Penuel
A place in the Bible
A place by the Jabbok River, east of the Jordan. Its name means “the face of God.” In the Douay-Rheims it is called “Phanuel.”
What happened here
- Jacob’s struggle: Jacob crossed the Jabbok River with his family and was left alone. Someone wrestled with him until dawn.
- Israel: he told him that his name would no longer be Jacob, but Israel.
- “I have seen God face to face”: Jacob called that place Penuel, because he had seen God face to face and was still alive. When he left there, he was limping.
Today
No one knows for sure where it was. It was east of the Jordan, by the Jabbok River.
Where it appears in the Bible
Genesis 32:23; Genesis 32:25; Genesis 32:29; Genesis 32:31-32
What the Bible says
Genesis 32:23
And rising early he took his two wives, and his two handmaids, with his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of Jaboc.
Genesis 32:25
He remained alone: and behold a man wrestled with him till morning.
Genesis 32:29
But he said: Thy name shall not be called Jacob, but Israel: for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more shalt thou prevail against men?
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Genesis 32:23; Genesis 32:25; Genesis 32:29-32