Penuel - face of God, a place not far from Succoth, on the east of the Jordan and north of the river Jabbok. It is also called "Peniel" meaning "I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life is preserved." Here Jacob wrestled (Gen. 32:24-32) "with a man" ("the angel", Hos. 12:4. Jacob says of him, "I have seen God face to face") "till the break of day."
A town was afterwards built there (Judg. 8:8; 1 Kings 12:25). The men of this place refused to succour Gideon and his little army when they were in pursuit of the Midianites (Judg. 8:1-21). On his return, Gideon slew the men of this city and razed its lofty watchtower to the ground.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
