Comentario sobre Génesis 32:31

פנים אל פנים, face to face. Jacob's amazement was not due to the fact that he had had an encounter with an angel; he had previously encountered angels. What amazed him was that he had been in a confrontation with an angel. The word פנים אל פנים is a term used in warfare as we know from Kings II 14,8.

ויקרא יעקב....פניאל...פנים אל פנים. According to one of the commentaries which we quoted (verse 26) that the angel had assumed human form, this experience was something new for Yaakov. For the first time he had seen a divine being face to face while being awake. Adding to this the fact that this angel had twisted his hip joint out of shape and he had survived this he was amazed that he had survived such an encounter. This is why he used the expression פנים אל פנים. He added the words

Jakob erkennt in dem mit ihm Ringenden auch etwas Göttliches, Berechtigtes, von Gott Bestimmtes. "Bist du denn ein Dieb, ein Spieler" — lassen die Weisen Jakob den Gegner fragen — "dass du dich vor dem Morgen fürchtest?" "Nein, erwidert dieser, מלאך אני, "ich bin auch ein von Gott Gesendeter, aber so lange ich geschaffen, war noch die Zeit für mich nicht gekommen in den Gott verherrlichenden Hymnus einzustimmen bis jetzt, מיום שנבראתי לא הגיע זמני לומר שירה עד עכשיו". Esaus Genius ist auch ein von Gott gesendeter מלאך, aber seine Sendung wird von ihm nur erfüllt, wenn רב יעבר צעיר, wenn er die göttliche Sendung Jakobs huldigend anerkennt, nur dann ist er berufen, in den Gott verherrlichenden Hymnus der Zeiten einzustimmen, nur dann nimmt er als harmonischer Einklang seine Stelle ein in der Gott verherrlichenden Symphonie der Geschichte.

ותנצל נפשי, this is a statement Yaakov never made on other occasions when he had other visions. Seeing that we explained that the entire episode with the angel was a prophetic vision, the reason why he used the expression “face to face,” must be that the vision was so real to him that in his vision he reacted physically to the angel that appeared to him. If you were to consider this interpretation as unlikely, consider that we have been told that Moses spoke to G’d “face to face.” (Exodus 33,11 and again in Deuteronomy 5,4) the description “face to face” merely tells us about the realism involved in such prophetic encounters Moses experienced, as well as what the entire people experienced at the revelation at Mount Sinai when the mountain quaked, there was lightning and thunder, etc. Having experienced such an intense vision Yaakov understandably marvels at having survived such an experience, one in which he was totally involved, body and soul. The recollection of such intense experiences though having occurred in the form of visions, was strong enough to carry over into the affected people’s waking hours.

שם המקום פניאל, this name was retained for future generations. There is no difference between פניאל and פנואל. They are variations in the name of the same location. The letters י and ו are well known as interchangeable letters.