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Adapted from Torah (Masoretic Text) (Genesis 32:25-33)
Edition Miqra according to the Masorah Translation English translation by Maggid , since no free public English translation of this passage exists.
License Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA)
And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his thigh, and the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him. And he said: Let me go, for the dawn has broken. And he said: I will not let you go unless you bless me. And he said to him: What is your name? And he said: Jacob. And he said: Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed. And Jacob asked and said: Tell me, please, your name. And he said: Why is it that you ask for my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, for: I have seen God face to face, and my life was delivered. And the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh-vein which is on the socket of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the socket of Jacob's thigh on the sinew of the thigh-vein.
וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר׃ וַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ וַיִּגַּע בְּכַף יְרֵכוֹ וַתֵּקַע כַּף יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּהֵאָבְקוֹ עִמּוֹ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֵנִי כִּי עָלָה הַשָּׁחַר וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ כִּי אִם בֵּרַכְתָּנִי׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מַה שְּׁמֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב׃ וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי שָׂרִיתָ עִם אֱלֹהִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל׃ וַיִּשְׁאַל יַעֲקֹב וַיֹּאמֶר הַגִּידָה נָּא שְׁמֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתוֹ שָׁם׃ וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם פְּנִיאֵל כִּי רָאִיתִי אֱלֹהִים פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים וַתִּנָּצֵל נַפְשִׁי׃ וַיִּזְרַח לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַר אֶת פְּנוּאֵל וְהוּא צֹלֵעַ עַל יְרֵכוֹ׃ עַל כֵּן לֹא יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר עַל כַּף הַיָּרֵךְ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי נָגַע בְּכַף יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּגִיד הַנָּשֶׁה׃
Commentary This is one of the most important and mysterious episodes in the Torah. Here Jacob, exhausted from his escape from Laban and facing a small army led by his brother Esau, remains alone on one side of the river Yabbok and wrestles with an ish all night. Ish means "man," but all of the interpretations of this passage assume that Jacob wrestled with an angel or possibly even with God. The question is — which angel? There are many theories. Some assume it is Samael, who is identified as Esau's guardian angel. Samael is another name for Satan, and suggesting that he was Esau's guardian angel is a way of labeling Esau as evil. This interpretation assumes that Samael's goal was to wear Jacob out, so that Esau could easily defeat him the next day. Other interpretations identify the angel as Michael or Uriel. One of the most fascinating explanations is that Jacob himself was an angel, and the angel Uriel was sent to tell him it was time to return to heaven. See "Jacob the Angel," p. 364. The suggestion that Jacob wrestled with God comes from the angel's statement to Jacob that You have striven with beings divine and human and have prevailed (Gen. 32:29). Elohim, translated here as "divine beings," normally means "God." Jacob receives a new name, Israel, from the angel, and after this his behavior changes. He makes peace with Esau and takes on the role of a patriarch. Note that in Hebrew the name is Yisrael, which can be translated as "One who has wrestled with God." Because Jacob's name and the name of the people of Israel is the same, there is a strong identification between Jacob and the nation of Israel. One result of this strong identification is that a great effort is made in the rabbinic texts to justify all of Jacob's actions, including the bartered birthright and the stolen blessing. Another result is that some came to regard Jacob as a divine figure. See "Jacob the Divine," p. 366. The entire cycle of Jacob myths is certainly one of the most compelling in all of Jewish tradition.