Genesis 32:30-31

‘Peniel’ and ‘Penuel’ are both names of the same place. They both mean ‘God’s face’.

‘Penuel’ became the usual name of that place but its meaning is not quite clear. The meaning of ‘Peniel’ is clear, but it is not the usual name of the place.

To understand this, use English words to make the name. Imagine that the place was called ‘Godface’. Then these 2 sentences would be like this. ‘So he called that place “God’s Face”. The sun rose as Jacob passed through Godface.’

angel ~ a servant of God who brings messages from heaven. The Hebrew word that means ‘angel’ also means ‘messenger’.

Hebrew ~ the Hebrew people were Abraham and his descendants. The ancient Hebrew language is the original language of Genesis. It is also the original language of most of the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible). This language is like the modern Hebrew language, which people speak in the country Israel today.

messenger ~ someone who brings a message.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
donkey ~ an animal like a small horse. Donkeys can carry heavy loads on their backs. People ride on them.
messenger ~ someone who brings a message.
descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
Canaan ~ the country where the Canaanites lived. (See Canaanites.) It is approximately the same land as the modern country Israel together with the land of the Palestinians.

Canaanites ~ Canaan’s descendants. Canaan was a grandson of Noah. (see Genesis 9:18.) The word Canaanites included Amorites and Hivites and other nations. (see Genesis 10:16-17.) It sometimes also included other people who lived in the country Canaan. These people were not descendants of Canaan.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
blessing ~ a father’s prayer for his sons before the father died. God sometimes showed the father what would happen to the son. And so the blessing said what would happen in the future. The blessing of the oldest son was extra important. It showed that the oldest son took his father’s place as the head of the family. (The word ‘blessing’ also has other meanings.)
command ~ to tell people (or a person) that they must do something; to say to people (or to a person) something that they must obey; to control by means of commands. A command is an order that one must obey.