Peniel (Penuel)
The place by the Jabbok where Jacob wrestled a mysterious man all night and said he had seen God face to face.
- Named in
- Genesis 32:30
- Meaning
- 'Face of God'
- Location
- Near the Jabbok (Zarqa) River, east of the Jordan
- Proposed site
- Tulul edh-Dhahab, Jordan (uncertain)
- Later history
- Tower destroyed by Gideon; rebuilt by Jeroboam I
What is Peniel known for?
Peniel, also spelled Penuel, was a place near the Jabbok River east of the Jordan. In Genesis 32, Jacob sends his family across the ford and is left alone, and a man wrestles with him until daybreak. The man touches Jacob's hip and puts it out of joint, renames him Israel, and refuses to give his own name. Jacob calls the place Peniel, 'face of God', saying he has seen God face to face and lived.
Later biblical books mention Penuel as a fortified town. Gideon tore down its tower in Judges 8, and Jeroboam I rebuilt it (1 Kings 12:25). The exact site is uncertain; Tulul edh-Dhahab in Jordan is the most common proposal.
The identity of Jacob's opponent is left open in Genesis. Hosea 12 calls him an angel, and interpreters have read the scene as a divine encounter, a guardian of the river crossing, or a struggle with God himself.
Where Jacob wrestled a being he took to be God and named the place 'face of God'.
Mentioned on these pages
Sources
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 'Peniel', Bible Study ToolsReference
- Genesis 32 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
- Wikipedia, 'Penuel'Reference
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