Genesis 32:31
in Genesis 32The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel, and he limped upon his thigh.
KJV
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
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This verse in Genesis 32
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThe sun rose upon him - Did the Prophet Malachi refer to this, Mal 4:2: Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings? Possibly with the rising of the sun, which may here be understood as emblematical of the Sun of righteousness - the Lord Jesus, the pain and weakness of his thigh passed away, and he felt both in soul and body that he was healed of his plagues.
This site's exposition
The sun rose above him
on Genesis 32:31-32
The sun had gone down on Jacob at Genesis 28:11 the night he left the land, and it rises on him here as he comes back in. He goes to meet his brother limping. Israel keeps a rule to this day about the tendon at the socket of the hip, and the nation carries the memory of this night at its table.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening5 voices
), and, if so, this was an evidence of a divine touch indeed, which wounded and healed at the same time. Jacob prevailed, and yet had his thigh put out. Note, Wrestling believers may obtain glorious victories, and yet come off with broken bones; for when they are weak then are they strong, weak in themselves, but strong in Christ, 2 Cor. xii.
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2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. Jacob, having got clear of Laban, pursues his journey homewards towards Canaan: when God has helped us through difficulties we should go on our way heaven-ward with so much the more cheerfulness and resolution. Here is Jacob's convoy in his journey (
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Lord, what will become of that promise, if they be all cut off? Jacob having piously made God his friend by a prayer, is here prudently endeavouring to make Esau his friend by a present. He had prayed to God to deliver him from the hand of Esau - His prayer did not make him presume upon God's mercy, without the use of means.
He halted on his thigh - And some think he continued to do so to his dying day. If he did, he had no reason to complain, for the honour and comfort he obtained by his struggle was abundantly sufficient to countervail the damage, though he went limping to his grave.
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And this use we may still make of it, to acknowledge the mercy of God, and our obligations to Jesus Christ, that we may now keep up our communion with God, in faith, hope, and love, without peril either of life or limb.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
halted upon his thigh--As Paul had a thorn in the flesh given to humble him, lest he should be too elevated by the abundant revelations granted him [2Co 12:7], so Jacob's lameness was to keep him mindful of this mysterious scene, and that it was in gracious condescension the victory was yielded to him.
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The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּֽזְרַֽח־ | vaiyizrach- | and it rose | H2224 → | |
| ל֣וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ | hashemesh | the sun | H8121 → | 134 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר | kaasher | just when | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עָבַ֖ר | ʾavar | he passed over | H5674 → | 556 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| פְּנוּאֵ֑ל | penuel | Penuel | H6439 → | |
| וְה֥וּא | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| צֹלֵ֖עַ | tzolea' | [was] limping | H6760 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְרֵכֽוֹ׃ | yerekho | thigh his | H3409 → | 34 times |
וַיִּֽזְרַֽח־and it rose
vaiyizrach-H2224 →
ל֣וֹto <the> him
lo
הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁthe sun
hashemeshH8121 →134 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רjust when
kaasherH834 →5497 times
עָבַ֖רhe passed over
ʾavarH5674 →556 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
פְּנוּאֵ֑לPenuel
penuelH6439 →
וְה֥וּאand he
vehu'H1931 →1879 times
צֹלֵ֖עַ[was] limping
tzolea'H6760 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יְרֵכֽוֹ׃thigh his
yerekhoH3409 →34 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Corinthians 12:9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of…
it leads to
- Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- 2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- Isaiah 40:29–31
He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.
- Ephesians 3:16
I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
- Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Philippians 4:13
Through
Malachi 4:2“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 33:6
Nevertheless, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
- Psalms 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- Isaiah 30:26
The light of the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days—on the day that the LORD binds…
- Jeremiah 33:6
Where this verse is studied
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Studies2
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About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.