Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” Genesis 32:26a NASB Dawn– There are a lot of strange verses in the story of Jacob’s encounter with the “man” at the brook Jabbok. If you’ve read Crossing,[1]then you know just how odd the story really is. Recently I read a comment by Michael Wyschogrod that provides…
Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Genesis 32:24 NASB A man – Perhaps you’ve read Crossing.[1] If you haven’t, then you should. It’s a book about Jacob’s struggle for self-identity, and, of course, it’s in Scripture because it isn’t just about Jacob. It’s about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—and you…
Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Genesis 32:24 NASB Wrestled – On the surface, especially in translation, the story seems straightforward. Jacob is alone. He fights all night. He is defeated but tenacious. He is blessed with a new name, Israel. But nothing about this story is so…
Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. Genesis 32:22 NASB Jabbok – Everyone knows the story. Jacob wrestles. He loses. He is blessed. Israel is born. But maybe we know the story too well to actually…
