Genesis 32
NASB2020
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New American Standard Bible 2020

Genesis 32:3-32

3Then Jacob 1sent messengers ahead of himself to his brother Esau in the land of 2Seir, the 3country of 4Edom. 4He commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says the following: “I have resided with Laban, and 5stayed until now; 5and 6I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent messengers to tell my lord, 7so that I may find favor in your sight.”’”

6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore 8he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7Then Jacob was 9greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two companies; 8for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and 10attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”

9Then Jacob said, “11God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Lord, who said to me, ‘12Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will 13make you prosper,’ 1014I am unworthy 15of all the 16favor and of all the 17faithfulness, which You have shown to Your servant; for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 1118Save me, please, 19from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and 20attack me and the 21mothers with the children. 12For You said, ‘22I will assuredly 23make you prosper and 24make your 25descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be counted.’”

13So he spent the night there. Then he 26selected from what 27he had with him a 28gift for his brother Esau: 14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16Then he placed them in the 29care of his servants, every flock by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between flocks.” 17And he commanded the 30one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18then you shall say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a gift sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’” 19Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the flocks, saying, “In this way you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the gift that goes ahead of me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21So the gift passed on ahead of him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.

22Now he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children, and crossed the shallow place of the 31Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had. 24Then Jacob was left alone, and a man 32wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of 33Jacob’s hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “34I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28Then 35he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but 36Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29And 37Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30So Jacob named the place 38Peniel, for he said, “39I have seen God face to face, yet my 40life has been 41spared.” 31Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over 42Penuel, and he was limping on his hip. 32Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the hip, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the tendon of the hip.

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Notes

  1. 1. Genesis 32:3 Gen 27:41, 42; 32:7, 11 ↩
  2. 2. Genesis 32:3 Gen 14:6; 33:14 ↩
  3. 3. Genesis 32:3 Lit field ↩
  4. 4. Genesis 32:3 Gen 25:30; 36:8, 9 ↩
  5. 5. Genesis 32:4 Gen 31:41 ↩
  6. 6. Genesis 32:5 Gen 30:43 ↩
  7. 7. Genesis 32:5 Gen 33:8 ↩
  8. 8. Genesis 32:6 Gen 33:1 ↩
  9. 9. Genesis 32:7 Gen 32:11 ↩
  10. 10. Genesis 32:8 Lit strikes ↩
  11. 11. Genesis 32:9 Gen 28:13; 31:42 ↩
  12. 12. Genesis 32:9 Gen 28:15; 31:3, 13 ↩
  13. 13. Genesis 32:9 Lit do good with you ↩
  14. 14. Genesis 32:10 Lit I am less than all ↩
  15. 15. Genesis 32:10 Gen 24:27 ↩
  16. 16. Genesis 32:10 I.e., generosity ↩
  17. 17. Genesis 32:10 Or truth ↩
  18. 18. Genesis 32:11 Ps 59:1, 2 ↩
  19. 19. Genesis 32:11 Gen 27:41, 42; 33:4 ↩
  20. 20. Genesis 32:11 Lit strike ↩
  21. 21. Genesis 32:11 Hos 10:14 ↩
  22. 22. Genesis 32:12 Gen 28:14 ↩
  23. 23. Genesis 32:12 Lit do good with you ↩
  24. 24. Genesis 32:12 Gen 22:17 ↩
  25. 25. Genesis 32:12 Lit seed ↩
  26. 26. Genesis 32:13 Lit took ↩
  27. 27. Genesis 32:13 Lit had come to his hand ↩
  28. 28. Genesis 32:13 Gen 43:11 ↩
  29. 29. Genesis 32:16 Lit hand ↩
  30. 30. Genesis 32:17 Lit first ↩
  31. 31. Genesis 32:22 Deut 3:16; Josh 12:2 ↩
  32. 32. Genesis 32:24 Hos 12:3, 4 ↩
  33. 33. Genesis 32:25 Lit his ↩
  34. 34. Genesis 32:26 Hos 12:4 ↩
  35. 35. Genesis 32:28 Gen 35:10; 1 Kin 18:31 ↩
  36. 36. Genesis 32:28 I.e., he who contends with God; or God contends ↩
  37. 37. Genesis 32:29 Judg 13:17, 18 ↩
  38. 38. Genesis 32:30 I.e., the face of God ↩
  39. 39. Genesis 32:30 Gen 16:13; Ex 24:10, 11; 33:20; Num 12:8; Judg 6:22; 13:22 ↩
  40. 40. Genesis 32:30 Lit soul ↩
  41. 41. Genesis 32:30 Lit saved ↩
  42. 42. Genesis 32:31 Judg 8:8 ↩

Commentaries on Genesis 32

New American Standard Bible 2020 — © 1960–2020 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.