Genesis
32:3-31
(Genesis 32:22-31)
- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
- Bereshit 32: Massoretic, Hebrew, Aramaic, JPS.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- Navigating the Bible: Text/Rabbinic commentary and Divrei Torah.
- Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit:
- Chapter LVIII, Chapter CXXVI, Dialogue With Trypho, Justin Martyr. (c 160)
- I.7, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- II.5, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- Chapter III, On the Flesh of Christ, Tertullian (c. 211)
- Chapter XIV, Against Praxeas, Tertullian (c. 213)
- IV.24, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen / Rufinus (c.230)
- Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
- I.2, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius of Caesarea, (c. 320).
- From the Geneva Notes.
- From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
- From Wesley's Notes.
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- Contemporary References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- Commentary,
Genesis 32:22-31, (Pentecost 7), Wil Gafney, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- "[Jacob] will never be the same again. Each step he takes is marked by the divine touch."
- "The Power of a Good Name," David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, 2011.
- "So that's what I'd like to hear this week, Working Preacher – a sermon that invites me to tell the truth about who and what I am and then announces that there is a second truth, bigger and more expansive and far more gracious than I'd imagined, a second truth that creates an open future and girds me with the hope and courage to embrace it."
- "Not Until You Bless Me," Linda Fabian Pepe, Theological Stew, 2011.
- "This is someone who was not afraid to be completely vulnerable and honest with God..."
- "A God Who Will Wrestle with You until Daybreak," Carl Gregg, Patheos, 2011.
- "Just as Jacob first understood his wrestling partner to be human and not divine, today we find that God is often elusive."
- Commentary,
Genesis 32:22-31, Sara Koenig, Preaching This
Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
- "The story of Jacob's wrestling with the angel provides an embarrassment of riches for homiletical possibilities."
-
Commentary, Genesis 32:22-31, Kathryn Schifferdecker, Preaching This
Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
- "The story in Genesis 32 about the wrestling match between Jacob and God is one of the key texts for understanding the character of Jacob."
-
Genesis 32:22-31,
Pentecost 12, Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure,
Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting
Church in Australia.
- "Gen 32 needs to be taken as a whole with its theophany (vv.1-2), prayer for deliverance (vv.9-12) and encounter with God (vv.24-31)."
-
The Old Testament Readings:
Genesis 32:22-31. Weekly Comments on the Revised Common
Lectionary, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church,
Melbourne, Australia.
- "This is a strange story. Who wins this nocturnal wrestle, Jacob or the opponent?"
-
"Dark
Struggles, Divine Blessings: Jacob at the River Jabbok,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey
with Jesus Foundation, 2008.
- "Jacob's struggle at Jabbok reminds us of this truth, that God is so very good, but He is not safe. We may well struggle with Him through the night, but by daybreak He only intends to bless us."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- "Wrestling at the Jabbok," Rev. Kirsten Abbott, text, context, genre, structure, commentary, interpretations and reflections.
- Genesis 32:22-31, Studies on Old Testament texts from Series C, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
-
Desert Scribblings, Genesis 32:22-31, Geoff McElroy.
- "Two figures, Jacob and the man, enter into conflict but neither walks away a true victor. There is ambiguity, almost ambivalence, in the outcome."
- An
Exegetical Commentary of the Common Lectionary: Genesis 32:22-31.
Rough Translation, Disposition, Immediate Context, Broader Context,
Hermeneutical Bridge and Contemporary Address from the Biblical
Department of Austin Theological Seminary.
- "God blesses us - i.e. gives us peace with which to face/wrestle with all challenges, all pressures, all stresses, all tensions. They are there and so is God."
- Parshah Vayishlach, text, commentary, stories, sermons & articles from Chassidic Masters and others, from Chabad Lubavitch.
-
"You
Are Israel," J. Mary Luti, The Christian Century, 1998.
At Religion Online.
- "And now we know -- because we were there and it happened to us -- that God does not despise us for our supplanting and deceit, but forever ambushes our lives with new chances; that God does not renege on promises made even under duress; that God may slip away at daybreak, but never abandons us; that God can render us vulnerable to all our fast-approaching Esaus, the siblings we robbed of birthrights with whom we must make peace; that the gracious reunion of sinners and sinned-against is the blessing of God."
- Parshas Vayishlach, Divrei Torah from The Project Genesis Torah Study. Index to numerous Orthodox articles and studies on Genesis 32:4 - 36:43.
- Parshat Vayishlach, articles and commentary by the Jewish Community of Atlanta, at The Torah From Dixie.
-
"Wrestling
with (Our) Demon..." Expository Essay, Dr. William R. Long.
Part 2.
- "Do all in your power to face the night "man" in your life. Encourage others to do it. It is the hardest, but one of the most rewarding, things you may ever do in your life."
- "How To Win
With God and Men," from the Biblical Studies
Foundation.
- "Vital faith need not be idle faith."
- Commentary,
Genesis 32:22-31, (Pentecost 7), Wil Gafney, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- Articles & Background:
- "God
Wrestling," program highlights, discussion & reflection questions and more
from the Bill Moyers PBS series Genesis: A
Living Conversation.
- "'Faith is what you do between the last time you experienced God and the next time you experience God.' -- Renita J. Weems."
-
"Jacob at Bethel and Penuel: the Polarity of Divine Encounter," Bernard
Och, Judaism, 1993.
- "Possessing neither the awesome faith of an Abraham nor the stoic equanimity of an Isaac, Jacob is, nevertheless, chosen to be the bearer of Divine blessing and the eponymic father of Israel."
-
"How
We Imagine God Matters," Marcus Borg. beliefnet.
- "It's normal to personify God in worship and devotion. But we shouldn't take these personifications literally."
-
"Jacob and Esau and the Emergence of the Jewish People," Daniel J.
Elazar, Judaism, 1994.
- "LIFE IS FULL OF HARD CHOICES BETWEEN LESS THAN perfect alternatives. According to the Bible, even God is faced with such choices."
- "God
Wrestling," program highlights, discussion & reflection questions and more
from the Bill Moyers PBS series Genesis: A
Living Conversation.
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Akinade, Akintunde E.,
"On Sacred Trust: Covenant from an African Perspective," The Living
Pulpit, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bruggemann, Walter, "A Case Study in Daring Prayer:
Genesis 32:9-12," The Living Pulpit, 1993.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Crüsemann, Frank, "Dominion, Guilt, and
Reconciliation: The Contribution of the Jacob Narrative in Genesis to
Political Ethics," Semeia, 1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Eslinger, Lyle M., "Hosea 12:5a and
Genesis 32:29: A Study in Inner Biblical Exegesis," Journal for the
Study of the Old Testament, 1980.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Frolov, Serge, "The Other Side of the
Jabbok: Genesis 32 as a Fiasco of Patriarchy," Journal for the Study
of the Old Testament, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hatzopoulos, Athanasios, "The
Struggle for a Blessing, Reflections on Genesis 32:24-31," Ecumenical
Review, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Holladay, William A., "A New
Identity," The Christian Century, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Holmgren, Fredrick C., "Holding Your
Own Against God! Genesis 32:22-32 (In the Cotext of Genesis 31-33),"
Interpretation, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - "Homiletical Helps," Concordia Journal, 2010. (Section on this text begins on page 293)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Klein, Ralph W., "Celebrating and
Sharing the Gift: Reflections on Jacob, Israel's Ancestor," Currents
in Theology and Mission, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Knight, Henry F., "Meeting Jacob at
the Jabbok: Wrestling with a Text -- A Midrash on Genesis 32:22-32,"
Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 1992.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Kolb, Robert, "Homiletical Helps
on the LW Series C - Old Testament," Concordia Journal,
2007. (Section on this text begins on p. 320)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Luti, J. Mary, "You Are Israel,"
The Christian Century, 1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Matthews, Victor H. and Frances Mims,
"Jacob the Trickster and Heir of the Covenant: A Literary
Interpretation," Perspectives in Religious Studies, 1985.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - McKay, Heather A., "Jacob Makes It
Across the Jabbok: An Attempt to Solve the Success/Failure Ambivalence
in Israel's Self-consciousness," Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 1987.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - McKenzie, John L., S.J., "Jacob at
Peniel: Genesis 32:24-32," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1963.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Morse, Christopher L.,
"Karl Barth on 'Covenant Partners,'" The Living Pulpit, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Ross, Allen P., "Jacob at the Jabbok, Israel at
Peniel," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1985.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Smith, S.H., "'Heel' and 'Thigh': The Concept of
Sexuality in the Jacob-Esau Narratives," Vetus Testamentum, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Snell, Robert G., "Between Text and
Sermon: Genesis 32:22-32," Interpretation, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Stansell, Gary,
"The Gift in Ancient Israel," Semeia, 1999.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Thompson, Thomas L., "Conflict Themes
in the Jacob Narratives," Semeia, 1979.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Vollmer, Ulrike,
"I Will Not Let You Go Unless You Teach Me the Tango: Sally Potter's The
Tango Lesson," Biblical Interpretation, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Vonck, Pol, "The Crippling Victor: The Story of
Jacob's Struggle at the River Jabbok," AFER, 1984.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wessner, Mark D., "Toward a Literary Understanding of
'Face to Face' in Genesis 32:23-32," Restoration Quarterly, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Williams, James G., "The Comedy of Jacob: A Literary
Study," Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 1978.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Akinade, Akintunde E.,
"On Sacred Trust: Covenant from an African Perspective," The Living
Pulpit, 2005.
- Reviews:
- Review: R. Christopher Heard, Dynamics of Diselection: Ambiguity in Genesis 12 - 36 and Ethnic Boundaries in Post-Exilic Judah. Society of Biblical Literature, 2001. Reviewed by E.T. Mullen and Phillip Sherman (2 reviews) in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature.
- Review: Jean-Daniel Macchi and Thomas Romer, eds., Jacob: Commentaire a plusieurs voix, de, Ein mehrstimmiger Kommentar zu, A Plural Commentary of Gen 25-36: Melanges offerts a Albert de Pury. Labor et Fides, 2001. Review by James G Williams in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2003.
- Sermons:
- An Honest And Painful Wrestling Match, Douglas B. Bailey, SermonStudio.
- "Limping and Praising," Richard Hays, Faith and Leadership, 2009.
- "Life's Turning Points," the Rev. Dr. Jimmy Allen, Day 1, 2008.
- "Jake and Easy," Barry J. Robinson, Keeping the Faith in Babylon, at Richard J. Fairchild's Sermons and Sermon Lectionary Resources.
- "Wrestling with God," Pastor Edward F. Marquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
- With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 13, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2011.
- "Children's Literature: A Resource for Ministry," July 31, 2011, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Connections: Genesis 32:22-31 and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
- "Jacob, Father of Israel," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
- "Jacob Fathers the Twelve Tribes of Israel," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- "Your Name Shall Be Israel," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
- Drama:
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art: Jacob Wrestles with Angel, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- At Oremus
Hymnal:
-
Author of life divine
Be thou my guardian and my guide
Bring many names, beautiful and good
Come, O thou Traveler unknown
Eternal Lord of love, behold your Church
Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face
How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
It is a thing most wonderful
O God of Bethel, by whose hand
O Love that wilt not let me go
Shepherd divine, our wants relieve
We walk by faith, and not by sight
-
Author of life divine
- Hymns, midi files, scores at Blue Letter Bible/Cyber
Hymnal:
- Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown (Genesis 32:24)
- Lord, I Cannot Let Thee Go (Genesis 32:26)
- My God, I Know, I Feel Thee Mine (Genesis 32:26)
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Literature and Literary References:
- "For Jacob Four Months in the Womb," poetry by Susan Hahn, Tikkun, 2003.
- Study links and resources for the Book of Genesis
