Hosea 12:3

By the heel. The mention of the name Jacob (v. 2) leads to a reference in v. 3 to two prominent events in the life of the patriarch. Evidently the object of Hosea is to admonish his people to imitate the conduct of their progenitor, and to remind them of the distinction he had obtained thereby, as an encouragement to them to go and do likewise. At his birth Jacob laid hold of his elder brother’s heel, an incident that led to his receiving the name Jacob (see on Gen. 25:26). The second clause of v. 3 tells how Jacob, in the maturity of his manhood, wrestled with God, the Angel of the covenant (see Gen. 32:22-32), and prevailed, so that his name was changed from Jacob to Israel. The word “Israel” really means “he fights with God,” or “he prevails over God,” or “he rules with God” (see on Gen. 32:28). Jacob began that night with struggle but ended it in supplication. The end of all wrestling with God is not to conquer Him but to conquer self. The acknowledgment of weakness is our power, and those who come with the supplication, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me,” discover that it gives to them power with God.