Jacob Wrestling with the Angel
Oil and wax on plaster
751 x 485 cm
Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France
This painting is a representation of Jacob’s struggle with the angel. Before meeting with his brother Esau for the first time in many years Jacob sends his family across the river, notice Laban and Rachel in the right corner, to be alone and to pray. While there a man came and wrestled with him, however, it is debated whether it was really a man, God, or an angel. This image depicts the visitor as an angel. They wrestled until a standpoint came when the angel put Jacob’s hip out of place. Jacob refused to let the angel go unless he could be blessed. The visitor did so and said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with people, and you have won” (Genesis 34:28). The name Israel means “he wrestles with God.” Jacob named this place Peniel which means “the face of God” because he said, “I have seen God face to face, but my life was saved” (Genesis 34:30). In this painting notice the pile of clothing which appears to have been discarded in a hurry. The angel also possesses the disorderly struggle of a man who does not want to submit. This image can be translated to our own interior struggles.
Sources
Church of Saint-Sulpice Painting Inscription
Holy Bible. New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 2005. Print.
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