Texts in Conversation
In Genesis 32, Jacob’s new name “Israel” comes from wrestling “with God.” The Greek Septuagint softens this with abstract language, and the Wisdom of Solomon goes further, portraying Jacob’s struggle as a victory of wisdom rather than physical strength.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 32:28
Hebrew Bible
26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, “unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” He answered, “Jacob.” 28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, “but Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” “Why do you ask my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Genesis 32:29
Septuagint
27 And he said to him, Let me go, for the day has dawned; but he said, I will not let you go, except you bless me. 28 And he said to him, What is your name? and he answered, Jacob. 29 And he said to him, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name; for you have shown strength with God, and are mighty with men. 30 And Jacob asked and said, Tell me your name; and he said, Why do you ask after my name? and he blessed him there.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Wisdom of Solomon 10:12
Deuterocanon
11 When in their covetousness men dealt harshly with him, she stood by him and made him rich. 12 She guarded him from enemies, and she kept him safe from those who lay in wait. Over his severe conflict, she watched as judge, that he might know that godliness is more powerful than every one. 13 When a righteous man was sold, wisdom didn’t forsake him, but she delivered him from sin. She went down with him into a dungeon,
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... But such was hardly the only way of understanding the meaning of Jacob's new name. The 'with' in 'struggled with' is somewhat ambiguous, in Hebrew as well as English. It could mean that Jacob had fought 'in the company of' or even 'with the help of' God. And even the Hebrew for 'struggle' - an extremely rare word - might be understood differently: it could also mean something like 'was strong' or 'was a ruler.' As a result, many interpreters concluded that Jacob's new name had nothing to do with struggling with (in the sense of 'against') God or even an angel of God. It meant that Jacob had been strong with the help of God or had been exalted with (that is, into the company of) God ..."
James L. Kugel, The Bible as It Was (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998), 226–227.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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