Study note

Hosea 12:3

  • he grasped his brother’s heel (literally he supplanted his brother): The Hebrew verb ‘aqab is the root of Jacob's name. Even before birth, Jacob lived up to his name by supplanting his brother Esau (Genesis 25:26).

  • As an adult, Jacob even fought with God (see Genesis 32:22–30) and was renamed “Israel,” meaning “God fights.”