Study note

Genesis 32:28

  • Jacob: See study note on 25:26.

  • Israel (“God fights”): God first fought with him, but now God would fight for him. Jacob’s name promised hope for him and his descendants.

  • you have struggled with God and with men: Throughout his life, Jacob tried to get God’s blessing using his own skills and by any means necessary. He understood the importance of the blessing but was too self-reliant and proud to accept it freely. He had been fighting God long before this encounter.

  • and have prevailed: He had succeeded in his struggles with Esau and with Laban. Now he received God’s blessing.