Genesis 32:9 kjv
And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
Genesis 32:9 nkjv
Then Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you':
Genesis 32:9 niv
Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'
Genesis 32:9 esv
And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,'
Genesis 32:9 nlt
Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac ? O LORD, you told me, 'Return to your own land and to your relatives.' And you promised me, 'I will treat you kindly.'
Genesis 32 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:13 | "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac..." | God introduces Himself to Jacob by His covenant name and connection to the patriarchs. |
| Gen 28:15 | "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land..." | God's specific promise to Jacob regarding his return and protection. |
| Gen 31:3 | "Then the LORD said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.'" | Direct command and promise preceding Jacob's departure from Laban. |
| Ex 3:6 | "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." | God identifies Himself to Moses using this foundational covenant phrase. |
| Dt 30:5 | "The LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed..." | God's promise to restore Israel to the promised land, echoing the patriarchal covenant. |
| Mt 22:32 | "'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." | Jesus affirms the resurrection by citing God's continued covenant with the patriarchs. |
| Acts 3:13 | "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus..." | Peter links the God of the patriarchs to the identity and work of Jesus. |
| Gen 12:1-3 | "Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country... and I will bless you..." | God's original call and promise to Abraham to leave and be blessed, paralleling Jacob's return. |
| Gen 26:3 | "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you... and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father." | God renews His promises to Isaac, showing covenant continuity. |
| Gen 35:12 | "The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you..." | God reaffirms the land promise directly to Jacob. |
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it?" | Reinforces God's faithfulness to His promises, a basis for Jacob's plea. |
| Ps 50:15 | "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." | Encouragement to pray in distress, aligning with Jacob's desperate situation. |
| Ps 118:5 | "Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free." | Example of calling upon the Lord in trouble and receiving deliverance. |
| Phil 4:6 | "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." | New Testament instruction for prayer in anxiety, a parallel to Jacob's situation. |
| Heb 4:16 | "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." | Believers can approach God boldly in their need, similar to Jacob's prayer. |
| Isa 55:11 | "so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose..." | God's Word is effective and reliable, giving weight to Jacob's appeal to God's promise. |
| 2 Cor 1:20 | "For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory." | All God's promises are assured in Christ, underscoring their reliability. |
| 1 Pet 5:7 | "casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." | Instruction to cast worries on God, relevant to Jacob's fear of Esau. |
| Lk 1:54-55 | "He has helped his servant Israel... as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." | Highlights God's continuing faithfulness to the covenant with the patriarchs. |
| Jos 24:3 | "Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan..." | Historical recollection of God's leading Abraham, relevant to God's command to Jacob. |
| Gen 20:6 | "God said to him in a dream, 'Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me...'" | Shows God's divine guidance and protection in past dealings with the patriarchs. |
| Rom 15:8 | "For I tell you that Christ has become a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs," | Reinforces that Christ validates God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. |
Genesis 32 verses
Genesis 32 9 Meaning
Genesis 32:9 records Jacob's desperate and humble prayer to God as he prepares to meet his estranged brother Esau. In this verse, Jacob acknowledges God as the "God of his father Abraham and the God of his father Isaac," recognizing the covenantal continuity and personal relationship. He appeals to God's past instruction to return to his homeland and kindred, reminding God of His accompanying promise to "do him good." This prayer reflects Jacob's reliance on God's character, faithfulness, and specific divine promises in a moment of great fear and vulnerability, rather than his own merits or efforts.
Genesis 32 9 Context
Genesis 32 immediately follows Jacob's departure from Laban's household and his miraculous encounter with angels at Mahanaim, reinforcing God's presence and protection (Gen 32:1-2). However, Jacob is about to encounter Esau, his twin brother, whom he had wronged by stealing his birthright and blessing many years prior. Hearing that Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men fills Jacob with "great fear and distress" (Gen 32:7). Before confronting Esau, Jacob meticulously prepares by dividing his camp into two, sending generous gifts ahead, and then engages in fervent prayer. This verse (Gen 32:9) marks the beginning of this pivotal prayer, demonstrating Jacob's transition from strategic self-preservation to desperate reliance on God. His prayer draws heavily on God's past covenant relationship with his forefathers and God's specific promise to Jacob regarding his return.
Genesis 32 9 Word analysis
- And Jacob said: Jacob is initiating a direct appeal, a personal encounter with God. This is not a casual statement but a heartfelt prayer born of desperation and deep reflection.
- O God:
אֱלֹהִים(Elohim). This is a general name for God, emphasizing His power, majesty, and transcendence as the Creator and Ruler of all. - of my father Abraham: Jacob immediately establishes his plea within the lineage of the Abrahamic covenant. He is appealing to the God who is bound by promises to his forefathers. This shows awareness of covenant theology.
- and God of my father Isaac: Reiteration of the covenant continuity. Jacob identifies with the patriarchal faith, recognizing a consistent and faithful God across generations.
- O LORD:
יְהוָה(YHWH, the personal covenant name for God, often transliterated as Yahweh). This transition from "Elohim" to "YHWH" is significant. It moves from the general, powerful God to the personal, covenant-keeping God who actively interacts with His people and reveals His character through His promises. Jacob appeals to the relational aspect of God. - who said to me: This highlights that Jacob's current situation and actions (returning home) are directly in obedience to a divine command. He is reminding God of His own words.
- "Return":
שׁוּב(Shuv). A divine imperative. Jacob emphasizes that his return is not self-initiated but an act of obedience. This implicitly strengthens his claim on God's protection, as he is acting in God's will. - to your country:
אֶרֶץ(eretz). His homeland, specifically the promised land of Canaan, where his fathers lived. - and to your kindred:
מוֹלֶדֶת(moladeti). This refers to his family, relatives, and place of origin, connecting him back to the people from whom he departed. His full restoration involves not just the land but his people. - and I will do you good":
וְהֵיטִבְתִּי(vehetivti). This is a direct quote from God's promise to Jacob in Genesis 31:3 (and an echo of Gen 28:15). "To do good" here encompasses prosperity, well-being, blessing, and ultimately deliverance from his distress. Jacob appeals to God's inherent benevolence and commitment to His word.
Genesis 32 9 Bonus section
- Jacob's prayer in Genesis 32 is one of the most significant and detailed prayers in the Old Testament, offering a pattern for addressing God: acknowledgement of His nature, remembrance of His past acts, rehearsal of His promises, and presentation of specific need.
- The distinction between
Elohim(God as majestic, powerful) andYHWH(God as covenant-keeping, personal) in this verse highlights Jacob's layered understanding of God and his intentionality in prayer. He appeals both to God's ultimate sovereignty and His specific, relational commitment. - Jacob's fear of Esau (Gen 32:7) is an important backdrop, emphasizing that his prayer isn't born of comfort but profound distress. It shows that true faith isn't the absence of fear, but seeking God amidst it.
- This prayer precedes Jacob's transformative encounter at Peniel, where his name is changed to Israel. His humbling himself before God in prayer prepares him for the divine encounter that forever reshapes his identity and destiny. His reliance on God's promise rather than his own strength or cleverness is tested and forged here.
Genesis 32 9 Commentary
Genesis 32:9 initiates Jacob's wrestling with God, first in prayer, then physically. Faced with Esau, his fear drives him to the very source of his fear-induced exile: God. His prayer is profound because it isn't based on his worthiness but on God's covenantal character and promises. He starts by invoking God's ancient identity—the God of Abraham and Isaac—grounding his present plea in past divine faithfulness. Crucially, he shifts to "O LORD" (YHWH), God's personal, covenant name, emphasizing that he's addressing the specific, faithful God of his forefathers who has made concrete promises to him.
Jacob reminds God of His explicit command to "return to your country and to your kindred," and the accompanying divine guarantee, "I will do you good." This isn't manipulation but a heartfelt appeal to God's own integrity. He holds God to His word, demonstrating profound faith in God's faithfulness (Num 23:19). Jacob recognizes that he is in this perilous situation precisely because he is obeying God's command. This forms the powerful basis of his plea for deliverance. His prayer is a model of remembering God's past actions and promises and presenting them before Him as a basis for present help, revealing a heart that truly relies on God in distress.