4298. En Jakob noemde de naam van de plaats Peniël; dat dit de staat van de verzoekingen betekent, staat vast uit de samenhang; oudtijds werden aan plaatsen waar iets bijzonders voorviel, namen gegeven en deze namen waren tekenend voor de zaak die daar voorviel en voor de staat ervan, nrs. 340, 2643, 3422; aan deze plaats werd een naam gegeven die de staat van de verzoekingen betekende, want de staat van de verzoekingen wordt hier beschreven door de worsteling en het kampen van Jakob; Peniël betekent in de oorspronkelijke taal ‘de aangezichten van God’ ; dat ‘de aangezichten van God’ zien, wil zeggen, de zwaarste verzoekingen doorstaan, zal in wat volgt worden ontvouwd.

7518. 'Take for yourselves in fistfuls' means the power, imparted in the measure that it could be received. This is clear from the meaning of 'the fists', or the hollows of the hands, as power. The reason why 'the fists' or the hollows of the hands means power is that 'the hand' means power, dealt with below, in the measure that it can be received being meant by 'fullness'. ¹ With regard to the meaning of 'the fists' or hollows of the hands, it should be recognized that in the Grand Man the arms correspond to power; and from this not only the actual arms mean power but also the shoulders, as well as the hands even to the fingers. For the meaning of the arms as power, see 878, 4932, 4934, 4975, 7205; the shoulders, 1085, 4937; the hands, 878, 3387, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189; also the fingers, 7430; and regarding their correspondence in general, 4931-4937. The reason why all the parts belonging to the arm correspond to power is that the body exerts its power through them. All this serves to show what is meant by 'sitting at the right hand' in Matthew,

Jesus said, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power. Matthew 26:64.

And in Luke,

Hereafter the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. Luke 22:69.

That is to say, one may see that the almighty power belonging to the Lord is meant; that is why 'the right hand of power' is used. So also in David,

You have an arm with power, strong is Your hand, Your right hand will be lifted up. Psalms 89:13.

From all this one may see how much light the internal sense provides in the Word. For unless one knew from that sense that 'the right hand' means power one would take those words to mean that the Lord was literally going to sit to the right of Jehovah.

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