In just ten verses, Gen 32:22-32 raises a number of questions. Leading Question: Who Does Jacob Encounter?
On the way to meet Esau for the first time in twenty years, Jacob has a strange encounter at night by the Jabbok River. Aptly living up to a name which means “deceiver,” “usurper,” “heel-grabber,” or “crooked,” by the time Jacob arrives at the Jabbok River, he has swindled his brother Esau out of both birthright and fatherly blessing ( Gen 25:29-34 Gen 27:1-40). Among the patriarchs, none appears more crooked than Jacob.
The stories about these patriarchs intertwine family conflict, deception, and unscrupulous behavior, alongside the repeated promises of God to make of Israel a great nation. By the time we journey with Jacob to the Jabbok in Gen 32, we have borne witness to an unfolding drama involving Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
