SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:4
Venció al ángel, y prevaleció; lloró, y le rogó; en Bet-el le halló, y allí habló con nosotros.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Hosea 12:4
Verse 4. He had power over the Angel] Who represented the invisible Jehovah. He wept, and made supplication] He entreated with tears that God would bless him; and he prevailed. The circumstance of his weeping is not mentioned in Genesis.
He found him in Beth-el] It was there that God made those glorious promises to Jacob relative to his posterity. See Genesis xxviii. 13-15.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed , etc.] This is repeated in different words, not only for the confirmation of it, it being a very extraordinary thing, and difficult of belief; but to direct to the history here referred to, where the person Jacob prevailed over is called a man, and here the angel; and so Josephus calls him a divine Person; not a created angel, not Michael, as the Rabbins say, unless the Messiah is meant by him; nor Jacob’s guardian angel, as Kimchi, every man being thought by some to have one; and much less Esau’s evil angel, that was against Jacob, as Jarchi and Abarbinel; for of him he would never have sought nor expected a blessing; but an uncreated Angel, the Son of God, the same that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, and that redeemed Jacob from all evil, ( Genesis 48:16 Exodus 23:20-23); called an Angel, being so not by nature, for he is superior to angels in both his natures, divine and human; but by office, being sent to reveal the will of God, and to do the work of God in the redemption and salvation of men; the same that is called the Angel of the great council in the Greek version of ( Isaiah 9:6); and the Angel of God’s presence, ( Isaiah 63:9); and the Angel or messenger of the covenant, ( Malachi 3:1); the phrases used denote, as before, the power and prevalence Jacob had with this divine Person in prayer; whereby he obtained the blessing of him, even deliverance from his brother Esau, as well as others respecting him and his posterity; he wept, and made supplication unto him ; not the angel, entreating Jacob to let him go, as Jarchi and Kimchi, and so some Christian interpreters; who think that an angel in human form may be said to weep, as well as to eat and drink; and the rather, since this angel was not the conqueror, but the conquered; and since Christ, in the days of his flesh, both prayed and wept, and shed tears; but the case here is different; and though he was prevailed over, it was through his own condescension and goodness: but rather Jacob is meant, as Abarbinel and others; who wept not on account of the angel’s touching his thigh, and the pain that might put him to; for he was of a more heroic spirit than to weep for that, who had endured so much hardship in Laban’s service, in heat and cold; and besides, notwithstanding this, he kept wrestling with him, and afterwards walked, though haltingly: but he wept either because he could not get out the name of the person he wrestled with; or rather the tears he shed were for the blessing he sought of him; for it is joined with his making supplication, and is expressive of the humble, yet ardent, affectionate, fervent, and importunate request he made to obtain it; and here we have another proof of the deity of Christ, in that supplication was made to him, and he is here represented as the object of that part of religious worship, prayer, as he often is in the New Testament. This circumstance is not expressed in ( Genesis 32:1-31), though it may be gathered from what is there said; however, the prophet had it by divine inspiration; and the truth of it is not to be doubted of, being not at all inconsistent with, but quite agreeable to, that history; he found him [at] Bethel ; either the angel found Jacob in Bethel, as he did more than once, both before and after this time, ( Genesis 28:12-19 35:6,7,9); it is good to be in Bethel, in the house of God; happy are those that dwell there, and are found there living and dying, doing the will and work of God there: or rather Jacob found God or the angel in Bethel; God is to be found in his own house, there he comes and blesses with his gracious presence; here Christ the Angel of his presence is; here he meets with his people, and manifests himself unto them. There is in the words a tacit reflection on Israel, or the ten tribes, that bore the name of Jacob; the patriarch found God in Bethel, Christ the Angel of the Lord; but now, instead of him, there was a calf set up in this place, Israel worshipped; and therefore it was called Bethaven, the house of an idol, or iniquity, instead of Bethel, the house of God; and there he spake with us ; not with Esau and his angel, concerning Isaac’s blessing of Jacob, as Jarchi; nor with Jacob and his angel, as the father of Kimchi; nor with the prophet, and with Amos, to reprove Israel there for the worship of the calves, as Kimchi himself; but with all the Israelites, of whom the prophet was one; who were then in the loins of Jacob, when he conversed with God, and God with him, at Bethel: or, as Saadiah interprets it, “for us” for our sakes, on our account; or “concerning us”; concerning the multiplication of Jacob’s posterity, and the giving the land of Canaan to them, as the Lord did at both times he appeared to Jacob in Bethel; (see Genesis 28:14,15 35:11,12); and it is in the house of God, where Christ is as a son, that he speaks with and to his people, even in his word and ordinances there.
Matthew Henry Commentary
God's regard for Israel; their ingratitude. (Hos. 11:1-7) The Divin mercy yet in store. (Hos. 11:8-12)
Hos. 11:1-7 When Israel were weak and helpless as children, foolish an froward as children, then God loved them; he bore them as the nurs does the sucking child, nourished them, and suffered their manners. All who are grown up, ought often to reflect upon the goodness of God to them in their childhood. He took care of them, took pains with them not only as a father, or a tutor, but as a mother, or nurse. When the were in the wilderness, God showed them the way in which they shoul go, and bore them up, taking them by the arms. He taught them the way of his commandments by the ceremonial law given by Moses. He took the by the arms, to guide them, that they might not stray, and to hold the up, that they might not stumble and fall. God's spiritual Israel ar all thus supported. It is God's work to draw poor souls to himself; an none can come to him except he draw them. With bands of love; this wor signifies stronger cords than the former. He eased them of the burden they had long groaned under. Israel is very ungrateful to God. God' counsels would have saved them, but their own counsels ruined them They backslide; there is no hold of them, no stedfastness in them. The backslide from me, from God, the chief good. They are bent to backslide; they are ready to sin; they are forward to close with ever temptation. Their hearts are fully set in them to do evil. Those onl are truly happy, whom the Lord teaches by his Spirit, upholds by his power, and causes to walk in his ways. By his grace he takes away the love and dominion of sin, and creates a desire for the blessed feast of the gospel, that they may feed thereon, and live for ever.
Hos. 11:8-12 God is slow to anger, and is loth to abandon a people to utter ruin, who have been called by his name. When God was to give sacrifice for sin, and a Saviour for sinners, he spared not his ow Son, that he might spare us. This is the language of the day of his patience; but when men sin that away, then the great day of his wrat comes. Man's compassions are nothing in comparison with the tende mercies of our God, whose thoughts and ways, in receiving returnin sinners, are as much above ours as heaven is above the earth. God know how to pardon poor sinners. He is faithful and just to forgive us ou sins, and therein declares his righteousness, now Christ has purchase the pardon, and he has promised it. Holy trembling at the word of Christ will draw us to him, not drive us from him, the children tremble, and flee to him. And all that come at the gospel call, shal have a place and a name in the gospel church. The religious service of Israel were mere hypocrisy, but in Judah regard was had to God's laws and the people followed their pious forefathers. Let us be faithful those who thus honour God, he will honour, but such us despise Hi shall be lightly esteemed __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
וישׂר 7786 אל 413 מלאך 4397 ויכל 3201 בכה 1058 ויתחנן 2603 לו בית אל 1008 ימצאנו 4672 ושׁם 8033 ידבר 1696 עמנו׃ 5973
