Genesis 32 · Verse 28

Genesis 32:28

And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Genesis 32:28, King James Version

Genesis 32:28 in other translations

BSBThen the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
WEBHe said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
ASVAnd he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
YLTAnd he saith, ‘Thy name is no more called Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast been a prince with God and with men, and dost prevail.'
DARBYAnd he said, Thy name shall not henceforth be called Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast wrestled with God, and with men, and hast prevailed.
BBEAnd he said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for in your fight with God and with men you have overcome.
WebsterAnd he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God, and with men, and hast prevailed.

What does Genesis 32:28 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
28. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel--The old name was not to be abandoned; but, referring as it did to a dishonorable part of the patriarch's history, it was to be associated with another descriptive of his now sanctified and eminently devout character.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 28 Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel - ושראל Yisrael, from שר sar, a prince, or שרה sarah, he ruled as a prince, and אל el, God; or rather from איש ish, a man, (the א aleph being dropped), and ראה raah, he saw, אל el, God; and this corresponds with the name which Jacob imposed on the place, calling it פניאל peniel, the faces of God, or of Elohim, which faces being manifested to him caused him to say, Gen 32:30, ראיתי אלהים פנים אל פנים raithi Elohim panim el panim, i.e., "I have seen the Elohim faces to faces, (i.e., fully and completely, without any medium), ותנצל נפשי vattinnatsel napshi, and my soul is redeemed." We may learn from this that the redemption of the soul will be the blessed consequence of wrestling by prayer and supplication with God: "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." From this time Jacob became a new man; but it was not till after a severe struggle that he got his name, his heart, and his character changed. After this he was no more Jacob the supplanter, but Israel - the man who prevails with God, and sees him face to face. And hast prevailed - More literally, Thou hast had power with God, and with man thou shalt also prevail. עם אלהים Im Elohim, with the strong God; עם אנשים im anashim, with weak, feeble man. There is a beautiful opposition here between the two words: Seeing thou hast been powerful with the Almighty, surely thou shalt prevail over perishing mortals; as thou hast prevailed with God, thou shalt also prevail with men: God calling the things that were not as though they had already taken place, because the prevalency of this people, the Israelites, by means of the Messiah, who should proceed from them, was already determined in the Divine counsel. He has never said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain. He who wrestles must prevail.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 32:24-32

A great while before day, Jacob being alone, more fully spread his fears before God in prayer. While thus employed, One in the likeness of a man wrestled with him. When the spirit helpeth our infirmities, and our earnest and vast desires can scarcely find words to utter them, and we still mean more than we can express, then prayer is indeed wrestling with God. However tried or discouraged, we shall prevail; and…

Read the full comment on Genesis 32:24-32 →

Genesis 32:28 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
לֹ֤אlo'notH3808
יַעֲקֹב֙ya.'a.KoJacobH3290
יֵאָמֵ֥רye.'a.Merit will be calledH559
עוֹד֙'OdagainH5750
שִׁמְךָ֔shim.Khaname yourH8034
כִּ֖יkithatH3588
אִם\־'im-exceptH518
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
שָׂרִ֧יתָsa.Ri.tayou have struggledH8280
עִם\־'im-withH5973
אֱלֹהִ֛ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
וְעִם\־ve.'im-and withH5973
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים'a.na.ShimpeopleH582
וַתּוּכָֽל\׃va.tu.Khaland you have prevailedH3201

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 32:28

  • Revelation 2:17

    He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

  • Genesis 35:10

    And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

  • Isaiah 62:2-4

    And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi–bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

  • Hosea 12:3-5

    He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth–el, and there he spake with us; Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial.

  • Genesis 27:33-36

    And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

  • Genesis 17:5

    Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

  • Genesis 17:15

    And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

  • Genesis 25:31

    And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

  • Isaiah 65:15

    And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:

  • Genesis 33:4

    And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

  • John 1:42

    And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

  • Proverbs 16:7

    When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Thy name.
17:5,15; 33:20; 35:10; Nu 13:16; 2Sa 12:25; 2Ki 17:34; Isa 62:2-4
Isa 65:15; Joh 1:42; Re 2:17
Israel. i.e., a prince of God. as a prince.Or, according to the LXX., Vulgate, Houbigant, Dathe, and Rosenmuller, "because thou hast power with God, thou shalt also prevail with men." There is a beautiful antithesis between the two terms, with [Elohim,] {Elohim,} god, the Almighty, with [anashim,] {anashim,} weak, feeble men, as the word imports; seeing thou hast had power with the Almighty, surely thou shalt prevail over perishing mortals.
power.
24; Ho 12:3-5
with men.
25:31; 27:33-36; 31:24,36-55; 33:4; 1Sa 26:25; Pr 16:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 32:27

    And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

  • Genesis 32:28

    And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

  • Genesis 32:29

    And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

Read all of Genesis 32

Genesis 32:28 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y él dijo: No se dirá más tu nombre Jacob, sino Israel: porque has peleado con Dios y con los hombres, y has vencido.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et il lui dit: Quel est ton nom? Et il dit: Jacob.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Da sprach er: Nicht Jakob soll hinfort dein Name heißen, sondern Israel; denn du hast mit Gott und mit Menschen gerungen und hast obsiegt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
At ille: Nequaquam, inquit, Jacob appellabitur nomen tuum, sed Israël: quoniam si contra Deum fortis fuisti, quanto magis contra homines prævalebis?