Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Genesis 32:28 He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 32:28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed." [Hos 12:3, 4] |
Bible Question:
Jacob/Israel As you come to Gen. chapters 37 and on, the name Jacob and Israel are alternating in no specific pattern. Why did God use his name interchangeably in these chapters? |
Bible Answer: Greetings PJC, In Genesis 32:28, Jacob wrestles with God and God gives him a new name "Israel", stating that he has "striven with God and with men and have prevailed." [NASB] From that point on, Jacob is also referred to as "Israel", both symbolically and personally (symbolically - Gen. 32:32, personally - Gen. 35:21). But in Genesis 35:10, God said that he would no longer be called "Jacob", but Israel from that point on. But the author of Genesis continues to use "Jacob" as a reference (Example: Gen. 35:22), so that we understand that Jacob and Israel are the same person. The changing of a name is significant in the Bible, indicating that God has changed or made a covenant with the individual: (example) Abram to Abraham. A New Testament example would be when the Lord changed Saul's name to Paul (Acts 9). Blessings to you, Makarios |