Our narrative begins with Jacob’s sending his family across the Jabbok stream while staying behind to spend the night alone. Tomorrow he must face his brother, Esau, whom he has not seen since he escaped after stealing Esau’s blessing and having fleeced him out of his birthright. Jacob does not know how his brother will receive him… but several possibilities have occurred to him -- none of them positive.

It should come as no surprise that Jacob got little sleep that night. Who could sleep well, knowing that one must stand in front of an angry brother and beg for forgiveness?

The story of Jacob’s wrestling is one of the most widely discussed passages of all the patriarch material. This is partially due to the fact that this is a complex and somewhat confusing story. For example, how many …