Genesis 32:1

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God ¹  met him.

Genesis 23:8

23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree ²  that I may bury my dead, ³  then hear me out. ⁴  Ask ⁵  Ephron the son of Zohar

Genesis 28:11

28:11 He reached a certain place ⁶  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ⁷  He took one of the stones ⁸  and placed it near his head. ⁹  Then he fell asleep ¹⁰  in that place

[32:1]  ¹ sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.

[23:8]  ² tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).

[23:8]  ³ tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:8]  ⁴ tn Or “hear me.”

[23:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “intercede for me with.”

[28:11]  ³ tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “lay down.”