Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Genesis 32:25/ספורנו על בראשית ל״ב:כ״ה
אוַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ. אַחֲרוֹן לְכֻלָּם לִנְסֹעַ מִן הַמַּחֲנֶה, כְּדֵי לְהַדְרִיךְ אֶת כָּל עַמּוֹ שֶׁיֵּלְכוּ עִם כָּל קִנְיָנוֹ וְלֹא יִשָּׁאֵר דָּבָר בַּמַּחֲנֶה:
1ויותר יעקב לבדו, he was the last one to leave from the camp as he was busy directing all his family and servants and chattels to cross the fording so that nothing would be left behind.
בוַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ. הָיָה זֶה פֹּעַל מַלְאָךְ בְּמִצְוַת בּוֹרְאוֹ בְּלִי סָפֵק, עַל דֶּרֶךְ "יְרֵה וַיּוֹר" (מלכים ב יג:יז), שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נוֹשַׁע בַּה' יַעֲקֹב וְזַרְעוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עִם הֶזֵּק בְּמָמוֹן שֶׁהוּא הַיְקוּם אֲשֶׁר בְּרַגְלֵיהֶם, וְעִם זֶה תִּהְיֶה הַתְּשׁוּעָה בַּסּוֹף עִם בְּרָכָה.
2ויאבק איש עמו, this was the work of an angel at the instigation of G’d (that is why he is called איש). The description is parallel to Kings II 13,17 It is immaterial whether the instrument of the salvation is a merely symbolic one such as the arrows described in the Book of Kings which Elisha instructed King Yoash to shoot in the direction of the far away Kingdom of Aram. Salvation occurs at the end of a period of ups and downs, and though Yaakov/Israel suffered many reverses in his struggle with Esau, (in the historical global struggle between the two philosophies) in the end Yaakov triumphs. [freely translated as the author is ambiguous to my mind. Ed.] The blessing given by the angel here to Yaakov at the end of the struggle, at daybreak, symbolises the synopsis of Jewish history.