The episode in which the Jewish people acquired its eternal name — Israel — is from one of the most enigmatic stories in the entire Bible.

It occurred as Jacob returned home after fleeing 20 years earlier after his brother’s death threat. Esau had been enraged to discover that Jacob had deceived their father Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau.

The night before their confrontation, Jacob encounters a stranger:

Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overcome him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip and the socket of Jacob’s hip became dislocated….