EL-ELOHEI-YISRA’EL

“From the sons of Hamor Sh’khem’s father he bought for one hundred pieces of silver the parcel of land where he had pitched his tent. There he put up an altar, which he called El-Elohei-Yisra’el [God, the God of Isra’el].
Genesis 33:19-20

The two brothers had met and Ya’akov had lived to tell the story. Amidst all his fear concerning what Esav may do or attempt to do, Esav did no ill. In fact, Esav ran to meet his brother. Ya’akov had hoped to win his brother’s favor by an onslaught of gifts, but after meeting the entire family of his brother, Esav advised he had enough of his own livestock and servants. Still Ya’akov insisted until finally Esav agreed.
As the meeting lingered, Esav felt the move to continue with his brother on to Se’ir. However, after an already long trip, a night spent wrestling, and perhaps the emotional and physical toils of the stress of meeting his brother now being relaxed, Ya’akov and his caravan needed a rest. Watching Esav in the distance headed for Se’ir, Ya’akov headed toward Sukkot. It was here that he pitched tents and made shelters for his animals. It is here that we see the first use of Sukkot, which is where we derive the background for what we now know is wrapped up in one of the High Holy days.
Still moving forward, Ya’akov landed at Padan-Aram before finally settling within sight of Sh’khem. It was at Sh’khem that Ya’akov put up an altar and named it El-Elohei-Yisra’el. The translation of this is God, the God of Isra’el or mighty is the God of Isra’el. In questioning as to why he may have named it this, I reconsidered what all he had been through. Maybe the obvious is his recent name change. Just a few nights back he had wrestled and been renamed Isra’el. But this man had also truly seen Adonai’s might. He had been protected by Adonai’s hand from his angry brother. He had been blessed by Adonai’s hand in the brown, spotted, and speckled livestock he possessed. And he had been kept in Adonai’s hand despite the trickery that once defined him. Ya’akov had lived to know Adonai’s might, and for that Adonai was the God of Ya’akov.

Genesis 33:6-20