Jacob's encounter with three Messengers
At Paddan-Aram, Jacob worked 14 years to marry Laban's daughter Leah and Rachel, and then he worked 6 years for his family and became so rich, so after spending 20 years in Paddan-aram, God commanded Jacob to go to his father's land, and God also gave the promise to Jacob that "I will be with you" - 1.Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth. 2.And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. 3.Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you - Genesis 31:1-3
Jacob's encounter with three Messengers
And on the way to his Father's land, Jacob openly experienced God's promise that "I will be with you", and the Angels of God(mal-awk => Messengers) met him - 1.Jacob went on his way, and the Angels(מַלְאֲכֵ֥י => mal-awk/mal-ake) of God met him. 2.And when Jacob saw them he said, This is God's camp! So he called the name of that place Mahanaim - Genesis 32:1-2
And then Jacob sent the same messengers(mal-awk) to his brother Esau, Jacob cannot send his servants to Esau, because they are new to Cannon and may not know the language of Cannon, and Bible clearly mention that Jacob had send the same(Messengers) to his brother Esau - 3.And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 4.instructing them, Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. 5.I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight. 6.And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him. 7.Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 8.thinking, If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape. 9.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, 10.I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11.Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. 12.But you said, I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude - Genesis 32:3-12
Does Bible says anything about the number of Messengers(mal-awk) that Jacob met at Mahanaim? from these Bible passages we can understand that there were three messengers(mal-awk) with Jacob on that time, and Jacob also divided his Gifts accordingly and given to them - 13.So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, 14.two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15.thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16.These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove. 17.He instructed the first, When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you? 18.then you shall say, They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us. 19.He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, You shall say the same thing to Esau when you find him. 20.and you shall say, Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us. For he thought, I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me. 21.So the present passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp. - Genesis 32:13-21
So at Mahanaim the Angel of God who came to Jacob as three person, came to him as a single person at Peniel, but he did not revealed his name to Jacob - 22.The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23.He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24.And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25.When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26.Then he said, Let me go, for the day has broken. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. 27.And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, “Jacob.” 28.Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29.Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30.So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered - Genesis 32:24-30
but many years after the truth was revealed through Prophet Hosea that Jacob had an encounter with Lord Jesus Christ at Peniel, and the meaning of wrestling is basically pleading for God's favor with tears and weeping, and that prayer changed him from Jacob to Israel - The Lord has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us, the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial name - Hosea 12:2-5