Hosea 12:4

Hosea 12:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth–el, and there he spake with us;
• New International Version (NIV)He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there—
• English Standard Version (ESV)He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us—
• New King James Version (NKJV)Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us—

Context of Hosea 12:4

2Now the Lord is bringing charges against Judah. He is about to punish Jacob for all his deceitful ways, and pay him back for all he has done. 3Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. There at Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him— 5the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the Lord is his name! 6So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him.

Hosea 12:4 word by word

וָיָּ֤שַׂר אֶל־מַלְאָךְ֙ וַיֻּכָ֔ל בָּכָ֖ה וַיִּתְחַנֶּן־ל֑וֹ בֵּֽית־אֵל֙ יִמְצָאֶ֔נּוּ וְשָׁ֖ם יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Yea, he had powerשׂוּרώûr · to reignH7786
• over the angelמַלְאָךְmal'âk · messenger: angelH4397
• and prevailedיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• he weptבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• and made supplicationחָנַןchânan · be graciousH2603
• unto him: he foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• Beth–elבֵּֽיתְ־אֵלbêyth-'êl · BethelH1008
• and there he spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696

Cross-references for Hosea 12:4

• Genesis 32:29“Please tell me your name,” Jacob said. “Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
• Genesis 48:15Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to this very day,
• Exodus 3:2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.
• Isaiah 63:9In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.
• Malachi 3:1“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
• Acts 7:30“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.
• Genesis 32:9Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’
• Hebrews 5:7While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.
• Genesis 28:11At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep.
• Genesis 35:9Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,
• Psalms 66:6He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:17Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
• Hebrews 6:13For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:

Commentaries on Hosea 12:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4He had power over the Angel - Who represented the invisible Jehovah. He wept, and made supplication - He entreated with tears that God would bless him; and he prevailed. The circumstance of his weeping is not mentioned in Genesis. He found him in Beth-el - It was there that God made those glorious promises to Jacob relative to his posterity. See Genesis 28:13-15.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4He wept and made supplication unto Him - Jacob‘s weeping is not mentioned by Moses. Hosea then knew more than Moses related. He could not have gathered it out of Moses, for Moses relates the words of earnest supplication; yet the tone is that of one, by force of earnest energy, wresting, as it were, the blessing from God, not of one weeping. Yet Hosea adds this, in harmony with Moses. For “vehement desires and earnest petitions frequently issue in tears.”…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4he found Him at Bethel: See Genesis 28:11–22.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. the angel--the uncreated Angel of the Covenant, as God the Son appears in the Old Testament (Mal 3:1). made supplication--Ge 32:26: "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." he found him--The angel found Jacob, when he was fleeing from Esau into Syria: the Lord appearing to him "in Beth-el" (Ge 28:11-19; 35:1). What a sad contrast, that in this same Beth-el now Israel worships the golden calves! there he spake with us--"with us," as being in the…Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 12:4

• Beth-El
• Israel
• Jesus, the Christ
• Prayer

In the dictionaries

• Jacob
• Penuel
• Calf, Golden
• Hosea
• Jacob (1)
• Jeroboam
• Jeshurun
• Sarah; Sarai
• Zechariah, Book of
• Israel

Commentaries on Hosea 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings