Verse

Genesis 32:32

ESV Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob 's hip on the sinew of the thigh.
NIV Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
NASB Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the hip, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the tendon of the hip.
CSB That is why, still today, the Israelites don’t eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip socket: because he struck Jacob’s hip socket at the thigh muscle.
NLT (Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)
KJV Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
NKJV Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

What does Genesis 32:32 mean?

In his grappling match with a mysterious man—some manifestation of God, it turns out—Jacob suffered a catastrophic hip injury (Genesis 32:25). Dislocations of the hip can cause major damage to ligaments and tendons, some of which may never fully heal. Scripture often glosses over minor details, but this passage has been very specific that Jacob—now renamed Israel—is limping as he leaves Peniel. Most likely, this is a permanent condition, and Jacob will carry the physical evidence of his struggle with God for the rest of his life.

The custom of not eating this specific part of an animal's body is still followed by many Jewish people. The law of Moses does not forbid this eating of the sinew of the thigh on the hip socket. However, it is many Jewish persons' way of recognizing this crucial moment in Israel's identity and acknowledging the God who fights for them.
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