12:4a
Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed: Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
he fought against an angel and won (Good News Translation)
he struggled: The Hebrew word means “persist” or “persevere.” It is similar to the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “wrestled” in 12:3b.
with the angel: The Hebrew word for with is a preposition that means “with” or “against.” The Hebrew word for angel is made explicit here, although it does not occur in Genesis 32.
prevailed: In Hebrew, this word means to “overcome” or “be victor.”
12:4b
he wept and sought His favor: The pronoun referents in this clause are left implicit in Hebrew. The clause probably refers back to Genesis 32:26. In that verse, Jacob asked the angel to bless him.
12:4c
he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there: In this sentence, Hosea probably refers back to the events found in Genesis 35:1–15. There are no explicit pronoun referents, so it is not clear who found whom or who talked with whom at Bethel.
he found Him at Bethel: There are two ways to interpret the referents of he and Him :
(1) Jacob found God at Bethel. For example:
At Bethel he met God (New American Bible)
(2) God found Jacob at Bethel. For example:
God met him at Bethel (Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions. According to Genesis 35:2 Jacob told his household that they were going to Bethel, and that he planned to build an altar there to God. It is there that God spoke to him and promised to make him into the mighty nation of Israel.
Bethel: Elsewhere, Hosea refers to Bethel as Beth Aven “house of wickedness.” Here, however, Hosea uses the actual name of Bethel.
and spoke with Him there: There is a textual issue here concerning the pronoun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Him :
(1) The Masoretic Text has “he spoke with us.” For example:
and there God spoke with us— (English Standard Version)
(2) The Syriac Peshitta and some LXX traditions have “he spoke with him.” For example:
And there he spoke with him (NET Bible)
The Display will follow option (1). There is no evidence of an error in the MT. Hosea may have used the inclusive pronoun “us” to indicate that God’s promises to Jacob in Genesis 35:9–12 also applied to himself and his fellow-Israelites, all of whom were descendants of Jacob.
However, you may also follow option (2). This option better fits the wording of the historical context in Genesis 35. In that chapter, God speaks to “him,” not to “us.”
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