Genesis 32:1

And Jacob went on his way,.... From Gilead towards the land of Canaan: and the angels of God met him; to comfort and help him, to protect and defend him, to keep him in all his ways, that nothing

And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. Angels of God met.

GENESIS CHAPTER 32 The angels of God meet Jacob, . He calls them God’ s host, and the place Mahanaim, . Sends messengers to his brother Esau, . They return, and bring word that Esau comes to meet him with four hundred men, . Jacob is afraid; divides his people and cattle into two bands, . Gives orders concerning them, ; prays to God in a very fervent and humble manner, ; sends presents to his brother, with directions; gets his wives and children over the ford by night, . Jacob wrestles with God, and prevails; is called Israel: God blesseth him; he inquires after God’ s name; calls the place Peniel: Jacob halts, . The Jews’ observation in memorial of it, . In visible, human, and glorious shape, as they frequently appeared to the patriarchs.

Genesis 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.Ver. 1. Angels of God met him.] Sensibly and visibly, as servants meet their masters, as the guard their prince. Oh, the dignity and safety of the saints! who are in five respects, say some, above the angels. (1.) Our nature is more highly advanced in Christ. (2.) The righteousness whereby we come to glory is more excellent than theirs; which, though perfect in its kind, is but the righteousness of mere creatures, such as God may find fault with, such as may need mercy; therefore the cherubims are said to stand upon the mercy seat, and to be made of the matter thereof. (3.) The sonship of the saints is founded in a higher right than theirs - viz., in the Sonship of the second Person in Trinity. (4.) They are members of Christ, and so in nearer union than any creature. (5.) They are the spouse, the bride; angels only servants of the Bridegroom, and "ministering spirits, sent out (as here) to minister for them that shall be heirs of salvation". They meet us still, as they did Jacob: they minister many blessings to us, yet will not be seen to receive any thanks of us: they stand at our right hands, as ready to relieve us as the devils to mischief us. If Satan, for terror, show himself like the great "leviathan"; or, for fraud, like a "crooked" and "piercing serpent"; or, for violence and fury, like "the dragon in the seas"; yet the Lord will smite him by his angels, as with his "great, and sore, and strong sword". Angels are in heaven as in their watch tower , to keep the world, the saints especially, their chief charge, in whose behalf, they "stand ever before the face of God," waiting and wishing to be sent upon any design or expedition, for the service and safety of the saints. They are like masters or tutors, to whom the great King of heaven commits his children: these they bear in their bosoms, as the nurse doth her babe, or as the servants of the house do their young master, glad to do them any good office; ready to secure them from that roaring lion, that rangeth up and down, seeking to devour them. The philosopher told his friends, when they came into his little and low cottage, Eντευθενουκαπεισιθεοι, The gods are here with me. The true Christian may say, though he dwell never so meanly, God and his holy angels are ever with him, &c.

XXXII.(1) Jacob went on his way.—The meeting of Jacob and Laban had been on the dividing line between the Aramean and the Canaanite lands, and consequently at a spot where Laban would have found no allies in the natives, but rather the contrary. Delivered thus from danger from behind, Jacob now takes his journey through the country that was to be the heritage of his seed, and doubtless he was harassed by many anxious thoughts; for Esau might prove a fiercer foe than Laban. It was fit therefore that he should receive encouragement, and so after some days, probably after about a week’s journey southward, he has a vision of “angels of God.” Angels of God.—Numberless conjectures have been hazarded as to who were these “messengers of Elohim,” and how they were seen by Jacob. Some, taking the word in its lower sense, think they were prophets; others, that it was a caravan, which gave Jacob timely information about Esau’s presence in Seir; others, that it was a body of men sent by Rebekah to aid Jacob in repelling Esau. More probably, as Jacob on his road to Padan-aram had been assured of God’s watchful care of him by the vision of the angels ascending and descending the stairs, so now also in a dream he sees the angels encamped on each side of him, to assure him of protection against his brother.

CHAPTER XXXII Jacob, proceeding on his Journey, is met by the angels of God, 1, 2. Sends messengers before him to his brother Esau, requesting to be favourably received, 3-5. The messengers return without an answer, but with the intelligence that Esau, with four hundred men, was coming to meet Jacob, 6. He is greatly alarmed, and adopts prudent means for the safety of himself and family, 7, 8. His affecting prayer to God, 9-12. Prepares a present of five droves of different cattle for his brother, 13-15. Sends them forward before him, at a certain distance from each other, and instructs the drivers what to say when met by Esau, 15-20. Sends his wives, servants, children and baggage, over the brook Jabbok, by night, 21-23. Himself stays behind, and wrestles with an angel until the break of day, 24. He prevails and gets a new name, 25-29. Calls the name of the place Peniel, 30. Is lame in his thigh in consequence of his wrestling with the angel, 31, 32. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXII Verse 1. The angels of God met him.] Our word angel comes from the Greek αγγελος aggelos, which literally signifies a messenger; or, as translated in some of our old Bibles, a tidings-bringer. The Hebrew word מלאך malach, from לאך laach, to send, minister to, employ, is nearly of the same import; and hence we may see the propriety of St. Augustine's remark: Nomen non naturae sed officii, "It is a name, not of nature, but of office;" and hence it is applied indifferently to a human agent or messenger, 2 Samuel 2:5; to a prophet, Haggai 1:13; to a priest, Malachi 2:7; to celestial spirits, Psalms 103:19-20, Psalms 103:22; Psalms 104:4. "We often," says Mr. Parkhurst, "read of the מלאך יהוה malach Yehovah, or מלאכי אלהים malakey Elohim, the angel of Jehovah, or the angels of God, that is, his agent, personator, mean of visibility or action, what was employed by God to render himself visible and approachable by flesh and blood." This angel was evidently a human form, surrounded or accompanied by light or glory, with or in which Jehovah was present; see Genesis 19:1, Genesis 19:12, Genesis 19:16; Judges 13:6, Judges 13:21; Exodus 3:2, Exodus 3:6. "By this vision," says Mr. Ainsworth, "God confirmed Jacob's faith in him who commanded his angels to keep his people in all their ways, Psalms 91:11. Angels are here called God's host, camp, or army, as in wars; for angels are God's soldiers, Lu 2:13; horses and chariots of fire, 2Kg 2:11; fighting for God's people against their enemies, Daniel 10:20; of them there are thousand thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand, Daniel 7:10; and they are all sent forth to minister for them that shall be heirs of salvation, Hebrews 1:14; and they pitch a camp about them that fear God, Psalms 34:7." One of the oldest of the Greek poets had a tolerably correct notion of the angelic ministry: - Αυταρεπειπεντουτογενοςκαταγαιακαλυψεν ΤοιμενΔαιμονεςεισι, Διοςμεγαλουδιαβουλας, Εσθλοι, επιχθονιοι, φυλακεςθνητωνανθρωπων·κ. τ. λ. HESIOD. Op. Dies, l.

1. the angels of God] See note on Genesis 28:12. The appearance of the angels to Jacob on his return from Haran, as on his journey thither, gives him the assurance of God’s presence. In chap. 28 it was a dream; here we are told the angels “met him.”

- Jacob Wrestles in Prayer 3. מחנים machănāyı̂m, Machanaim, “two camps.” 22. יבק yaboq, Jabboq; related: בקק bāqaq “gush or gurgle out” or אבק 'ābaq in niphal, “wrestle.” Now Wady Zurka. 29.

1. Jacob went on his way — From the place of his covenant with Laban, southwards, through the hills and valleys of Gilead. Angels of God met him — How or in what form, we are not told.