Jacob does not trust in Yahweh. Instead, he fears that his brother Esau could kill him and his family. He should have known that Yahweh would continue to bless him and protect his family. He should have trusted in Yahweh's covenant faithfulness. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#bless and /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#trust and /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#covenantfaith)
In Scripture, a change in name always occurs at a highly significant point in a person's life. The return of Jacob to Canaan was a significant event in the history of the Hebrew people.
Scholars are divided over the identity of the person Jacob wrestled with. It was probably an angel, but some believe he wrestled with Jesus before he came to earth. The translator will probably have difficulty trying to keep ambiguity in identifying this individual because the word "man" usually indicates a normal, living person. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)
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Translators may also add a footnote that says "The name Mahanaim means 'two camps.'"
This is a mountainous area in the region of Edom. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)
This has a quotation within a quotation. The direct quotation can be stated as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: "'This is what I want you to tell my master Esau. Tell him that I have been ... have delayed my return until now.'" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotesinquotes and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotations)
Jacob is using polite language and refers to his brother as "my master."
Jacob is using polite language and refers to himself as "your servant."
This continues the quotation within a quotation that begins with the words "I have been" in verse 4. The direct quotation can be stated as an indirect quotation. "This is what I want you to tell my master Esau. Tell him that I have been ... Tell him that I have cattle ... in his eyes." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotesinquotes and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotations)
When a person finds favor in the eyes of another, the second person approves of the first person. Here "eyes" are a metonym for the person seeing something, and seeing a person is a metaphor for deciding whether what that person sees is good or bad. Alternate translation: "that you may approve of me" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metaphor)
"400 men" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-numbers)
This refers to the unpleasant feeling a person has when there is a threat of harm to himself or others.
distressed, troubled
Here "camp" refers to the people. Alternate translation: "to attack the people in one camp, then the people in the other camp will escape" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)
This does not refer to different gods, but to the one God they all worship. Alternate translation: "Yahweh, who is God of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)
This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: "Yahweh, you who said that I should return to my country and to my kindred, and that you would prosper me," (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotesinquotes and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotations)
"to your family"
"I will do good for you" or "I will treat you well"
The abstract nouns "faithfulness" and "trustworthiness" can be stated as "faithful" and "loyal." Alternate translation: "I do not deserve for you to remain faithful to your covenant or for you to be loyal to me, your servant" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)
This is a polite way of saying "me."
Here the phrase "I have become" is an idiom meaning what he now possesses. Alternate translation: "and now I have enough people, flocks, and possessions with me to make two camps" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)
"save me"
Here the word "hand" refers to power. The two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second clarifies that the brother whom Jacob intended was Esau. Alternate translation: "from the power of my brother, Esau" or "from my brother, Esau" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-parallelism)
"I am afraid that he will"
This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated an an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: "But you said that you would certainly prosper me, and that you would make my descendants ... number" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotesinquotes and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotations)
"do good to you" or "treat you well"
This speaks about the very large number of Jacob's descendants as if their number will be like the grains of sand on the seashore. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-simile)
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "which no one can count because of their number" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)
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"200" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-numbers)
"20" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-numbers)
"30 ... 40 ... 10" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-numbers)
"their young"
Here "into the hand" means to give control over them. Alternate translation: "He divided them into small herds, and gave each of his servants control over one herd" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)
"let each herd travel at a distance from the other herds"
"He commanded"
This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: "asks you who your master is, where you are going, and who owns these animals that are ahead of you" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotesinquotes and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotations)
"Who is your master?"
"Who owns these animals that are in front of you?"
This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: "Then I want you to tell him that all of these things belong to Jacob, his servant, and he his giving them to his master, Esau. And tell him that Jacob is on the way to meet him" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotesinquotes and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-quotations)
Jacob is referring to himself in a polite way as Esau's servant.
Jacob is referring to Esau is a polite way as his master.
Here "us" refers to the servant speaking and the other servants bringing herds to Esau. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-exclusive)
"commanded the second group"
Possible meanings are 1) "You will say also, 'Your servant Jacob'" or 2) "You will say, 'Also, Your servant Jacob.'"
"I will calm him down" or "I will make his anger go away"
"he will welcome me kindly"
Here "gifts" stands for the servants taking the gifts. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)
Here "himself" emphasizes that Jacob did not go with the servants. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rpronouns)
"his two servant wives." This means Zilpah and Bilhah.
a shallow place in a river that is easy to cross
This is the name of a river. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)
"all that he had"
"until dawn"
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "The man injured Jacob's hip as he wrestled with him" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)
the place where the upper leg bone connects to the hip
"the sun will rise soon"
Here "bless" means to pronounce a formal blessing on someone and to cause good things to happen to that person.
This can be stated in positive form. Alternate translation: "I will let you go only if you bless me" or "Absolutely not! You must bless me first, then I will let you go" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-doublenegatives)
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Translators may add a footnote that says "The name Israel means 'He struggles with God.'" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)
Here "men" means "people" in general.
"He said, 'Why would you ask about my name?'" This rhetorical question was meant to shock, rebuke and cause Jacob to ponder over what just happened between him and the other man he just wrestled with. Alternate translation: "Do not ask me for my name!" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)
Translators may add a footnote that says: "The name Peniel means 'the face of God.'" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)
Being "face to face" means that two people are seeing each other in person, at a close distance.
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "yet he spared my life" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)
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This marks a change from the story to background information about the descendants of Israel. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#writing-background)
This means to the day that the author was writing this.
This refers to the muscle that connects the thigh bone to the thigh socket.
"thigh socket"
"while striking"