Wrestling With Man

Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn...Then he said, 'Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.' But he answered, 'I will not let you go, unless you bless me.' Said the other, 'What is your name?' He replied, 'Jacob'. Said he, 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed'...So Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning, 'I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life has been preserved.' (Genesis 32:23-33)

Who was this mysterious stranger with whom Jacob wrestled? One explanation is that the angel was the personification of Esau. Jacob struggles in his restless slumber with his deepest subconscious fears. On the eve of his fateful encounter with his estranged brother, he battles with fear of confrontation.