Who was the “man” with whom Jacob wrestled?
We are not told in the scriptures who the man Jacob that was wrestling with was. Was he a mere man, an angle, or a theophany? Jacob asks the “man” for a blessing, and the “man” gave him a new name. When Jacob asks his name, the “man” replies asking “why do you ask my name?” implying that Jacob should already know who it is he is dealing with. This has led some to believe that the man was an angel or the pre-incarnate Jesus. Talbot also notes that, “This was both a literal wrestling match and a spiritual one.”[1] “He (Jacob) was convinced that he had been in a struggle with God himself, and he was grateful that he not only survived but that he was a changed man”[2] Jacob believed the “man” was able to bless him and had the authority to give him a new name.
So who was this man? It is interesting to note that Jacob was in his nineties at this point and even so the prospect of besting an angel at any age seems ludicrous. If we consider it as mainly a spiritual battle it makes more sense. John Walton notes that “The ease at which he inflicts physical damage on Jacob (32:25) indicates that any inability must be in the spiritual arena, not the physical one.”[3] Hosea 12:4 clearly indicates that the “man” was an angel “4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there.” (NIV). Whether it is an angel or “The Angel of the Lord (Jesus)”, we do not know for sure.
Jacob struggled all of his life, he struggled with his family, he struggled with himself and he struggled with God. At the conclusion of this fight, Jacob was convinced this struggle was with God “Jacob’s remark did not necessarily mean that the “man” with whom he wrestled was in fact God. Rather, as with other similar statements (e.g. Judg 13:22, when one saw the “angel of the Lord” it was appropriate to say that he had seen the face of God.”[4] Jacob knew he had been bested, and submitted to the man after receiving his blessing. Jacob realized this man was God.
I lean towards the belief that the “man” was the pre-incarnate Jesus. In Genesis 32:30, Jacob calls him Elohim, while it is true that that word does not necessarily refer to God, I believe that here it does. Jacob was wrestling both physically and spiritually with God and himself.
[1] Gordon Talbot, A Study of the Book of Genesis,(Harrisburg: Christian Publications, 1981), 200.
[2] Ibid, 201.
[3] John H. Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 605.
[4] John H. Sailhamer,The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol 2, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), 210.
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