Hosea 12:3

The Lord described the ancestor of these kingdoms further. Jacob grasped his brother’s heel while he was still in the womb of his mother Rebekah (Genesis 25:26). This was a preview of the grasping character that marked him all his life (cf. Genesis 27:35-36). In later life he also continued to contend with God. These references to the early and later life of Jacob picture him as being a contentious person all his life. [Note: See Harper, p. 379; and Chisholm, "Hosea," p. 1404.] Other interpreters thought Hosea used this characteristic of Jacob as a positive example for his hearers and readers. [Note: Keil, 1:146; Stuart, p. 197; and Wood, "Hosea," p. 216.] They took it as an indication of Jacob’s desire to obtain the promised blessings.