Who did Jacob wrestle with?
The text is Genesis 32:24-30. The text reads, “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob 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 Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”
The question often asked is, “Who did Jacob wrestle?” The text says, “a man wrestled with him until daybreak”. Who is this man? Hosea 12:4 says, “Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel And there He spoke with us,” Hosea reveals this man as the angel. That is the Angel of the Lord. The Hebrew literally translates to, “the messenger of Yahweh”. Hosea 12:5 reveals even more about this man/Angel. Verse 5 says, “Even the Lord, the God of hosts, The Lord is His name.” This Angel is Yahweh.
How does the text in Genesis show that this is Yahweh? First Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” This cannot be a standalone proof that the Angel is Yahweh, but it adds to the progression of it being shown. It is common that the greater blesses the lesser. Someone of the same stature would not be required to bless their contemporary. Jacob recognized the lofty status of this man/angel to request to be blessed by Him. Another way is that the Angel renames Jacob. Thus far in Genesis, when names have been changed, it has been God changing an individual’s name for a specific purpose in redemptive history. In Genesis 17:1 the Lord appeared to Abram, then, in verse 5 He renames him Abraham. In verses 2-4, God Expounded upon the covenant that is known as the Abrahamic covenant. Namely that the seed of Genesis 3:15 was promised to continue through Abraham. The renaming of Abram is in connection with the promise of the seed, as the name Abraham means “Father of many nations”. Then, in verse 15 God renames Sarai to Sarah. Her name change displays the connection she has with the line of the seed continuing through her. The changing of Jacob’s name, which means deceiver, to Israel, which means God fights for you, displays a continuing of redemptive history; especially as this relates to the land promise of the Abrahamic covenant.
The next proof from the text is a progression of the first, which again cannot be a standalone proof, but does add to the understanding. The man/angel blesses Jacob after renaming him. This simply attests to the fact that he is greater than Jacob. As a result, Jacob named the place Peniel; in which Peniel means the face of God. Here Jacob reveals that he has been face to face with Yahweh. Jacob wrestled with a man, who is identified as the angel in later texts, and this man/angel is revealed as Yahweh. This leads to the last question.
Is this the Pre-incarnate Christ? Other texts on the Angel of the Lord will help answer this. Exodus 3:2 says the Angel of the Lord appeared before Moses in the burning bush, and proclaimed I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. In Exodus 23 Yahweh is speaking to Moses and says I will send an angel before you to guard you. Verse 21 shows that His name is in Him. The Angel of the Lord is distinguished from Yahweh, in that He talks about Him as another Person, but yet is Yahweh; in that, His name is in Him. In verse 23 He calls Him my Angel, tying it back to the Angel of the Lord or messenger of Yahweh. Another way to say it is, that the messenger of Yahweh is Yahweh, but distinguished as another Person of the Trinity, evidenced in this dialogue in Exodus 23.
When Jacob asked for the name of the Angel He replied, “Why is it that you ask My name?” A similar response is given in Judges 13:18 When Manoah asks for the name of the Angel of the Lord. He responds by saying, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” In Isaiah 9:6, A prophecy about the coming Messiah, shows His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God. Thus, making the connection between The Angel of the Lord and the Messiah (Christ). In summary Jacob wrestled a man. Who is later identified as an Angel. Who is the Angel of the Lord. Who is Yahweh but distinguished from Him. Who can be evidenced as the Pre-Incarnate Christ. I pray that this has been beneficial and that it may spur on further study, that one may know Yahweh more intimately, and thereby grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ, Brandon Wenk.
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