Genesis 32:28
Genesis 32 :28
Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome."
— NIV
Context
Jacob receives the name Israel after wrestling with a divine being at Peniel.
Genesis 32:28
The naming of Israel—Jacob receives a new identity after his mysterious nighttime struggle.
The Meaning of Israel
The name “Israel” (Yisrael) is interpreted as “he struggles with God” or “God strives.” This transformative moment at the Jabbok River marks Jacob’s evolution from the “supplanter” to the patriarch whose name would define a nation. All his descendants—the twelve tribes—would be known as the children of Israel.