Peniel is the location where Jacob had a life-changing encounter with God on the night before meeting his brother Esau. This event is recorded in Genesis 32:24–28:
“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’ So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”
The “Man” Jacob wrestled with was a physical manifestation of God, often understood as the Angel of the Lord. This encounter was not merely physical but deeply spiritual. Jacob’s persistence showed his desperation for God’s blessing and his dependence on Him. The new name, Israel, meaning “He struggles with God,” marked a transformation in Jacob’s character, from a deceiver to one who clings to God in faith.
Genesis 32:30 records Jacob’s response:
“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’”
This encounter changed Jacob’s identity and his walk with God, both literally and spiritually. He left Peniel with a limp, a lasting reminder of his dependence on God’s strength rather than his own.
Peniel represents surrender, transformation, and the blessing that comes through persistence in seeking God. It reminds us that God sometimes brings us to places of struggle so that we will rely completely on Him and experience His power in our weakness.
