Gen 32:1
So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.: This reminds me of when Elisha prayed for the eyes of his servant to be opened, and he was shown how many angels were with Elisha (2Ki 6:8-22). God sends His angels to ensure His bidding is done. God promised Abraham that his seed would be blessed, and He was revealing to Jacob that he was still protected.
Gen 32:2
When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp." And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.: The name Mahanaim means two camps. It was to signify his camp, and God's camp.
Gen 32:3
Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.: Remember, when Jacob left, Esau had vowed to kill him. Jacob is going to return, so he wants to try and ease things over and reconcile so Esau doesn't go through with his vow.
Gen 32:4
And he commanded them, saying, "Speak thus to my lord Esau, 'Thus your servant Jacob says: "I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now.: Jacob told his messengers to refer to Esau as his lord, probably to let Esau know he had no intention of usurping him. It seems that Jacob just wanted Esau to know where he had been, and that he was coming back.
Gen 32:5
I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.: Jacob says his intent was to appease Esau, so Esau won't kill him.
Gen 32:6
Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.": The messengers had reached Esau and told him about Jacob. Now, Esau is on his way to meet Jacob with four hundred men. This does not sound good.
Gen 32:7
So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies.: Jacob was rightly afraid, even though he had just seen a company of angels with him. Strange how quickly we forget God, and His promises. God had sent the host of angels so Jacob would be afraid, yet here he was, afraid. He figured Esau was coming with the four hundred men to kill him, so he divided everything in half.
Gen 32:8
And he said, "If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.": The idea was for protection. If one group got attacked, the other could escape.
Gen 32:9
Then Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you': Just like we always do, when we encounter adversity, the first thing we do is call upon the Lord! It's like the old saying, "There's no atheists in a foxhole." Yet here, Jacob is saying, "You're the one that told me to return!"
Gen 32:10
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.: Finally, Jacob realizes this fact. None of us are worthy, but it is nice to see Jacob say it. He attributes the gains he had been given to God.
Gen 32:11
Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.: Jacob believed that Esau was coming to kill him, so Jacob was calling out to God to save him. Again, I can't help but notice how quickly Jacob forgot that there was a host of angels with him. Maybe because he couldn't see them, he didn't know they were there?
Gen 32:12
For You said, 'I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.': Here he is again telling God that He told him to go back home and that God would take care of him. I've prayed many prayers like this myself!
Gen 32:13
So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: Jacob thought to appease Esau with a gift of the increase given to him by God, taken from Laban. I'm pretty sure that God won't be happy about this behavior. We should lean on God, and believe His promises. This seems like Jacob didn't trust God, and was giving away the increase that God had given him.
Gen 32:14
two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,: Remember, Jacob had divided his flock in half! That's a lot of animals.
Gen 32:15
thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.: I didn't even realize that people drank camel milk. I've never seen camel cheese. The proportions given were for breeding purposes.
Gen 32:16
Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.": Jacob's idea here was to separate all of the animals, and present each group as a gift to Esau. Maybe he believed that multiple gifts spread out would be better received than one giant gift.
Gen 32:17
And he commanded the first one, saying, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?': Jacob's intention was for Esau to encounter multpile groups of people escorting animals, and wear down his anger until he reach Jacob.
Gen 32:18
then you shall say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.': The servant is to tell Esau that these animals are from Jacob as a present, and that Jacob is following behind.
Gen 32:19
So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, "In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him;: There's not count of how many groups of people Jacob had go in front to offer gifts to Esau. How many animals did Jacob have?
Gen 32:20
and also say, 'Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.' " For he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.": These gifts were clearly to show that Jacob didn't have the intention of taking over the household, even though Jacob had stolen the blessing and bought the birthright from Esau. Jacob was showing deference, even calling himself Esau's servant.
Gen 32:21
So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.: Jacob must have put a large distance between himself and his presents. While they were going toward Esau, Jacob stayed in his camp until some time in the night.
Gen 32:22
And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.: During the night, Jacob got up with his family, and forded over the Jabbok. Jacob himself didn't go, but he sent his family and possessions over.
Gen 32:23
He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.: Jacob sent his family and everything he had on ahead of him.
Gen 32:24
Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.: This was no mere man! Later, in verse Gen 32:30, Jacob calls Him God! On the night that Jacob needed rest, here's God wrestling with Jacob. And Jacob wouldn't surrender. Think about this. God the Father has never been seen (Joh 6:46). Yet, this was God. That means Jesus wrestled with Jacob! Jacob needed to be broken. He needed to have his self reliance removed. Jacob needed to place his trust in the Father, not in himself. Jesus came to make this happen.
Gen 32:25
Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.: Jacob was too strong willed, and Jesus couldn't break him by simply wrestling him into submission. Have you ever reached that point when engaging with someone that you realize it's impossible to get anywhere with them? I'm sure that's what happened here. Jesus had to literally break Jacob to get him to submit.
Gen 32:26
And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!": Jacob would not let go. At this point, his hip socket was dislocated, so he was essentially crippled. Right before he was to meet his brother that wanted to kill him too. Jacob was desperate. He had reached that point of brokenness and was holding on for dear life.
Gen 32:27
So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob.": This is rhetorical. Jesus knew his name. Jesus was asking so Jacob would be reminded of his nature. Jacob means supplanter. He had been a scoundrel up to this point, and totally self-reliant.
Gen 32:28
And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.": This is like a rebirth here. Jacob would no longer be a supplanter, but Israel. Strange, but the name Israel means either soldier of God, or the prince that prevails with God. So the nation of Israel would be either the soldier of God, or the prince that prevails with God. Jacob would no longer be self-reliant, but reliant opon God. Isn't that the same thing for us Christians? We are reborn into God's kingdom, and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Our natures change from worldly to Heavenly.
Gen 32:29
Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.: Jacob asked God's name, and Jesus asks why he's asking. Jesus doesn't give Jacob His name. I wonder if His name was Jesus at that time too. But, no need to dive too deep into it because God left it out. The blessing was his name change. Basically, that last portion was a recap.
Gen 32:30
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.": According to Exo_33:20, no man can see God's face and live, so how could Jacob have seen God face to face and lived? Simple. This was Jesus, a preincarnate appearance, or a Christophany.
Gen 32:31
Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.: He had really been broken. God had physically crippled Jacob to force him to be reliant on God.
Gen 32:32
Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank.: To clarify, Jews today don't eat the sciatic nerve. It was that way in Moses's time, and is still not eaten to this day either. I certainly don't agree with the answer of the rabbi in the linked page, but am using it to show that they still practice this.
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