# Was the Man that Jacob wrestled in Genesis 32:24-31 Christ?



## Anglicanorthodoxy (Jan 24, 2017)

I'm still in Genesis as far as my daily Bible reading goes. I read Genesis 31-35 today. When reading Genesis 32, it seemed very clear to me that the "man" Jacob wrestled is Christ. But now I think that's just an assumption on my part. Clearly the "man" is God, but are we given any clues as to which person of the Trinity he is?


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## MW (Jan 24, 2017)

John Owen, Works, 18:224-225: "From what hath been spoken, it is evident that he who appeared unto Jacob, with whom he earnestly wrestled, by tears and supplications, was God; and because he was sent as the angel of God, it must be some distinct person in the Deity condescending unto that office; and appearing in the form of a man, he represented his future assumption of our human nature. And by all this did God instruct the church in the mystery of the person of the Messiah, and who it was that they were to look for in the blessing of the promised Seed."

[See pp. 222-224, for "what hath been spoken," which supplies the exegetical notes supporting the premises of this argument.]

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## Jack K (Jan 24, 2017)

From the roles taken by the three Persons elsewhere in Scripture, one could argue that if Jacob was right about the "man" being God (and 32:28 seems to confirm this), it makes sense that he would be the Son. Myself, I find this likely although not absolutely conclusive.

The fact that Hosea 12:4 mentions this incident and calls the wrestler "the angel" is one clue. I think it likely that this means the wrestler is the same as the "Angel of the Lord" mentioned often in other Old Testament historical books. If so, the actions of the angel in those accounts add to the evidence. That Angel seems to me and to many excellent scholars to be Christ, though not everyone agrees.

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## earl40 (Jan 25, 2017)

So far as "Angel of The Lord" in my studies if the word "the" appears before "Angel of the Lord" it appears that it is speaking of God vs. when "an" is used before "Angel of The Lord" which denotes someone other than God.


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## Stope (Jan 25, 2017)

So, then Jesus before being born of Mary did sometimes have a body when He came in these Theophanies? Was this body the same He had as a 33 year old man born of Mary? As He is in heaven BEFORE The foundations of the earth was He only a Spirit or did he have a body? Does He sit in heaven now with a body (glorified body)?


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## Contra_Mundum (Jan 25, 2017)

Whatever body the Angel/2ndPerson appeared in prior to his incarnation, it wasn't the Incarnation.

John wrote "no man has seen God (the Father) at any time, Jn.1:18; 1Jn.4:12. But the Son revealed him; always the vision is of the Son.

The Angel is in the burning bush, Ex.3:2. He also appeared as a man, Jdg.13:3,6. God manifested himself in other ways not always describable in convenient words, see Ex.24:11. But God the Son he surely was.

The Incarnation is an historical event, and it conditions subsequent history, not prior history. God the Son ever retains all the attributes of his divinity, including immutability or changelessness. But he took to himself a human nature in the Incarnation. As God he was, and is, omnipresent. As man, he departed earth and ascended to and continues in heaven "until the times of restitution of all things," Acts3:21.

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## joebonni63 (Jan 25, 2017)

Jacob says I have seen God face to face meaning if he saw God it was not God the Father because it would have killed him so yes it was Christ the second part of the Trinity ...............


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