The City of God · Chapter
The Reason Why Jacob Was Also Called Israel explained
Augustine explains that Jacob's name was changed to Israel by an angel who wrestled with him, representing a type of Christ.
What happens
Augustine explains that Jacob's name was changed to Israel by an angel who wrestled with him, representing a type of Christ. The struggle signifies Christ's passion and the Jews' overcoming of Him, while the blessing of the name 'Israel' means 'seeing God,' the ultimate reward for the saints. Jacob's lameness symbolizes the unbelieving among the Jewish people, and the blessing represents those who believe in Christ.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This chapter is the dramatic climax because it marks the irreversible psychological and spiritual turning poin…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Sin, Grace, and Redemption
Jacob's blessing and lameness illustrate the division between those who believe in Christ and those who do not, pointing to redemption through faith.
- True Worship and the One God
The name Israel, meaning 'seeing God,' signifies the ultimate reward of the saints and the true worship of the one God.
Characters to notice
- Jacob
Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with an angel, symbolizing Christ's passion and the division between believers and unbelievers among his descendants.
- Jesus Christ
The angel who wrestled with Jacob is a type of Christ, and the struggle prefigures Christ's passion and the Jews' overcoming of Him.
Key passages
“For Israel means 'seeing God,' which will at last be the reward of all the saints.”
The name Israel signifies the vision of God, which is the final reward for all holy believers.
Augustine explains the meaning of the name Israel as the ultimate blessing for the faithful.
“So that Jacob was at one and the same time blessed and lame: blessed in those among that people who believed in Christ, and lame in the unbelieving.”
Jacob was both blessed and lame, representing the believers among the Jewish people who accepted Christ and the unbelievers who rejected Him.
Augustine uses Jacob's dual condition to symbolize the divided response of the Jewish people to Christ.
