וַיָּ֥לֶן שָׁ֖ם בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֑וּא וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִן־הַבָּ֧א בְיָד֛וֹ מִנְחָ֖ה לְעֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִֽיו׃

He stayed there that night; he took from that which was in his possession a gift for Esau his brother:

עִזִּ֣ים מָאתַ֔יִם וּתְיָשִׁ֖ים עֶשְׂרִ֑ים רְחֵלִ֥ים מָאתַ֖יִם וְאֵילִ֥ים עֶשְׂרִֽים׃

Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

גְּמַלִּ֧ים מֵינִיק֛וֹת וּבְנֵיהֶ֖ם שְׁלֹשִׁ֑ים פָּר֤וֹת אַרְבָּעִים֙ וּפָרִ֣ים עֲשָׂרָ֔ה אֲתֹנֹ֣ת עֶשְׂרִ֔ים וַעְיָרִ֖ם עֲשָׂרָֽה׃

thirty nursing camels and their offspring, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. Of every species that Jacob sent, he included both males and females, so that they would be able to reproduce. This is also the reason for the various proportions between the males and females, as different ratios are more suitable for the reproduction of different animals. One can infer from the impressive size of the present that Jacob must have owned an enormous amount of livestock.

וַיִּתֵּן֙ בְּיַד־עֲבָדָ֔יו עֵ֥דֶר עֵ֖דֶר לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַ֤יֹּאמֶר אֶל־עֲבָדָיו֙ עִבְר֣וּ לְפָנַ֔י וְרֶ֣וַח תָּשִׂ֔ימוּ בֵּ֥ין עֵ֖דֶר וּבֵ֥ין עֵֽדֶר׃

He placed them in the charge of his servants, each drove by itself, handled by a different cattle herder. And he, Jacob, said to his servants: Go ahead of me, to reach my brother before me, and make space between one drove and the other drove. The gift was spread out so that it would appear even more impressive to Esau.

וַיְצַ֥ו אֶת־הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן לֵאמֹ֑ר כִּ֣י יִֽפְגָּשְׁךָ֞ עֵשָׂ֣ו אָחִ֗י וִשְׁאֵֽלְךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְמִי־אַ֙תָּה֙ וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֔ךְ וּלְמִ֖י אֵ֥לֶּה לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃

He commanded the shepherd of the first herd, saying: When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, saying: To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and whose are these animals before you?

וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ לְעַבְדְּךָ֣ לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב מִנְחָ֥ה הִוא֙ שְׁלוּחָ֔ה לַֽאדֹנִ֖י לְעֵשָׂ֑ו וְהִנֵּ֥ה גַם־ה֖וּא אַחֲרֵֽינוּ׃

You shall say: They are from your servant, Jacob; and as for this collection of animals, it is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau, and behold, he, Jacob, too, is behind us. He is sending you these gifts in anticipation of your meeting.

וַיְצַ֞ו גַּ֣ם אֶת־הַשֵּׁנִ֗י גַּ֚ם אֶת־הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י גַּ֚ם אֶת־כָּל־הַהֹ֣לְכִ֔ים אַחֲרֵ֥י הָעֲדָרִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר כַּדָּבָ֤ר הַזֶּה֙ תְּדַבְּר֣וּן אֶל־עֵשָׂ֔ו בְּמֹצַאֲכֶ֖ם אֹתֽוֹ׃

He commanded also the second, and also the third, and also all that followed the droves, saying: In this manner shall you speak to Esau when you find him. You shall tell him that you are Jacob’s servants, and that this entire herd is a gift to his lord, Esau.

וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם גַּ֗ם הִנֵּ֛ה עַבְדְּךָ֥ יַעֲקֹ֖ב אַחֲרֵ֑ינוּ כִּֽי־אָמַ֞ר אֲכַפְּרָ֣ה פָנָ֗יו בַּמִּנְחָה֙ הַהֹלֶ֣כֶת לְפָנָ֔י וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן֙ אֶרְאֶ֣ה פָנָ֔יו אוּלַ֖י יִשָּׂ֥א פָנָֽי׃

You shall say: Moreover, here is your servant Jacob coming behind us to meet you. He is not running away, and there is no need to chase him. For he, Jacob, said to himself: I will appease him, Esau, with the gift that goes before me, and thereafter, when he has received the gift, I will see his face; perhaps he will favor me for what I have done for him.

וַתַּעֲבֹ֥ר הַמִּנְחָ֖ה עַל־פָּנָ֑יו וְה֛וּא לָ֥ן בַּלַּֽיְלָה־הַה֖וּא בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

The gift went before him, Jacob, for his inspection; and he stayed that night in the camp.

וַיָּ֣קָם ׀ בַּלַּ֣יְלָה ה֗וּא וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־שְׁתֵּ֤י נָשָׁיו֙ וְאֶת־שְׁתֵּ֣י שִׁפְחֹתָ֔יו וְאֶת־אַחַ֥ד עָשָׂ֖ר יְלָדָ֑יו וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֔ר אֵ֖ת מַעֲבַ֥ר יַבֹּֽק׃

He, Jacob, arose during that night, after sending off the gifts, and he personally took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Yabok. 1 The exact location of the ford is unknown, but there is still a stream called Yabok in central present-day Jordan, nowadays also called the Zarqa River. The river, which is not deep, can be crossed by foot.

וַיִּקָּחֵ֔ם וַיַּֽעֲבִרֵ֖ם אֶת־הַנָּ֑חַל וַֽיַּעֲבֵ֖ר אֶת־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ׃

He took them, and brought them over the stream, and brought over that which he had in order to meet Esau south of the Yabok River. Obviously, Jacob did not cross the river with all his wives, children of different ages, and his belongings all at once. Instead, he made the crossing several times.

וַיִּוָּתֵ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַיֵּאָבֵ֥ק אִישׁ֙ עִמּ֔וֹ עַ֖ד עֲל֥וֹת הַשָּֽׁחַר׃

Eventually, after the entire camp had crossed, Jacob remained alone on the riverbank; and a mysterious, unnamed man wrestled with him until dawn.

וַיַּ֗רְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָכֹל֙ ל֔וֹ וַיִּגַּ֖ע בְּכַף־יְרֵכ֑וֹ וַתֵּ֙קַע֙ כַּף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּהֵֽאָבְק֖וֹ עִמּֽוֹ׃

He, the man, saw that he could not prevail against him, and therefore he touched, struck, Jacob and injured the joint of his thigh; and the joint of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him. Despite the great pain, Jacob remained standing and refused to be defeated.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שַׁלְּחֵ֔נִי כִּ֥י עָלָ֖ה הַשָּׁ֑חַר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֲשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּֽנִי׃

While the pair were grappling each other, he, the man, said: Release me, for the dawn has broken. I cannot remain here for I am a nocturnal being. Here the verse clearly indicates that the strange figure was a spiritual entity. Nevertheless, Jacob felt that he was capable of subduing him, and he said: I will not release you unless you bless me. Jacob demanded neither surrender nor apology, but submission, expressed in the form of a blessing. The stranger’s agreement to the request, and the bestowal of a blessing, would indicate his acceptance of Jacob.

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו מַה־שְּׁמֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר יַעֲקֹֽב׃

He, the angel, said to him: What is your name? He said: Jacob. Had this been a normal conversation between people, Jacob presumably would have asked the figure why he attacked him if he was unaware of his identity. However, he understood that the angel knew his name, and his question was a ceremonial introduction to his blessing.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃

He, the angel, said: No more shall Jacob be said to be your name; rather, you shall be called Israel; for you have striven [ sarita ] with God [ elohim ], an angel, a supernatural force, and with men, and you have prevailed.

וַיִּשְׁאַ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א שְׁמֶ֔ךָ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה תִּשְׁאַ֣ל לִשְׁמִ֑י וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹת֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃

Jacob asked the angel and said: Tell me, please, your name, your essence or function. This request was not merely due to curiosity; rather, Jacob sought to clarify the meaning of the fight. Jacob did not know whether this angel represented Esau or his own alter-ego, and whether their confrontation was a trial from God or an actual threat from dark heavenly forces. He said: Why is it that you ask of my name? It is unnecessary for you to know my name. And he, the angel, blessed him there again.