וָיָּ֤שַׂר אֶל־מַלְאָךְ֙ וַיֻּכָ֔ל בָּכָ֖ה וַיִּתְחַנֶּן־לֹ֑ו בֵּֽית־אֵל֙ יִמְצָאֶ֔נּוּ וְשָׁ֖ם יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּֽנוּ׃
And he strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and pleaded with him. At Beit-el he found Him, and there He spoke with us.
Morphology
- וָיָּשַׂר (vayyāsar) – Root: שרה (śarah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (sequential imperfect) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he strove” or “and he contended”; Notes: Continuation of the motif from the previous verse—Yaʿaqov’s wrestling symbolizes both persistence in prayer and the human struggle for divine favor.
- אֶל־מַלְאָךְ (ʾel-malʾakh) – Root: מלאך (malʾakh); Form: Preposition אֶל + noun masculine singular; Translation: “with the angel”; Notes: Refers to the “messenger” or “angel” of YHWH, possibly a theophany (divine appearance). The preposition אֶל here has the nuance “in opposition to.”
- וַיֻּכָל (vayyukhal) – Root: יכל (yakhol); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular passive; Translation: “and he prevailed”; Notes: Indicates triumph through perseverance, not physical strength—suggesting victory through humility and faith.
- בָּכָה (bakha) – Root: בכה (bakah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he wept”; Notes: Marks a moment of deep emotional surrender. The weeping reveals Yaʿaqov’s transformation from struggle to supplication.
- וַיִּתְחַנֶּן־לֹו (vayyitḥannen-lo) – Root: חנן (ḥanan); Form: Hitpael wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular + suffix 3ms; Translation: “and he pleaded with him”; Notes: The reflexive stem expresses earnest entreaty—Yaʿaqov begs for blessing rather than contending by force.
- בֵּית־אֵל (Beit-El) – Root: בית (bayit) + אל (ʾEl); Form: Compound proper noun; Translation: “Bethel (House of God)”; Notes: Sacred site of revelation and covenant; connects this event to Yaʿaqov’s earlier vision of the ladder (Genesis 28).
- יִמְצָאֶנּוּ (yimtzaʾennu) – Root: מצא (matzaʾ); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + suffix 3ms; Translation: “He found him”; Notes: Depicts YHWH’s gracious initiative in reestablishing contact and revealing Himself anew at Bethel.
- וְשָׁם (ve-sham) – Root: שם (sham); Form: Conjunction וְ + adverb; Translation: “and there”; Notes: Spatial adverb marking the sacred encounter’s location—Bethel becomes a symbol of reconciliation.
- יְדַבֵּר (yedabber) – Root: דבר (dabar); Form: Piel imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He will speak”; Notes: The Piel intensifies the act of communication—divine speech as covenant renewal.
- עִמָּנוּ (ʿimmanu) – Root: עם (ʿam); Form: Preposition עִם + suffix 1cp; Translation: “with us”; Notes: The shift from “him” to “us” universalizes the encounter—what happened to Yaʿaqov becomes a pattern for all Yisraʾel’s communion with God.