◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Genesis 32:22-31 (Jacob receives God’s blessing); Psalm 17:1-7 15 (I shall see your face); Romans 9:1-5 (The glory of God’s people in Israel); Matthew 14:13-21 (Jesus feeds 5000) (New English Translation)

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August 6, 2023

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

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 17:1-7

Psalm 17^[a]

A prayer of David.

17 Lord, consider my just cause.^[b]
Pay attention to my cry for help.
Listen to the prayer
I sincerely offer.^[c]
²Make a just decision on my behalf.^[d]
Decide what is right.^[e]
³You have scrutinized my inner motives;^[f]
you have examined me during the night.^[g]
You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin.
I am determined I will say nothing sinful.^[h]
⁴As for the actions of people^[i]—
just as you have commanded,
I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men.^[j]
⁵I carefully obey your commands;^[k]
I do not deviate from them.^[l]
⁶I call to you because you will answer me, O God.
Listen to me!^[m]
Hear what I say!^[n]
⁷Accomplish awesome, faithful deeds,^[o]
you who powerfully deliver those who look to you for protection from their enemies.^[p]

Footnotes

Psalm 17:1 sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.
Psalm 17:1 tn Heb “hear, Lord, what is just.”
Psalm 17:1 tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”
Psalm 17:2 tn Heb “From before you may my justice come out.” The prefixed verbal form יָצָא (yatsaʾ) could be taken as an imperfect, but following the imperatives in v. 1, it is better understood as a jussive of prayer.
Psalm 17:2 tn Heb “May your eyes look at what is right.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as jussive. (See also the preceding note on the word “behalf.”)
Psalm 17:3 tn Heb “you tested my heart.”
Psalm 17:3 tn Heb “you visited [at] night.”
Psalm 17:3 tc Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” The Hebrew verbal form זַמֹּתִי (zammoti) is a Qal perfect, first person singular from the root זָמַם (zamam, “plan, plan evil”). Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, זִמָּתִי (zimmati, “my plan/evil plan”), and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read זִמּוֹת (zimmot, “evil plans”). However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The present translation maintains the verbal form found in the MT and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over” (i.e., “transgress, sin”) can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.
Psalm 17:4 tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”
Psalm 17:4 tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).
Psalm 17:5 tn Heb “my steps stay firm in your tracks.” The infinitive absolute functions here as a finite verb (see GKC 347 §113.gg). God’s “tracks” are his commands, i.e., the moral pathways he has prescribed for the psalmist.
Psalm 17:5 tn Heb “my footsteps do not stagger.”
Psalm 17:6 tn Heb “Turn your ear toward me.”
Psalm 17:6 tn Heb “my word.”
Psalm 17:7 tn Heb “Set apart faithful acts.”
Psalm 17:7 tn Heb “[O] one who delivers those who seek shelter from the ones raising themselves up, by your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver.sn Those who look to you for protection from their enemies. “Seeking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

Psalm 17:15

¹⁵As for me, because I am innocent I will see your face;^[a]
when I awake you will reveal yourself to me.^[b]

Romans 9:1-5

Israel’s Rejection Considered

9 ^[a] I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me^[b] in the Holy Spirit— ²I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.^[c] ³For I could wish^[d] that I myself were accursed—cut off from Christ—for the sake of my people,^[e] my fellow countrymen,^[f] ⁴who are Israelites. To them belong^[g] the adoption as sons,^[h] the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship,^[i] and the promises. ⁵To them belong the patriarchs,^[j] and from them,^[k] by human descent,^[l] came the Christ,^[m] who is God over all, blessed forever!^[n] Amen.

Footnotes

Romans 9:1 sn Rom 9:1-11:36. These three chapters are among the most difficult and disputed in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One area of difficulty is the relationship between Israel and the church, especially concerning the nature and extent of Israel’s election. Many different models have been constructed to express this relationship. For a representative survey, see M. Barth, The People of God (JSNTSup), 22-27. The literary genre of these three chapters has been frequently identified as a diatribe, a philosophical discussion or conversation evolved by the Cynic and Stoic schools of philosophy as a means of popularizing their ideas (E. Käsemann, Romans, 261 and 267). But other recent scholars have challenged the idea that Rom 9-11 is characterized by diatribe. Scholars like R. Scroggs and E. E. Ellis have instead identified the material in question as midrash. For a summary and discussion of the rabbinic connections, see W. R. Stegner, “Romans 9.6-29—A Midrash,” JSNT 22 (1984): 37-52.
Romans 9:1 tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”
Romans 9:2 tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”
Romans 9:3 tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”
Romans 9:3 tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.
Romans 9:3 tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Romans 9:4 tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Romans 9:4 tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e., in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB, ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”
Romans 9:4 tn Or “cultic service.”
Romans 9:5 tn Grk “of whom are the fathers.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Romans 9:5 tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.
Romans 9:5 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
Romans 9:5 tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)
Romans 9:5 tn Or “the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever,” or “the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever!” or “the Messiah who is over all. God be blessed forever!” The translational difficulty here is not text-critical in nature, but is a problem of punctuation. Since the genre of these opening verses of Romans 9 is a lament, it is probably best to take this as an affirmation of Christ’s deity (as the text renders it). Although the other renderings are possible, to see a note of praise to God at the end of this section seems strangely out of place. But for Paul to bring his lament to a crescendo (that is to say, his kinsmen had rejected God come in the flesh), thereby deepening his anguish, is wholly appropriate. This is also supported grammatically and stylistically: The phrase ὁ ὢν (ho ōn, “the one who is”) is most naturally taken as a phrase which modifies something in the preceding context, and Paul’s doxologies are always closely tied to the preceding context. For a detailed examination of this verse, see B. M. Metzger, “The Punctuation of Rom. 9:5, ” Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, 95-112; and M. J. Harris, Jesus as God, 144-72.

Matthew 14:13-21

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

¹³Now when Jesus heard this he went away from there privately in a boat^[a] to an isolated place. But when the crowd heard about it,^[b] they followed him on foot from the towns.^[c] ¹⁴As he got out he saw the large crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵When evening arrived, his disciples came to him saying, “This is an isolated place^[d] and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶But he^[e] replied, “They don’t need to go. You^[f] give them something to eat.” ¹⁷They^[g] said to him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸“Bring them here to me,” he replied. ¹⁹Then^[h] he instructed the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to the disciples,^[i] who in turn gave them to the crowds.^[j] ²⁰They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, twelve baskets full. ²¹Not counting women and children, there were about 5,000 men who ate.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Footnotes

Psalm 17[a]

A prayer of David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

Israel’s Rejection Considered

Footnotes

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Footnotes

Psalm 17^[a]