of the Israelites, if they will only use them. The fruit of the victory was, that he (Jacob) found Him (God) at Bethel. This does not refer to the appearance of God to Jacob on his flight to Mesopotamia (Gen 28:11<\/span>), but to that recorded in Gen 35:9<\/span>., when God confirmed his name of Israel, and renewed the promises of His blessing. And there, continues the prophet, He (God) spake with us; i.e., not there He speaks with us still, condemning by His prophets the idolatry at Bethel (Amo 5:4-5<\/span>), as Kimchi supposes; but, as the imperfect corresponds to , “there did He speak to us through Jacob,” i.e., what He there said to Jacob applies to us.<\/p>\n (Note: “Let it be carefully observed, that God is said to have talked at Bethel not with Jacob only, but with all his posterity. That is to say, the things which are here said to have been done by Jacob, and to have happened to him, had not regard to himself only, but to all the race that sprang from him, and were signs of the good fortune which they either would, or certainly might enjoy” (Lackemacher in Rosenmller’s Scholia<\/em>).)<\/p>\n The explanation of this is given in Hos 12:5<\/span>, where the name is recalled in which God revealed Himself to Moses, when He first called him (Exo 3:15<\/span>), i.e., in which He made known to him His true nature. Y e hovah zikhro <\/em> is taken literally from ; but there the name Jehovah<\/em> is still further defined by “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” here by “the God of hosts.” This difference needs consideration. The Israelites in the time of Moses could only put full confidence in the divine call of Moses to be their deliverer out of the bondage of Egypt, on the ground that He who called him was the God who had manifested Himself to the patriarchs as the God of salvation; but for the Israelites of Hosea’s time, the strength of their confidence in Jehovah arose from the fact that Jehovah was the God of hosts, i.e., the God who, because He commands the forces of heaven, both visible and invisible, rules with unrestricted omnipotence on earth as well as in heaven (see at 1Sa 1:3<\/span>).<\/p>\n In all this discourse the Prophet condemns the ingratitude of the people; and then he shows how shamefully they had departed from the example of their father, in whose name they yet took pride. This is the substance. Their ingratitude is showed in this, that they did not acknowledge that they had been anticipated, (84) in the person of their father Jacob, by the gratuitous mercy of God. The first history is indeed referred to for this end, that the posterity of Jacob might understand that they had been elected by God before they were born. For Jacob did not, by choice or design, lay hold on the heel of his brother in his mother’s womb; but it was an extraordinary thing. It was then God who guided the hand of the infant, and by this sign testified his adoption to be gratuitous. In short, by saying that Jacob held the foot of his brother in his mother’s womb, the same thing is intended, as if God had reminded the Israelites, that they did not excel other people by their own virtue or that of their parents; but that God of his own good pleasure had chosen them. The same is alleged against them by Malachi, <\/p>\n ‘<\/p>\n Were not Jacob and Esau brethren? Yet Jacob I loved, and Esau I regarded with hatred,’ (Mal 1:2<\/span>.) <\/p>\n For we know wish what haughtiness this nation has ever exalted itself. “But whence have ye arisen? Look back to your origin: ye are indeed the children of Abraham and Isaac. In what then do ye differ from the Idumeans? They have certainly been begotten by Esau; and Esau was the son of Isaac and the brother of Jacob, and indeed the first-born. Ye then do not excel as to any dignity that may exist in you. Own then your origin, and know that whatever excellency may be in you proceeds from the mere favour of God, and this ought to bind you more and more to him. Whence then is this pride?” <\/p>\n Even thus does our Prophet now speak, Jacob held the foot of his brother in his mother’s womb; that is, “You have a near relationship with Esau and his posterity; but they are detested by you. Whence is this? Is it for some merit of your own? Boast when you can show that any thing has proceeded from you which could gain favour before God. Nay, your father Jacob, a most holy man indeed, while yet in his mother’s womb, laid hold on the foot of his brother Esau; that is, when he became superior to his brother and gained primogeniture, he was not grown up, and could do nothing by his own choice or power, for he was then inclosed in his mother’s womb, and had no worthiness, no merit. Your ingratitude is now then the more base, for God had put you under obligations to him before ye were born; in the person of the holy patriarch he chose you for his possession. But now, having forsaken him, and relinquished the worship which he has taught in his law, ye abandon yourselves to idols and impious superstitions. Bring now your pretences by which ye cover your impiety! Is not your baseness so gross and palpable, that you ought to be ashamed of it?” We now then understand the end for which the Prophet said that Esau’s foot was laid hold on by Jacob in his mother’s womb <\/p>\n Moreover, this passage clearly shows that men do not gain the favour of God by their free-will, but are chosen by his goodness alone before they are born, and chosen, not on account of works, as the Papists imagine, who concede some election to God, but think that it depends on future works. But if it be so, the charge of the Prophet was frigid and jejune. Now since God through his good pleasure alone anticipates men, and adopts those whom he pleases, not on account of works, but through his own mercy, it hence follows that those who have been chosen are more bound to him, and that they are less excusable when they reject the favour offered to them. <\/p>\n But here someone may object and say, that it is strange that the posterity of Jacob should be said to have been elected in his person, and yet they had in the meantime departed from God; for the election of God in this case would not be sure and permanent; and we know that whom God elects he also justifies, and their salvation is so secured, that none of them can perish; all the elect are also delivered to Christ as their preserver, that he may keep them by his divine power, which is invincible, as John teaches in chapter 10. (85) What then does this mean? Now we know, and it has been before stated, that the election of God as to that people was twofold; for the one was general, and the other special. The election of holy Jacob was special, for he was really one of the children of God; special also was the election of those who are called by Paul the children of the promise, (Rom 9:8<\/span>.) There was another, a general election; for he received his whole seed into his faith, and offered to all his covenant. At the same time, they were not all regenerated, they were not all gifted with the Spirit of adoption. This general election was not then efficacious in all. Solved now is the matter in debate, that no one of the elect shall perish; for the whole people were not elected in a special manner; but God knew whom he had chosen out of that people; and them he endued, as we have said, with the Spirit of adoption, and supplied with his own grace, that they might never fall away. Others were indeed chosen in a certain way, that is, God offered to them the covenant of salvation; but yet through their ingratitude they caused God to reject them, and to disown them as children. <\/p>\n But the Prophet subjoins, that Jacob by his strength had power with God, and had prevailed also with the angel He reproaches here the Israelites for making a false claim to the name of Jacob, since they had nothing in common with him, but had shamefully departed from his example. He had then power with the angel and with God himself; and he prevailed over the angel. But what sort of persons were they? As the heathen Poets called the Romans, when they became degenerated and effeminate, Romulidians, and said that they had sprung from those remarkable and illustrious heroes, whose prowesses were then well known, and for the same reason called them Scipiadians; so also the Prophet says, “Come now, ye children of Jacob, what sort of men are ye? He was endued with a heroic, yea, with an angelic power, and even more than angelic; for he wrestled with God and gained the victory: but ye are the slaves of idols; the devil retains you devoted to himself; ye are, as it were, in a bawdy house; for what else is your temple but a brothel? And then ye are like adulterers, and daily commit adultery with your idols. Your abominations, what are they but filthy chains, and which grove that there is no knowledge and no heart in you? For you must have been fascinated, when ye forsook God and adopted new and profane modes of worship.” This difference between the holy patriarch Jacob and his posterity must be marked, otherwise we shall not understand the object of the Prophet; and it will avail but little to collect various opinions, except first we know what the Prophet meant, and what was the purport of this upbraiding, and of this narrative, that Jacob had power with God and the angel. <\/p>\n But it must be noticed, that God and angel are here mentioned in the same sense; we may, indeed, render it angel in both places; for אלהים, Aleim, as well as מלאך, melac, signifies an angel. But, however, every doubt is removed by the Prophet, when he at last adds, Jehovah, God of hosts, Jehovah is his name, for here the Prophet expressly mentions the essential name of God, by which he testifies, that the same was the eternal and the only true God, who yet was at the same time an angel. But it may be asked, How was he the eternal God, and at the same time an angel? It occurs, indeed, so frequently in Scripture, that it must be well known to us, that when the Lord appeared by his angel, the name of Jehovah was given to them, not indeed to all the angels indiscriminately but to the chief angel, by whom God manifested himself. This, as I have said, must be well known to us. It then follows that this angel was truly and essentially God. But this would not strictly apply to God, except there be some distinction of persons. There must then be some person in the Deity, to which this name and title of an angel can apply; for if we take the name, God, without difference or distinction, and regard it as denoting his essence, it would certainly be inconsistent to say, that he is God and an angel too; but when we distinguish persons in the Deity, there is no inconsistency. How so? Because Christ, the eternal Wisdom of God, did put on the character of a Mediator, before he put on our flesh. He was therefore then a Mediator, and in that capacity he was also an angel. He was at the same time Jehovah, who is now God manifested in the flesh. <\/p>\n But we must, on the other hand, refute the delirium, or the diabolical madness of that caviller, Servetus, who imagined that Christ was from the beginning an angel, as if he was a phantom, and a distinct person, having an essence apart from the Father; for he says, that he was formed from three untreated elements. This diabolical conceit ought to be wholly discarded by us. But Christ, though he was God, was also a Mediator; and as a Mediator, he is rightly and fitly called the angel or the messenger of God, for he has of his own accord placed himself between the Father and men. <\/p>\n (84) Praeventum fuisse. This is a most difficult word to render correctly and intelligibly. To prevent, in the sense of going before, is not current. The meaning here is, that they did not own that in the case of Jacob free mercy was previous to any good on his part. — Ed. <\/p>\n (85) Joh 10:25<\/span>. — fj. <\/p>\n CRITICAL NOTES.] <\/strong><\/p>\n Hos. 12:3<\/span><\/strong>.] Jacob was their forefather; they should imitate his good, not his bad qualities. They are descendants, but their ways contrast with his (Mic. 2:7<\/span>). He secured the birth-right and the blessing with it; wrestled with God and prevailed in prayer. He wrestled in the womb, and as an adult he wrestled with man and with God. Took<\/strong>] To hold the heel (Gen. 25:26<\/span>). Strength<\/strong>] In his manly vigour he behaved himself princely with God (Gen. 32:24-29<\/span>), and acquired the name of prince<\/em>. This strength given in conscious weakness. <\/p>\n Hos. 12:4<\/span><\/strong>. Angel<\/strong>] In human form God wrestled, put Jacobs thigh out of joint, but did not prevail. Jacob could no longer stand. Wept<\/strong>] and poured out intense desires in supplication, and though wounded, was not overcome in conflict, but found God and talked with him at Bethel. There<\/strong>] he speaks to us by Jacob, girt with his spirit and might we may prevail. <\/p>\n HOMILETICS<\/em><\/p>\n IMITATING THE EXAMPLES OF PROGENITORS.Hos. 12:3-4<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The Jews boasted of their relation to Jacob, but did not walk in his steps. Their trusting in man was a contrast to his believing in God. The prophet reproves them for their apostasy, shows how justly they were accused, and urges them to imitate the virtues, not the faults of their ancestor. We must not live under the shadow, but walk after the example of good men.<\/p>\n I. In Jacob we have an example of anxiety for Gods blessing<\/strong>. He was eager to secure the birthright and the blessing connected with it. <\/p>\n 1. In the womb<\/em>, he took his brother by the heel (Gen. 25:26<\/span>). He was to have precedence over the first-born by nature, and there was unconscious striving for Divine favour in store for him. Early indications of piety are encouraging. Some are chosen from the womb, and preserved from sins of youth and riper age. Potential development of children demands reverence and care in parents and teachers. Luthers schoolmaster took off his hat and bowed to his scholars when he entered the school-room and thought of their destiny. The solemn possibilities of the future should stimulate parents to train up children in the fear of God and the love of truth. Even a child is known by his doings. <\/p>\n 2. In after years<\/em> he had power with God. In the womb he seized the heel; in manhood he cherished the same spirit, and became a prince with God. One struggle was the beginning of the other. The possession of Gods promise was the object of both. Having striven for it in secret, he secured it in public. What he sought in childhood he gained in manhood. Early impressions are the elementary tissue out of which mature life and conduct are developed and organized. In this instance the child is father of the man. Strength with God and power among men are the result of prayer and providential discipline. Those who are filled with true ambition, who seek to be great by following the example and serving the God of their forefathers, shall have the precedency. But profane persons like Esau, worldly-minded in their desires, and leagued with sin in their pursuits, will forfeit their birthrights and blessings. The elder shall serve the younger. <\/p>\n II. In Jacob we have an example of power with God<\/strong>. By his strength he had power with God. <\/p>\n 1. Power through prayer<\/em>. In great fear and distress, he was no match for the armed force of his angry brother. He could neither resist nor flee. He found succour and strength in God. He acted princely, was strong in faith, and prevailed over man. In prayer our own strength is increased, and more is given to us by God. We are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man (Eph. 3:16<\/span>). The nature of this prayer is briefly described. <\/p>\n (1) Supplicating prayer<\/em>. He made supplication unto him. Supplication is earnest, constant prayer, and often accompanied with crying (Psa. 28:2<\/span>; Jer. 3:21<\/span>). <\/p>\n (2) Wrestling prayer<\/em>. There wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. The word indicates a twisting of bodily limbs; intense energy and exertion to prevail. Jacobs prayer was a struggle with the angel, physically and spiritually, in faith and determination. <\/p>\n (3) Prevailing prayer<\/em>. He had power over the angel and prevailed. He conquered, received a new name, for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men (Gen. 32:28<\/span>). Luther on one occasion had wrestled hard with God, and came leaping out of his closet, shouting, Vicimus, vicimus<\/em>. We have conquered, we have conquered! <\/p>\n 2. Power through human tears<\/em>. He wept and made supplication. Vehement desires and earnest prayers often find vent in tears. Hence to implore means to ask with tears, says one. His tears were not mere signs of weakness, but of strength; not the relief of nature, but the expression of spirit. Esau wept in anger and disappointment; Jacob in prayer and penitence. The tears of one were music to God; the cry of the other, complaint to men. He was a type of Christ, who in the days of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. <\/p>\n 3. Power through Divine aid<\/em>. Jacobs purpose was strong, and his natural power great; but power to prevail was the gift of God. His physical strength was impaired; but though thrown in the contest, he would not give up. I will not let thee go except thou bless me. The blessing was all, the injured thigh was nothing to him. From night till break of day he wrestled with human tears and Divine energy. His spirit and perseverance put to shame his degenerate sons. It is folly boasting of ancestral glory without possessing ancestral virtues. Let us imitate the life and remember the prayers of our fathers. They were girt with the might of faith, and victorious over the Lord of hosts. Out of weakness they were made strong, and waxed valiant in fight with evil. Their glory is not the glory of the warrior, but the splendour of princes with God. Their new name supersedes the old, as the sun exceeds the stars. For by it the elders obtained a good report.<\/p>\n HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES<\/em><\/p>\n Hos. 12:3-4<\/span>. The wonderful combat. I The combatants<\/em>. Jacob a man, and the angel, the angel of the covenant. II. The object of the combat<\/em>. Bless me. In the night of sorrow and in the weakness of nature turn to him that smiteth. The blessing of the Lord maketh rich. III. The issue of the combat<\/em>. Power over the angel and prevailed. Persevering, wrestling prayer will always prevail. The father in wrestling with his child is willing enough for his childs comfortand encouragement to take a fall now and then; so it was between the angel and Jacob. In this blessed story, as in a crystal glass, we see the great power and prevalency of private prayer; it conquers the conqueror; it is so omnipotent, that it overcomes an omnipotent God [Brooks<\/em>]. Jacob was knighted on the field. He had two names, and both of them were gained by wrestling; the one by wrestling with his brother in the womb, the other by wrestling with the angel at Peniel. Jacob signifies a supplanter; Israel means a prince with Godand the reason of the new name was, that he had power with God and with men, and had prevailed [Jay<\/em>].<\/p>\n Hos. 12:4<\/span>. Bethel<\/em>. Revelations of God to men. <\/p>\n 1. God reveals himself by his word. He spake<\/em>. <\/p>\n 2. The revelations of one age are designed for the instruction of another. Spake with us<\/em>. Most important lessons from this place.<\/p>\n Bethel in Jacobs time and Bethel in Israels time; or Bethel in its ruin and Bethel in its royalty.<\/p>\n ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 12<\/p>\n Hos. 12:3-4<\/span>. Power<\/em>. We might be like Bartholomew, who is said to have had a hundred prayers for the morning, and as many for the evening, and all be of no avail. Fervency of spirit is that which avails much [Bp Hall<\/em>]. He that has never prayed, can never conceive; and he that has prayed as he ought, can never forget how much is to be gained by prayer [Dr Young<\/em>].<\/p>\n Prayer ardent opens heaven, lets down a stream (3, 4) Had power.<\/strong>Should be, strove.<\/em> Prayers and tears were the weapons used in the memorable struggle for pardon, reconciliation, peace in the self-conquest as well as the God-conquest which was achieved. At Bethel He (Jehovah) found him (Jacob) not once only, but on repeated occasions (Gen. 28:11<\/span>; Gen. 35:1<\/span>),and in the subsequent history of the children of Israel.<\/p>\n ‘In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he had power with God, yes, he had power over the angel, and prevailed. He wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Beth-el, and there he spoke with us, even YHWH, the God of hosts. YHWH is his memorial name.’<\/p>\n But it need not be so. Let them consider Jacob their ancestor. In the womb he seized Esau by the heel (and subsequently, sadly by deceit and treachery, stole his birthright and blessing), but once he reached manhood, (having to some extent been chastised for his deceit and treachery), he met with God and ‘had power with God’. This resulted in a true repentance which resulted in God finding him at Bethel where YHWH renewed His covenant with him and revealed Himself in all the fullness of His being (by His ‘memorial Name’). And as Hos 12:6<\/span> points out, the same could be true for Ephraim\/Israel now.<\/p>\n Note the description of YHWH as ‘the God of hosts’. He was the God of the hosts of Heaven, the God who controlled all earthly hosts, and the God Who had in the past given victory to the hosts of Israel. Thus He was the ideal One to have on your side.<\/p>\n So Hosea highlights three important incidents in the life of Jacob, and applies them to Israel:<\/p>\n The first was when, whilst still in the womb, Jacob took his brother by the heel, the symbol of his replacing him in the line of blessing, something which sadly he achieved by deceit and treachery. It was the same attitude of heart that Israel were pursuing, except that Israel were doing it by following after idols and after earthly kings. They were eating wind and pursuing the east wind. But what they should have done was be like Jacob, eager after God and His blessing (without using Jacob’s methods of obtaining the blessing).<\/p>\n Hosea shows no suggestion of rebuking Jacob, and does not mention his deceit. Thus the point is that Jacob was so determined to have God’s blessing that he sought it forcefully right from the womb, with the implication that Ephraim\/Israel\/Jacob should do the same.<\/p>\n The second was when, on preparing to return to the land of God’s promises, Jacob met with God at Penuel. And once again he had shown the same determination to obtain God’s blessing, for he had powerfully wrestled with the angel of God and had prevailed. The introduction of ‘the angel’, an idea not found in the Genesis account, may simply be with the intent of bringing out that, in Hosea’s view, such wrestling had to be with the angel of YHWH, a manifestation of YHWH, and not with YHWH Himself as He was in Himself (the Angel of YHWH is well evidenced elsewhere in Genesis). And it may well be that the idea had already become traditional in Israel in relation to Jacob. The implication is that Ephraim should do the same. They too should seek God and ‘wrestle’ with Him in repentance and supplication.<\/p>\n ‘He wept, and made supplication to him.’ Hosea may have intended us to see that this happened at Penuel, in which case the weeping was a thought added by him in order to be more descriptive, probably because he wanted Ephraim to see the necessity for tearful repentance, or it may be that he intended us to see this as occurring subsequently to Penuel, as a precursor to the third incident which follows. Either way he is clearly desirous of emphasising the need for Ephraim to mourn over their sin and earnestly seeking YHWH.<\/p>\n The third incident occurred after Jacob had entered the land. ‘He found him at Beth-el, and there he spoke with us, even YHWH, the God of hosts. YHWH is his memorial name.’ The first ‘he’ could be referring to God as subject, or it could be referring to Jacob. In view of the purpose of the illustration (to stress Jacob’s taking of the initiative) the latter is probably the case. On the other hand in Genesis 25<\/span> it was very much God Who took the initiative. But either way the important fact was that at Bethel God had spoken to ‘us’ (incipient Israel) and had revealed Himself as YHWH the God of Hosts, with an emphasis on YHWH (He will be) as a significant title indicating Him as the One Who will be whatever He wants to be, the One Who has all power to accomplish what He wishes. And in the same context what God wanted was that Jacob’s descendants would inherit the land, the very thing that Israel was now about to forfeit. It was a final appeal to current Israel to put away their false gods (especially the golden calf at Bethel) and seek YHWH in all the fullness of His Being. Then and then only could they find hope.<\/p>\n So the illustrations from the life of Jacob were positive (compare Hos 2:14-20<\/span>; Hos 11:1<\/span>; Hos 11:3-4<\/span>), and were a calling to a full and deep repentance, which Hosea now spells out specifically. Some try to interpret Jacob’s three experiences in a negative way, but that is only made possible by ignoring what Hosea emphasises and considering things in the background which he does not emphasise.<\/p>\n DISCOURSE: 1172 Hos 12:3-4<\/span>; Hos 12:6<\/span>. By his strength he had power with God: yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept and made supplication unto him.<\/em><\/em>Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually<\/em>.<\/p>\n THE historical parts of Scripture, if duly improved, will be found no less useful than any other. The Apostles often refer to them, and declare, that the things which had occurred to their ancestors, had happened to them for ensamples, and that they were recorded for our admonition. The Prophet Hosea was reproving both Ephraim (or the ten tribes) and Judah (the two remaining tribes) for their respective sins. But having called the latter by the name of Jacob, he thought it proper to guard them against the delusion of imagining themselves accepted of God because of their descent from Jacob, when their conduct was in direct opposition to that which he maintained. He then brings to their remembrance a very striking instance of Jacobs communion with God; and takes occasion from it to urge them to an imitation of his example. I.<\/p>\n Jacobs victory<\/p>\n In a season of great distress he betook himself to prayer As for Jacobs wrestling with the angel, the prophet explains the import of that phrase, by saying, that Jacob wept and made supplication unto him. He stirred up himself, as it were, to lay hold on God; and pleaded his cause before him with boldness and confidence. Assured of a successful issue, he persevered in the conflict till break of day; and when solicited by his apparent adversary to terminate his exertions, he replied, I will not let thee go until thou bless me. Yet we are particularly informed, that with this boldness there was a mixture of the deepest humility; for he urged his petitions as our Lord himself did in his incarnate state [Note: Heb 5:7<\/span>.], with strong crying and tears.<\/p>\n Thus did Jacob shew us to whom we should go in an hour of trouble, and in what manner we should endeavour to interest him in our behalf.]Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>Jacobs first conversion. At Bethel Jacob cannot be called a religious man. He had come into no personal relations with God. He acknowledged, but did not know, his fathers God. His character had, as yet, received no shakings, so it had thrown down no personal and independent rootings; there were no signs of the sway of any central and unifying principles. He could still be described as without God in the world. But out of the very consequences of his wrongdoings come the beginnings of nobler things. The vision gives us the time when Jacob first entered into personal relations with God. It may help us to understand in what our conversion to God essentially consists–a revelation of the personal God to the soul; and the acceptance, by the soul, of the responsibilities of that revelation. Jacobs new life begins with a personal revelation of God. This is the Divine arrest of the man in the very midst of his wilfulness and selfishness. God guides him with the hand of His Providence, and sets him just where He can best reveal to him Himself. We have no record of Jacobs struggling after the light, and at last reaching, after long efforts, to the light of God. In his case there is no growing of knowledge into the wisdom of God, no unfolding of moral feeling into spiritual life; but upon him, while actually in his heedlessness, the revelation of God comes: a new fact of his existence is impressively disclosed to him: this fact, that God, his fathers God, Abrahams God, was with him. That fact at once, and altogether, changes the principle and spirit of his life. Religion is not a development; it is not an education; it is not something which man can himself start and nourish. It is the effect of a Divine salvation; an intervention of God; a gracious mode of bringing man into conscious and happy relations with God. It was a vision of God, and an assurance of the Divine nearness to him, and care of him, that bowed Jacob down with the profoundest awe and humiliation. The ungodly soul felt that God was about him, close to him. The vision opened Jacobs eyes–<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Jacobs second conversion. The wrestling represents the highest point in the spiritual history of Jacob. It was the time in which Jacob learned the mystery and the joy of trusting wholly, committing himself entirely to the Divine love and lead. The wrestling at Jabbok is the close of a scene of which each part requires careful attention. Anxious and scheming as he came within sight of Canaan, he had the vision of the guarding angels to recall him from his schemings to trust. He had hitherto only seen his helpless company and the approaching peril, and like the prophets servant in later times, God opened his eyes to see, closer than any danger, the two angel-bands of watchers. Recalled thus to the thought of Gods nearness, Jacob feels that he must blend prudent schemes with prayer, and the prayer he offers is full of humility, thankfulness, and pleading, that makes it in many ways a model of prayer. But it is easily overestimated. It is the prayer of one who is still rough too self-conscious, of one who has not yet quite given up his guileful ways: there is still something of Jacobs old mistake of making terms with God. He is evidently learning his great life-lesson, but the prayer shows that he has not fully learned it yet. It was a kind of drama of his life which was acted through that night. It was a gracious way of shewing Jacob what had been the mistake of his whole career. He had always been wrestling. Now in his heart he was even wrestling with God. But He will find that a very different thing. If it does seem<\/em> that a mans wrestling brings mastery, it is only because God does not put forth His strength in the conflict. When He does and Simply touches <\/em>Jacob, the confident wrestler, is prostrate and utterly helpless; he can wrestle no more, he can only cling, he can only say, Give me the blessing; he gives up at last all self-efforts to win the blessing. (Robert Tuck, B. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Of glory on the consecrated hour
Of man, in audience with Deity.<\/p>\nFuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n
We shall consider,<\/p>\n
[Jacob was greatly alarmed at the tidings that his brother Esau was coming against him with four hundred men to destroy him. He therefore used all the most prudential means to pacify his brother, or at least to prevent the total destruction of himself and his family. But he did not trust in the means he had devised. He determined to seek protection from God, well knowing that no means whatever could succeed without him, and that his favour would be a sure defence.
When Jacob staid behind in order to call upon his God, God instantly came forth to meet him. The person who is said to have wrestled with him is sometimes called a man, sometimes an angel, and sometimes God [Note: Compare Gen 32:24<\/span>; Gen 32:28<\/span>; Gen 32:30<\/span>. with ver. 4, 5]. It was none other than the Son of God, the Angel of the Covenant, who assumed on this occasion, as he did on many other occasions, a human shape: and by his condescending to come to Jacob in this manner, he shewed, both to him and us, that none should ever seek his face in vain.<\/p>\n