Who does God wrestle in the Bible?

Answer 1

In an ancient tradition inserted into the life story of Jacob, he was left alone and wrestled with a man all night until the break of day, Even though his leg was dislocated, Jacob refused to let his opponent go unless he blessed Jacob. That the 'man' was a god is amply demonstrated - Jacob asked for his blessing, and he had the prerogative of changing Jacob's name. The new name he gave Jacob was Israel (generally assumed to mean "wrestled with God") and Jacob called the place Peniel ("the face of God") because he had seen God face to face. If the man who wrestled with Jacob was a god, then Jacob was also a god in the very early tradition behind this account, as demonstrated by the fact that he was such an even match for his opponent. And if the opponent was a god, he was also a sun god - daybreak signalled the end of the contest, he had to leave Jacob before the sun could rise, then the sun rose upon Jacob.

This was not an encounter with the God of modern Judaic-Christian belief, a God whom we can never look upon and who is so powerful that Wrestling with and losing to a mortal ought to be inconceivable. It was nevertheless an encounter with a god.

There is substantial evidence in The Bible itself that Jacob was originally a moon god before the story evolved into one of a human Patriarch, so I believe this was the daily struggle in which the sun god defeats the moon god at dawn.

Answer 2

Jacob