Patriarch

Jacob

יַעֲקֹב

🗺 Creation and Patriarchs
BibleVibe Editorial1 min read
Tradition：all

Ancestor of the twelve tribes, renamed Israel after wrestling with God.

Books

📖 Genesis

Life & Story

Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, took his brother's blessing by cunning and fled to Haran, where he lived with Laban for twenty years and fathered the twelve tribes (Gen 25–35). At the ford of Jabbok he wrestled with a man until dawn; God renamed him Israel, 'he who strives with God' (Gen 32:22–32).

Life Timeline · Key Scriptures

Genesis 28:12PrimaryThe ladder dream at Bethel
Genesis 32:24PrimaryWrestling at the ford of Jabbok
Genesis 35:10God renames him Israel

Relationships

Descendant · Abraham

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Jacob renamed Israel?

After wrestling with God at Jabbok, God said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome' (Gen 32:28).

Who were Jacob's twelve sons?

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin — their descendants became the twelve tribes of Israel.

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