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Thursday, January 23, 2025

Chapter 32: Wrestling with God at Jabbok River

Selected verses from Book of Genesis

(first book of Torah), chapter 32

verses 22 - 32 (CEB) Common

English Study Bible, published 2013

Jacob got up during the night,

took his two wives, his two

women servants, and his

11 sons, and crossed the

Jabbok River's shallow water.

He took them and everything

that belonged to him, and he

helped them cross the river.  

But Jacob stayed apart by

himself, and a man wrestled

with him until dawn broke.

When the man saw that he

couldn't defeat Jacob, he

grabbed Jacob's thigh and

tore a muscle in Jacob's thigh

as he wrestled him.  The man

said, "Let me go because the

dawn is breaking."

But Jacob said, "I won't let

you go until you bless me."

He said to Jacob, "What's

your name?

and he said, "Jacob."

Then he said, "Your name

won't be Jacob any longer,

but ISRAEL (God struggles

or the one who struggles w/

God), because you struggled

with God and with men and 

won."

Jacob also asked and said,

"Tell me your name."

But he said, "Why do you

ask for my name?" and he

blessed Jacob there.

Jacob named the place Peniel,

because I've seen God

face-to-face, and my life

has been saved.  The sun rose

as Jacob passed Penuel, limping

because of his thigh.  Therefore,

Israelites don't eat the tendon

attached to the thigh muscle to

this day, because he grabbed

Jacob's thigh muscle at the tendon.

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