CPCC Bible Study: Genesis 32

1 - 2
      Comment: The chapter opens with our quote above, and goes downhill from there. Which we hit head on in the next set of verses.
      And said Jacob when he "raah" (saw / see) them, "machaneh" (army / host / encampment) of 'Elohim, he called the name of the place "machanayim" (mahanaim, means 'double camp').
      This is a known location East of the Jordan in the region of Gilead. As for exactly what he saw, and what this means, including that a 'angelic army' need a campsite, is a bit of a mystery.

3 - 5
      Summary and Discussion: Jacob sends his own "malak" (messengers / angels) before him to Esau in "seir" in "edom"....
      Both words are the same in Hebrew as English. Seir is a region of mountains, named after the largest one, in today's Jordan along the Eastern side of the Rift Valley, about halfway between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the south. Edom, named after Esau, is the larger region around the highlands that he, evidently, controlled. It is worth noting that a good bit of the landscape consists of reddish rock, which is what the word means, and how Esau was named.
      He "tsavah" (commanded / charged / ordained / etc) them saying...
      Jacob tells them to refer to him as "ebed" (servant / slave) to Esau. Then he runs down the backstory with Laban. And that Jacob is now loaded.

6
      Discussion: the messengers return with some news that Jacob didn't want to hear: That Esau, the brother who vowed to kill him.... is on his way to meet Jacob with Four Hundred Men.

7 - 8
      "yare'" (afraid / dread / fear / etc) Jacob "meod" (greatly / very / exceedingly / etc) and "yatsar" (vexed / distressed) ...
      Observation: Jacob has some sort of innate trait to be prone to panic, yet he has, so far, behaved in ways that directly contributed to these situations.
      Discussion: then Jacob divides everybody and everything into two camps saying that if Esau attacks one group then the other will escape.

9
      Observation: on this verse, the English is reasonably close to what the Hebrew says.
      And said Jacob, "God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, YHWH, the 'one' that said to me 'return to your country and your family and I will "yatab" (do good / benefit / etc) 'with' you'"

10
      'I am' "qaton" (insignificant / small / little / 'of no account' (translated as: 'not worthy')) of all "checed" (mercy / goodness / 'lovingkindness' / etc) and all the "ameth" (reliable / faithful / truth (as in 'can be counted on')), which you have shown your "ebed" (servant) - for with my "maqqel / maqqeleh" ('walking stick' / staff) I "abar" (crossed / passed over) this Yarden/Jordan - "attah" (now / currently) I have "hayah" (come to pass / become) "shenayim / shettayim" (two) "machaneh" (army / host / encampment).
      Observation, odd that he doesn't mention any of his own activities that may not be as notable.... the stunt with Isaac, or his sheep selection process.

TIME OUT!
      This writer is known to be weird. It's OK, we've heard it from experts. But when we read that verse in some of the English translations, we could not help but hear a song that was recorded some thirty six hundred years later (Jacob lived about 1600 BC, the song was written 1970 AD).
      In the early nineteen seventies Kris Kristofferson was at his peak as a songwriter, having penned many hit songs for other artists, and having been in a couple of movies. But he, himself, was at a dramatic emotional low. He happened to attend a church service in Nashville... and the rest is solid musical gold, and a personal turn around for him. The song reached number one on the country charts and in the teens on the 'hot 100' charts. See the first link below. 11
      "Natsal" (deliver / rescue / 'escape' / etc) me, I "na" (pray / please), from "yad" (hand (includes the idea of 'power' / 'strength')) of my "ach" (brother), from the "yad" (hand...) of Esau - for "yare" (fearful / afraid / dread) I him, "pen" (might / perhaps / etc) "bo" (come / go) and "nakah" (strike / kill / smite / etc) me and "em" (mother) with "ben" (children / sons).
      Yes, it reads that Jacob was worried first about himself, then about his women and the kids.

12
      Summary: Then Jacob reminds God of the Promise.

13 - 15
      Summary: Jacob stayed where he was, which wasn't in EITHER of the camps with his wives and kids, but was somewhere close by. And worked up a present to Esau, which amounted to a good sized livestock ranch. And most likely included the servants that tended the animals.
      Observation: most of the animals in the 'present' he had 'taken' by various means, from Laban.

16 - 20
      Summary: Jacob tells his servants to go ahead to where Esau, and his army, are, with the livestock of the present, and to tell Esau each group is a gift to him from Jacob, who, they say, is bringing up the rear.

21
      Summary: The servants and the presents head for Esau and relay the message. Except Jacob is no where near the animal parade. He's still in camp.

22 - 23
      Summary: That night Jacob sends his women and the kids south across the "Yabboq" (Jabbok) "nachal" (stream) ...
      The Jabbok (Zarqa) river is tributary of the Jordan, directly south of the area called Gilead. It flows west from the Jordanian highlands to join the main river about halfway between Galilee and the Dead Sea.
      .... with everything that he had.

24 - 25
      "yathar" (remain / be left) Jacob "bad" (alone / himself) - "way" (and) "abaq" (wrestled / grappled (this word is only used twice in the OT...)) 'with a' "enosh" (man) "ad" (until / up to) "alah" (ascend / bring up / rise / etc) "shachar" (dawn / morning).
      and "raah" (saw / could see) that "lo" (not / cannot) "yakol" (overcome / prevail) 'over him', "naga" (touch / strike / 'put a hand on') "kaph" (hollow / 'joint') "yarek" (thigh / loin) - and was "yaqa" (dislocated / removed) "kaph" (joint) "yarek" (thigh) of Jacob 'as he' "abaq" (wrestled (... this is the second time)) with him.

26 - 27
      Discussion: it isn't clear from the text itself at this point who is speaking. One of them says "let me go" and the other says "nah". It becomes clear in a second which is which, but at the beginning of 26, we have no idea. It would probably be Jacob asking for a blessing from his sparring partner because, well, that seems to be what Jacob does. Then the other fellow asks Jacob what his name is.

28
      "way yomer" (and he said) "lo" (not) "yaaqob" (Jacob) "amar" (said / called / etc) "od" (again / still / more / etc) "shem" (name), but "Yisrael" (Israel ('contend/strive with God') for you "sarah" (strive / persist / contend) "im" (with / among) 'Elohim and with "ish" (men) and ""yakol" (overcome / prevail).

29 -31
      Summary: Jacob asks the guy his name, but gets no answer. Instead, the stranger blesses him.....
      Discussion: Where does the 'stranger' go? We don't know. It doesn't say that he ascended into the sunrise, or that he simply vanished, or ran off up the creek. The story simply moves on.
      Summary: Jacob names the place "penuel" (same in English) meaning 'face of God', for, so he says, he saw the face of God and his life was spared.
      Discussion: That directly contradicts John 1 : 18. Which is why in Jacob's case, it is said that his Sumo buddy was an angel. Not that it made any difference to Jacob.
      Summary: The sun comes up and Jacob limps across the stream.

32
      Summary: Jews don't eat the hindquarters of critters because of this.
      Discussion: this bit of the text, and the dietary advice in it, is anachronistic, again. This is something being stated for the benefit of those listening, or reading, many years after the event being described.

- end 32 -

References and links: Outside links will open in new tab/window.

First off, the song. ... or is it a prayer.... or maybe a sermon set to music?
Kris Kristofferson's: "Why Me, Lord" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtQOY-0sViQ
the answer to ALL of those questions is: "yes".
The story behind the song as relayed by Kristofferson himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tA7E7pbUws

The Interlinear: Hebrew - English https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/32.htm

The 1611 King James Version: https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Genesis-Chapter-32/

An atlas page about: The Mount and the Land of Seir https://bibleatlas.org/seir.htm

"The Jabbok River is a silent witness to one of the most profound encounters in biblical history." https://sareltours.com/article/jabbok

The Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

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