Genesis 32:1-2 comments: Jacob's group meets another

1 ¶  And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2  And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Jacob sees an amazing sight from the spiritual world. An army of God’s angels approaches him. This is a sign to Jacob showing the protection of God.

Psalm 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Angels are spiritual beings, typically unseen to us.

Psalm 104:4  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

What a spectacular and frightening apparition that must have been.

As he saw God’s host, His army, Jacob called it Mahanaim, the plural of a word that is translated as camp or host or armies elsewhere. Jacob may have named it based on his people meeting God’s angels, two groups passing each other, his and the angels. Remember what angels are; representatives of something or someone that is somewhere else.

Hebrews 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

We are surrounded by a great army of God’s saints that have gone on ahead of us, as a matter of fact. Paul says this after talking about the great saints of God that have gone on before us.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.