With whom did Jacob stand in the night? With whom did Jacob wrestle in the night?

In 1994, at the request of Irina Allegrova, Igor Krutoy wrote music for the famous poem by M. Tsvetaeva "I will conquer you ...". It immediately became a hit, but not everyone could appreciate the deep meaning of the work of the famous poet of the silver age. In particular, many of those who are new to the Bible, the question arose: "And with whom did Jacob stand in the night?" After all, several personalities with this name are mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. Who patriarch, from which the 12 tribes of the people of Israel originated, communicated under the cover of darkness?

Jacob, son of Isaac

The first mention of a person with this name is found in the Old Testament, or rather in the Book of Genesis. There, Jacob is represented as the younger of the twin brothers born to the patriarch Isaac from his wife Rebekah. With the help of his mother, he managed to deceive the half-blinded father and receive a blessing from him for the birthright. For his act, he paid all his life. In particular, fearing revenge on his brother, Jacob fled to Harran, where he married two sisters, having served for them for 14 years. They, as well as servants of Zelf and Vall, gave birth to a total of thirteen children. When Jacob returned from voluntary exile, King Sichem disgraced his only daughter. Her brothers responded to this insult with a massacre and revenge on the inhabitants of the city.

With whom Jacob stood in the night

Years have passed. One day, Jacob could not sleep at night, thinking about the misadventures that had fallen to his lot. Suddenly God appeared before him in the guise of an angel. Being on the verge of despair, the patriarch began to struggle with the emissary of the higher forces, demanding a blessing until dawn. The battle was merciless, and the angel even inflicted a wound on his thigh. However, the zeal of Jacob was appreciated by God, and he not only blessed him, but also granted the ability to "overcome men." In addition, the angel gave him a new name - Israel, which means "struggling with God." It should have reminded of whom and for what Jacob fought in the night. Since that time, Israel's life has changed: he returned to his father's house, received the father's forgiveness and attended his funeral. Even the sale of his beloved son Joseph in the slavery by his own brothers eventually turned into a triumph for Jacob, since he took an important position in Egypt and, summoning his father and relatives under his wing, took them to live the rich district of Goshen.

Thus, the biblical story associated with the name of the patriarch of Israel, can cause surprise. After all, the one with whom Jacob stood in the night and fought was the Most High himself, and in the New Testament, and also in the Old one, the call to obey the will of the Lord is repeated unquestioningly.

The Son of the Beast

In the New Testament, the name of Jacob occurs repeatedly. So, Jesus gets acquainted with three fishermen - Zavedee and his sons, Jacob and John. Subsequently, young people become apostles, and the first of them is called the Elder, to distinguish him from other followers of the Savior with the same name. The fact that Jacob, the son of Zaveda, was close to Christ, is evidenced by the fact that he was one of three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration of the Lord. As for his deeds after the Savior's ascension to heaven, it is known that he participated in the organization of the first Christian communities. And the apostle James died in 44, being the murdered king Agrippa the First.

Son of Alafaeus

The second apostle with the name of Jacob is the brother of Evangelist Matvey. He is called by the name of his father Alafeev, and in worldly life he was a publican. His service to the glory of Christ was to guide the true Gentiles, and it was with this purpose that he went with the apostle Andrew the First-Called to Eddes, and then preached in Gaza.

Jacob is the brother of the Lord

Another character of the Bible with this name is the son of Joseph, with whom the Virgin Mary was engaged. In the church tradition, it is customary to call him the Lesser Apostle James, and he is considered the brother of Christ according to the flesh. As a child, he accompanied Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus during the flight to Egypt, and later became the first hierarch of Jerusalem. In addition, the message of Jacob is known, in which he writes about how to obtain wisdom, and about the joy in transferring temptations. He also owns the famous phrase "Faith without works is dead," which is one of the most quoted truths given in the Bible.

There is evidence of the tragic end of St. James, son of Joseph. In particular, it is known that around 63 AD, on Jewish Passover, the scribes and Pharisees decided to discredit Christ in the eyes of the people and asked him, already an elderly brother, to climb the roof of the temple and explain to people that Jesus is an ordinary person and is not a savior. Jacob ascended to the place where he was pointed, and without fear spoke from the height of the truth. For this he was pushed down and stoned, and to the last second he prayed and glorified the Lord.

Now you know with whom Jacob stood in the night. And, perhaps, the song that twenty years ago wrote on the poems of Marina Tsvetaeva Igor Krutoy, for you will acquire a completely different meaning.