Encounters in the Dark: Identity Formation in the Jacob Story traces the many moments of darkness in the life of Jacob from the darkness of his mother's womb to the triumphant scene of wrestling God by the Jabbok River. Through an exploration of key moments in Jacob's story, Noel Forlini Burt follows his journey from home to exile and back home again. Jacob's story symbolizes the larger story of Israel's own wrestling with God in the darkness of exile and return.