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NOW as Jacob was proceeding on his journey to the land of
Canaan,
angels appeared to him, and suggested to him good hope of his future condition;
and that place he named the Camp of God. And being desirous of knowing
what his brother's intentions were to him, he sent messengers, to give
him an exact account of every thing, as being afraid, on account of the
enmities between them. He charged those that were sent, to say to Esau,
"Jacob had thought it wrong to live together with him while he was
in anger against him, and so had gone out of the country; and that he now,
thinking the length of time of his absence must have made up their differences,
was returning; that he brought with him his wives, and his children, with
what possessions he had gotten; and delivered himself, with what was most
dear to him, into his hands; and should think it his greatest happiness
to partake together with his brother of what God had bestowed upon him."
So these messengers told him this message. Upon which Esau was very glad,
and met his brother with four hundred men. And Jacob, when he heard that
he was coming to meet him with such a number of men, was greatly afraid:
however, he committed his hope of deliverance to God; and considered how,
in his present circumstances, he might preserve himself and those that
were with him, and overcome his enemies if they attacked him injuriously.
He therefore distributed his company into parts; some he sent before the
rest, and the others he ordered to come close behind, that so, if the first
were overpowered when his brother attacked them, they might have those
that followed as a refuge to fly unto. And when he had put his company
in this order, he sent some of them to carry presents to his brother. The
presents were made up of cattle, and a great number of four-footed beasts,
of many kinds, such as would be very acceptable to those that received
them, on account of their rarity. Those who were sent went at certain intervals
of space asunder, that, by following thick, one after another, they might
appear to be more numerous, that Esau might remit of his anger on account
of these presents, if he were still in a passion. Instructions were also
given to those that were sent to speak gently to him.
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When Jacob had made these appointments all the day, and night came
on, he moved on with his company; and, as they were gone over a certain
river called Jabboc, Jacob was left behind; and meeting with an angel,
he wrestled with him, the angel beginning the struggle: but he prevailed
over the angel, who used a voice, and spake to him in words, exhorting
him to be pleased with what had happened to him, and not to suppose that
his victory was a small one, but that he had overcome a divine angel, and
to esteem the victory as a sign of great blessings that should come to
him, and that his offspring should never fall, and that no man should be
too hard for his power. He also commanded him to be called Israel, which
in the Hebrew tongue signifies one that struggled with the divine angel.2
These promises were made at the prayer of Jacob; for when he perceived
him to be the angel of God, he desired he would signify to him what should
befall him hereafter. And when the angel had said what is before related,
he disappeared; but Jacob was pleased with these things, and named the
place Phanuel, which signifies, the face of God. Now when he felt
pain, by this struggling, upon his broad sinew, he abstained from eating
that sinew himself afterward; and for his sake it is still not eaten by
us.
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When Jacob understood that his brother was near, he ordered his wives
to go before, each by herself, with the handmaids, that they might see
the actions of the men as they were fighting, if Esau were so disposed.
He then went up to his brother Esau, and bowed down to him, who had no
evil design upon him, but saluted him; and asked him about the company
of the children and of the women; and desired, when he had understood all
he wanted to know about them, that he would go along with him to their
father; but Jacob pretending that the cattle were weary, Esau returned
to Seir, for there was his place of habitation, he having named the place
Roughness, from his own hairy roughness.
