Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.
Genesis 32:26-33
More than a quarter of a century has passed from Abraham to Jacob, all leading up to the birth of Israel. He spent more than twenty years obtaining wives and having children with them and today's reading introduces us to Israel. He was Jacob before and now he is Israel.
Israel means to " struggle with God " as seen below, although he did struggle with God and with men throughout his life even inserting himself where he maybe should not have. See the time when he dressed up like his brother and got his father's blessing. For that reason, he was here today with his family and servants going ahead of him in droves in the hopes of calming his brother's anger.
He was alone and a stranger shows up. We know that the stranger was God himself because the name suggests that and Jacob's own words confirm the identity of the man that injured his hip.
Above, we have the words of the "man" that struggled with Jacob. The pink lines highlight the letters referring to the word struggle and the letters above the blue lines are "El" which is short for God. The difference in vowel markings denote yee-se-ra (he struggled) in the word Israel and sah-ree (part of sa-ree-tah - you have struggled).
On that same note, those reading will find that he mentions the name of the place being Penuel which is penu, which must match the plural masculine word for God's title "elohim" - together they mean "the face of God" or God's face. The other word you may notice is Peniel which gives more of a sense of him saying 'my face' plus 'God' or "God saw my face."
Today's reading
English
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell
me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, 'saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the sciatic nerve at the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the sciatic nerve.
Hebrew
The story continues next week as Israel bows to Esau...
Info on each letter starting at the beginning
If you are just starting, my lessons are all here starting at Alef, adding vowels (the dots and lines) as we go. I explain the meaning of each letter and its numerical value. Just go to my blog and scroll to the bottom or click here
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Thanks for reading.