Hosea 12:3
New International Version
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God.

New Living Translation
Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God.

English Standard Version
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God.

Berean Standard Bible
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God.

King James Bible
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:

New King James Version
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God.

New American Standard Bible
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his mature strength he contended with God.

NASB 1995
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God.

NASB 1977
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God.

Legacy Standard Bible
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he wrestled with God.

Amplified Bible
In their mother’s womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God.

Christian Standard Bible
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God.

American Standard Version
In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he had power with God:

Contemporary English Version
Even before Jacob was born, he cheated his brother, and when he grew up, he fought against God.

English Revised Version
In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he had power with God:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Their ancestor Jacob held on to his brother's heel while the two of them were in their mother's womb. When Jacob became a man, he struggled with God.

Good News Translation
Their ancestor Jacob struggled with his twin brother Esau while the two of them were still in their mother's womb; when Jacob grew up, he fought against God--

International Standard Version
He circumvented his brother in the womb, and as an adult he fought with God.

Majority Standard Bible
In the womb he grasped his brother?s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God.

NET Bible
In the womb he attacked his brother; in his manly vigor he struggled with God.

New Heart English Bible
In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he contended with God.

Webster's Bible Translation
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:

World English Bible
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he contended with God.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, "" And by his strength he was a prince with God,

Young's Literal Translation
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he was a prince with God,

Smith's Literal Translation
In the belly he circumvented his brother, and by his strength he was a leader with God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the womb he supplanted his brother: and by his strength he had success with an angel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
In the womb, he supplanted his brother; for in his good fortune, he had been guided by an angel.

New American Bible
In the womb he supplanted his brother, and in his vigor he contended with a divine being;

New Revised Standard Version
In the womb he tried to supplant his brother, and in his manhood he strove with God.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
In the womb he deceived his brother, and by his might he became great in the presence of God;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For he deceived his brother in the womb and in his strength he was made great before God
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he strove with a godlike being;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his labours he had power with God.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Reproof of Ephraim, Judah, Jacob
2The LORD also brings a charge against Judah. He will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. 3In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God. 4Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there—…

Cross References
Genesis 32:24-28
So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. / When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. / Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ...

Genesis 25:26
After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.

Genesis 27:36
So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”

Genesis 32:9-12
Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’ / I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps. / Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me. ...

Genesis 32:30
So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

Genesis 28:12-15
And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. / And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. / Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. ...

Genesis 35:9-12
After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. / And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel. / And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. ...

Genesis 48:15-16
Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, / the angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”

Malachi 1:2-3
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, / but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

Romans 9:10-13
Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. / Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, / not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ...

Hebrews 11:20-21
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. / By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

1 Corinthians 10:11
Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. / Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, / I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

James 5:16-18
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. / Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. / Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.

Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: / “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. / And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ...


Treasury of Scripture

He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:

took.

Genesis 25:26
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

Romans 9:11
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

had, etc.

Genesis 32:24-28
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day…

James 5:16-18
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much…

Jump to Previous
Body Brother's Contended Fighting Foot Godlike Grasped Heel Manhood Maturity Mother Power Prince Strength Strove Struggled Womb Wrestled
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Body Brother's Contended Fighting Foot Godlike Grasped Heel Manhood Maturity Mother Power Prince Strength Strove Struggled Womb Wrestled
Hosea 12
1. A reproof of Ephraim, Judah, and Jacob.
3. By former favors he exhorts to repentance.
7. Ephraim's sins provoke God.














In the womb
This phrase refers to the prenatal state of Jacob, the patriarch, highlighting the divine plan and purpose that God had for him even before his birth. The Hebrew word for "womb" is "בֶּטֶן" (beten), which signifies the innermost part of a person, often used metaphorically to describe the beginning of life. This emphasizes God's sovereignty and foreknowledge, as He had already chosen Jacob for a significant role in His redemptive history.

he grasped his brother’s heel
The act of grasping Esau's heel is a direct reference to Genesis 25:26, where Jacob is born holding onto Esau's heel. The Hebrew word for "heel" is "עָקֵב" (aqeb), which is also the root for the name "Jacob" (יַעֲקֹב, Ya'akov). This action symbolizes Jacob's determination and foreshadows his future struggles and the contentious relationship with his brother Esau. It also reflects the theme of struggle and striving that characterizes Jacob's life, illustrating the human condition of wrestling with one's destiny and the divine.

and in his vigor
The word "vigor" here is translated from the Hebrew "אוֹן" (on), which conveys strength, power, and vitality. This highlights Jacob's tenacity and resilience, qualities that are evident throughout his life. His vigor is not merely physical but also spiritual, as he persistently seeks God's blessing and favor. This serves as an inspiration for believers to pursue their spiritual journey with determination and strength, relying on God's power.

he wrestled with God
This phrase refers to the pivotal event in Jacob's life when he wrestled with a divine being at Peniel, as recorded in Genesis 32:24-30. The Hebrew verb "שָׂרָה" (sarah) means to contend or strive, and it is from this encounter that Jacob's name is changed to Israel, meaning "he struggles with God." This wrestling match is symbolic of Jacob's lifelong struggle with faith, identity, and his relationship with God. It underscores the idea that spiritual growth often involves wrestling with God through prayer, doubt, and perseverance. This encounter is a powerful reminder of God's willingness to engage with humanity and transform lives through divine encounters.

(3, 4) Had power.--Should be, strove. Prayers and tears were the weapons used in the memorable struggle for pardon, reconciliation, peace in the self-conquest as well as the God-conquest which was achieved. "At Bethel He (Jehovah) found him (Jacob)" not once only, but on repeated occasions (Genesis 28:11; Genesis 35:1),and in the subsequent history of the children of Israel.

Verse 3. - He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power (margin, was a prince, or, behaved himself princely) with God. In this verse and the following the prophet looks away back into the far-distant past; and this retrospect, which is suggested by the names Jacob and Israel, reminds him of two well-known events in the life of the patriarch-The meaning and intention of this reminiscence are differently interpreted. The two leading views are the following:

(1) Some are of opinion that the prophet means to give an example by way of warning, and to mention a trait of Jacob's overreaching cunning, and likewise of his violence, and thereby show that Jacob had incurred guilt in a manner resembling that of the then present generation; that is to say, his conduct had been like to theirs in deceit, lying, and violence. But

(2) according to others, and we agree with them, the object of the prophet in these verses is to admonish them to imitate the conduct of their progenitor, and to remind them of the distinction which he had obtained thereby, as an encourage-merit to them to go and do likewise.

(3) Another interpretation, somewhat similar to . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
In the womb
בַּבֶּ֖טֶן (bab·be·ṭen)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 990: The belly, the womb, the bosom, body of anything

he grasped his brother’s
אָחִ֑יו (’ā·ḥîw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

heel,
עָקַ֣ב (‘ā·qaḇ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6117: To follow at the heel, assail insidiously, circumvent, overreach

and in his vigor
וּבְאוֹנ֖וֹ (ū·ḇə·’ō·w·nōw)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 202: Ability, power, wealth

he wrestled
שָׂרָ֥ה (śā·rāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8280: To persist, exert oneself, persevere

with
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

God.
אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT Prophets: Hosea 12:3 In the womb he took his brother (Ho Hs Hos.)
Hosea 12:2
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