◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Genesis 32:22-31 (Jacob’s struggle with the angel); Psalm 121 (My help is from the Lord); 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5 (Christ the judge); Luke 18:1-8 (A widow begs for justice) (New English Translation)

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October 16, 2022

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Genesis 32:22-31

²²During the night Jacob quickly took^[a] his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons^[b] and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.^[c] ²³He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.^[d] ²⁴So Jacob was left alone. Then a man^[e] wrestled^[f] with him until daybreak.^[g] ²⁵When the man^[h] saw that he could not defeat Jacob,^[i] he struck^[j] the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

²⁶Then the man^[k] said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.”^[l] “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied,^[m] “unless you bless me.”^[n] ²⁷The man asked him,^[o] “What is your name?”^[p] He answered, “Jacob.” ²⁸“No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him,^[q] “but Israel,^[r] because you have fought^[s] with God and with men and have prevailed.”

²⁹Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.”^[t] “Why^[u] do you ask my name?” the man replied.^[v] Then he blessed^[w] Jacob^[x] there. ³⁰So Jacob named the place Peniel,^[y] explaining,^[z] “Certainly^[aa] I have seen God face to face^[ab] and have survived.”^[ac]

³¹The sun rose^[ad] over him as he crossed over Penuel,^[ae] but^[af] he was limping because of his hip.

Footnotes

Genesis 32:22 tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.
Genesis 32:22 tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).
Genesis 32:22 sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.
Genesis 32:23 tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”
Genesis 32:24 sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.
Genesis 32:24 sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayyeʾaveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, yaʿaqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.
Genesis 32:24 tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”
Genesis 32:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 32:25 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 32:25 tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob—it would be comparable to a devastating blow.
Genesis 32:26 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 32:26 tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”
Genesis 32:26 tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 32:26 sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.
Genesis 32:27 tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 32:27 sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the Lord obviously knew Jacob’s identity. But since the Lord is going to change Jacob’s name, this question is designed to focus Jacob’s attention on all that his name had come to signify.
Genesis 32:28 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 32:28 sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ʾel) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.
Genesis 32:28 sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisraʾel), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).
Genesis 32:29 sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33, ” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.
Genesis 32:29 tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
Genesis 32:29 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 32:29 tn The verb here means that the Lord endowed Jacob with success; he would be successful in everything he did, including meeting Esau.
Genesis 32:29 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 32:30 sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face-to-face here, the name is appropriate.
Genesis 32:30 tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 32:30 tn Or “because.”
Genesis 32:30 sn I have seen God face-to-face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.
Genesis 32:30 tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”sn I have survived. It was commonly understood that no one could see God and live (Gen 48:16; Exod 19:21; 24:10; Judg 6:11, 22). On the surface Jacob seems to be saying that he saw God and survived. But the statement may have a double meaning, in light of his prayer for deliverance in v. 11. Jacob recognizes that he has survived his encounter with God and that his safety has now been guaranteed.
Genesis 32:31 tn Heb “shone.”
Genesis 32:31 sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).
Genesis 32:31 tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.

Psalm 121

Psalm 121^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

121 I look up^[c] toward the hills.
From where^[d] does my help come?
²My help comes from the Lord,^[e]
the Creator^[f] of heaven and earth.
³May he not allow your foot to slip.
May your Protector^[g] not sleep.^[h]
⁴Look! Israel’s Protector^[i]
does not sleep or slumber.
⁵The Lord is your protector;
the Lord is the shade at your right hand.
⁶The sun will not harm you by day,
or the moon by night.^[j]
⁷The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
⁸The Lord will protect you in all you do,^[k]
now and forevermore.

Footnotes

Psalm 121:1 sn Psalm 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note on the word “sleep” at the end of v. 3.
Psalm 121:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 121:1 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
Psalm 121:1 tn The Hebrew term מֵאַיִן (meʾayin) is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky, or up toward the temple, in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.
Psalm 121:2 tn Heb “my help [is] from with the Lord.”
Psalm 121:2 tn Or “Maker.”
Psalm 121:3 tn Heb “the one who guards you.”
Psalm 121:3 tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אַל (ʾal) appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8. But none of the examples in GKC for this use of the jussive are compelling.
Psalm 121:4 tn Heb “the one who guards Israel.”
Psalm 121:6 sn One hardly thinks of the moon’s rays as being physically harmful, like those of the sun. The reference to the moon may simply lend poetic balance to the verse, but it is likely that the verse reflects an ancient, primitive belief that the moon could have an adverse effect on the mind (note the English expression “moonstruck,” which reflects such a belief). Another possibility is that the sun and moon stand by metonymy for harmful forces characteristic of the day and night, respectively.
Psalm 121:8 tn Heb “your going out and your coming in.”

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

¹⁴You, however, must continue^[a] in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know^[b] who taught you^[c] ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶Every scripture^[d] is inspired by God^[e] and useful for teaching, for reproof,^[f] for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷that the person dedicated to God^[g] may be capable^[h] and equipped for every good work.

Charge to Timothy Repeated

4 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ²Preach the message,^[i] be ready^[j] whether it is convenient or not,^[k] reprove, rebuke, exhort^[l] with complete patience and instruction. ³For there will be a time when people^[m] will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires,^[n] they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.^[o] ⁴And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths.^[p] ⁵You, however, be self-controlled^[q] in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry.

Footnotes

2 Timothy 3:14 tn Grk “but you, continue,” a command.
2 Timothy 3:14 tn Grk “knowing,” giving the reasons for continuing as v. 14 calls for.
2 Timothy 3:14 tn Grk “those from whom you learned.”
2 Timothy 3:16 tn Or “All scripture.”sn There is very little difference in sense between every scripture (emphasizing the individual portions) and “all scripture” (emphasizing the composite whole). The former option is preferred, because it fits the normal use of the word “all/every” in Greek (πᾶς, pas) as well as Paul’s normal sense for the word “scripture” in the singular without the article, as here. So every scripture means “every individual portion of scripture.”
2 Timothy 3:16 sn Inspired by God. Some have connected this adjective in a different way and translated it as “every inspired scripture is also useful.” But this violates the parallelism of the two adjectives in the sentence, and the arrangement of words makes clear that both should be taken as predicate adjectives: “every scripture is inspired…and useful.”
2 Timothy 3:16 tn Or “rebuke,” “censure.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
2 Timothy 3:17 tn Grk “the man of God,” but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is most likely used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.
2 Timothy 3:17 tn This word is positioned for special emphasis; it carries the sense of “complete, competent, able to meet all demands.”
2 Timothy 4:2 tn Or “the word.”
2 Timothy 4:2 tn Or “be persistent.”
2 Timothy 4:2 tn Grk “in season, out of season.”
2 Timothy 4:2 tn Or “encourage.”
2 Timothy 4:3 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people in that future time) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Timothy 4:3 tn Grk “in accord with.”
2 Timothy 4:3 tn Grk “having an itching in regard to hearing,” “having itching ears.”
2 Timothy 4:4 sn These myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; and Titus 1:14.
2 Timothy 4:5 tn Or “sober,” “temperate.”

Luke 18:1-8

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then^[a] Jesus^[b] told them a parable to show them they should always^[c] pray and not lose heart.^[d] ²He said,^[e] “In a certain city^[f] there was a judge^[g] who neither feared God nor respected people.^[h] ³There was also a widow^[i] in that city^[j] who kept coming^[k] to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴For^[l] a while he refused, but later on^[m] he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people,^[n] ⁵yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out^[o] by her unending pleas.’”^[p] ⁶And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says!^[q] ⁷Won’t^[r] God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out^[s] to him day and night?^[t] Will he delay^[u] long to help them? ⁸I tell you, he will give them justice speedily.^[v] Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith^[w] on earth?”

Footnotes

Luke 18:1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 18:1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 18:1 tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).
Luke 18:1 sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start:…they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).
Luke 18:2 tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”
Luke 18:2 tn Or “town.”
Luke 18:2 sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.
Luke 18:2 tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used as a generic in comparison to God.
Luke 18:3 sn This widow was not necessarily old, since many people lived only into their thirties in the 1st century.
Luke 18:3 tn Or “town.”
Luke 18:3 tn This is an iterative imperfect; the widow did this on numerous occasions.
Luke 18:4 tn Grk “And for.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 18:4 tn Grk “after these things.”
Luke 18:4 tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used as a generic in comparison to God.
Luke 18:5 tn The term ὑπωπιάζω (hupōpiazō) in this context means “to wear someone out by continual annoying” (L&N 25.245).
Luke 18:5 tn Grk “by her continual coming,” but the point of annoyance to the judge is her constant pleas for justice (v. 3).
Luke 18:6 sn Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! The point of the parable is that the judge’s lack of compassion was overcome by the widow’s persistence.
Luke 18:7 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Luke 18:7 sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.
Luke 18:7 tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.
Luke 18:7 sn The issue of delay has produced a whole host of views for this verse. (1) Does this assume provision to endure in the meantime? Or (2) does it mean God restricts the level of persecution until he comes? Either view is possible.
Luke 18:8 tn Some argue this should be translated “suddenly.” When vindication comes it will be quick. But the more natural meaning is “soon.” God will not forget his elect and will respond to them. It may be that this verse has a prophetic perspective. In light of the eternity that comes, vindication is soon.
Luke 18:8 sn Will he find faith on earth? The Son of Man is looking for those who continue to believe in him, despite the wait.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Footnotes

Psalm 121[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

Footnotes

Charge to Timothy Repeated

Footnotes

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

Footnotes

Psalm 121^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]