Quiz for July 2010

Question: In the Bible, what person was renamed "Israel"?

Answer: Jacob the Patriarch.

As Jacob neared the land of Canaan, he sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau.
They returned with the news that Esau was coming to meet Jacob with an army of 400 men.
With great apprehension, Jacob prepared for the worst.
He engaged in earnest prayer to God, then sent on before him a tribute of flocks and herds to Esau,
"a present to my lord Esau from thy servant Jacob".
Jacob then transported his family and flocks across the ford Jabbok by night,
then recrossed back to send over his possessions,
being left alone in communion with God.
There, a mysterious being appeared ("man", Genesis 32:24, 28; or "God",
Genesis 32:28, 30, Hosea 12:3, 5; or "angel", Hosea 12:4),
and the two wrestled until daybreak. When the being saw that he did not overpower Jacob,
he touched Jacob on the sinew of his thigh (the gid hanasheh, גיד הנשה),
and as a result, Jacob developed a limp (Genesis 32:31).
Jacob then demanded a blessing, and the being declared that from then on,
Jacob would be called יִשְׂרָאֵל, Israel (Yisra`el, meaning "one that struggled
with the divine angel" (Josephus), "one who has prevailed with God" (Rashi),
"a man seeing God" (Whiston), "he will rule as God" (Strong),
or "a prince with God" (Morris), from Hebrew: שרה‎,
"prevail", "have power as a prince").
Jacob asked the being's name, but he refused to answer.
Afterwards Jacob named the place Penuel (Penuw`el, Peniy`el, meaning "face of God"),
saying "I have seen God face to face and lived."

(Sources: Wikipedia and Strong's Concordance.)

Image: Jacob Struggles with the Angel by Rembrandt, 1659.