How did Jacob encounter God?

Answer 1

Jacob had two important experiences of meeting god.The first occurance when he was fleeing his brother.On the road of Bethel,he had a remarkable dream of angels ascending and descending the ladder to Heaven. In this dream god repaeted the terms of the covenant made with his grandfather,Abraham. Years later Jacob desired a reconsilliation with Esau. Before the meeting took place,Jacob had a strange meeting with a mysterious person who wrestled with him all night Jacob presisted all night and earned a name Israel-meaning "one who contends with God"This meeting blessed Jacob transforming him into an honerable man.

Answer 2

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.

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. This is not an encounter with the God of modern Judaic-Christian belief, but was an encounter with a god.