Penuel

Biblical Text

Genesis 32:22–32: On the night before he is to meet his brother Esau, Jacob sends his family ahead across the ford of the Jabbok. He remains behind alone and wrestles with "a man" until daybreak. Although his hip joint is injured, he asks for a blessing and receives the new name "Israel" (32:28). Jacob calls the place Peniel, saying, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (32:30). The next verse records, "And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him" (32:31). The text also explains that the Israelite custom of not eating the sinew of the hip originated with this event (32:32).

Judges 8:8–9, 17: While pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian, Gideon asks the men of Penuel for bread, as he had asked the men of Succoth, and is refused. He declares that he will tear down their tower when he returns, and on his return he does break down the tower of Penuel and slay the men of the city.

1 Kings 12:25: After the division of the kingdom, Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom, builds Shechem and then builds Penuel.

In addition, 1 Chronicles 4:4 and 8:25 use "Penuel" as a personal name. These individuals merely share the name and are unrelated to the place.

Background

The Hebrew forms "Peniel" and "Penuel" are regarded as two spellings of the same name, meaning "face of God." The New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) uses "Peniel" only in Genesis 32:30 and "Penuel" elsewhere.

The town is thought to have stood on the Jabbok River (the modern Zarqa River in Jordan), which flows into the Jordan from the east, not far from Succoth. Scholars disagree about the exact site. Because Judges mentions a tower and Jeroboam built up the town, some suggest that it served as a defensive stronghold on a route east of the Jordan.

Significance in the Wider Bible

The Penuel narrative is read as the turning point at which Jacob becomes "Israel." Hosea 12:3–4 recalls the event, saying that Jacob "had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him."

Jacob's confession that he saw the face of God and yet lived stands in contrast to the statement "for there shall no man see me, and live" (Exodus 33:20). Christian tradition reads this theme in light of the New Testament, for example John 1:18, which states that the Son has declared the God whom no one has ever seen, and 2 Corinthians 4:6, which speaks of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The New Testament, however, does not mention Penuel directly.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpreters differ over the identity of the one who wrestled with Jacob.

• An angel: This view rests on the language of Hosea.
• The preincarnate Christ: Some Church Fathers and many Reformed and evangelical commentators hold this position.
• Jewish tradition: Rabbinic literature preserves a tradition identifying the figure as Esau's guardian angel.
• Critical scholarship: Some scholars see behind the account an ancient folktale about a being who bars the way of those crossing a river.

In Korean churches this event is often described as Jacob "wrestling all night in prayer." The Genesis text, however, depicts a physical wrestling match. The idea of prayer is an interpretation drawn from Hosea's phrase "he wept, and made supplication" and from homiletical application.

In the Korean Church

The wrestling at the ford of the Jabbok is a frequent sermon text for themes such as persistent prayer, the breaking of the self, and the transformation signified by a new name. "Peniel" is also widely used as a name for churches, prayer retreat centers, schools, and mission organizations.