Jacob

Biblical Account

Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the younger twin brother of Esau. His life is recorded in Genesis 25–50. At birth he came out grasping his brother's heel (Genesis 25:26).

• Birthright and blessing: He bought Esau's birthright (the rights of the firstborn son) for a bowl of red lentil stew (Genesis 25:29–34). Later, together with his mother, he deceived his father and received the blessing intended for the firstborn (Genesis 27).
• Bethel: While fleeing from his brother to his uncle Laban in Haran, he dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven. He named the place Bethel ("house of God") (Genesis 28).
• Life in Haran: He married Leah and Rachel. Through his two wives and the maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah, he fathered twelve sons and a daughter, Dinah (Genesis 29–30, 35).
• The ford of Jabbok: On his way back home, he wrestled all night with a man. Afterward he received the name "Israel," and his hip was put out of joint, leaving him lame (Genesis 32:22–32). He was then reconciled with Esau (Genesis 33).
• Later years: During a famine, he led his entire family down to Egypt, where his son Joseph was living. Before Pharaoh he said of his life, "few and evil have the days of the years of my life been" (Genesis 47:9). After blessing his sons, he died and was buried in the cave of Machpelah in Canaan (Genesis 49–50).

Significance Within the Bible

Jacob's new name became the name of the entire nation. The Old Testament frequently refers to God as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," and Hosea 12:3–4 recalls his struggle with the angel.

The New Testament refers to Jacob in the following passages:

• Jesus cited this designation of God in his argument about the resurrection (Matthew 22:32).
• Jesus spoke words to Nathanael that recall the ladder at Bethel (John 1:51).
• Romans 9:10–13 quotes Malachi 1:2–3: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
• Hebrews 11:21 cites his blessing of Joseph's sons as an act of faith.

Interpretations and Debates

• The meaning of election: The Calvinist tradition, including Presbyterian and Reformed churches, often reads Romans 9 as grounds for the doctrine of predestination, holding that God chooses individuals apart from their works. Methodist, Holiness, and other churches in the traditions of Arminianism and Wesleyan theology frequently present an interpretation that reads the passage as concerning the election of nations (Israel and Edom) and their roles in history. Some also regard "hated" as a Hebrew comparative idiom meaning "loved less."
• Jacob's opponent: The text calls the opponent "a man," yet Jacob says, "I have seen God face to face" (Genesis 32:30). Interpreters have identified this figure variously as an angel, a manifestation of God, or the preincarnate Christ.
• Assessment of his character: A widely held reading sees Jacob as gradually transformed from a deceiver into a man shaped by God. However, the claim that he "became a completely different person after the ford of Jabbok" is an interpretation rather than something the text states directly.

In the Korean Church

In sermons, Jacob's wrestling at the ford of Jabbok is often presented as a model of persistent prayer. "Arise, go up to Beth-el" (Genesis 35:1) is frequently cited as a text on the renewal of faith and firm commitment.

The hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee" is known for lyrics drawn from the dream at Bethel. The gospel song "Jacob's Blessing," whose lyrics are based on the blessing of Joseph in Genesis 49:22, is also widely sung. In Sunday school, the stories of the stew and the birthright and of the ladder dream are frequently taught.