“And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, for, he said, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been preserved. And the sun rose upon him as he crossed over Penuel, and he limped because of his hip. Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the thigh muscle, which is upon the socket of the hip, to this day, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip at the thigh muscle.” (Genesis 32:30-32)
Penuel (or Peniel, Pnuel; Hebrew: פְּנוּאֵל, meaning “Face of God”) is a place not far from Succoth, on the east of the Jordan River and south of the river Jabbok. Here Jacob wrestled with God until the break of dawn. God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, and changed Jacob’s name to “Israel” (Gen. 32), which literally means “He who struggles with God.” From then on Israelis are forbidden to eat animals’ thigh muscle.
Pnuel is a common name given to males in the Assyrian culture.
『雅各便给那地方起名叫毗努伊勒，因为他说，我面对面看见了神，我的性命仍得保全。日头升起，照在雅各身上，那时他渡过毗努伊勒，他的大腿就瘸了。故此，以色列人不吃大腿窝的筋，直到今日，因为那人摸了雅各大腿窝的筋。 』(创世记32:30-32)
毗努伊勒(Peniel/Penuel，意为神的面)，位于约旦河支流之一雅博河的南岸，示剑以东约40公里，其确实位置尚未确定。雅各曾在那里彻夜与神摔跤，神将他的大腿窝摸了一把，并将雅各的名字改为以色列（创三十二）。从此以色列人禁吃动物的腿筋。
这是雅各变化的开始，他里面天然的力量，已经被主对付了。这是由雅各的大腿瘸了的事实所表征（32:31）。宗教的路是改变人外面的行为；神在祂经纶里的路，却是摸人里面的生命，好改变人内在的所是。
