Genesis 35

Return to Bethel

1God said to Jacob, “Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there. # Gn 28:19 Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” # Gn 27:43

2So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. # Gn 31:19; Jos 24:23; 1Sm 7:3 Purify yourselves and change your clothes. # Ex 19:10 3We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. # 1Sm 7:9; 2Sm 24:25; Jb 12:4; Ps 20:1; 34:4 He has been with me everywhere I have gone.” # Gn 28:10-22

4Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem. 5When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. # Ex 23:27 6So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel # Gn 28:19; 48:3) in the land of Canaan. 7Jacob built an altar there and called the place God of Bethel # Or El-bethel because it was there that God had revealed Himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

8Deborah, the one who had nursed and raised Rebekah, # Lit Deborah, Rebekah’s wet nurse ; Gn 24:59 # Gn 24:59 died and was buried under the oak south of Bethel. So Jacob named it Oak of Weeping. # Or Allon-bacuth

9God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 10God said to him:

Your name is Jacob;

you will no longer be named Jacob,

but your name will be Israel. # Gn 17:5; 32:28

So He named him Israel. 11God also said to him:

I am God Almighty. # Gn 17:1; 28:3; Ex 6:3

Be fruitful and multiply. # Gn 9:1,7

A nation, indeed an assembly of nations,

will come from you, # Gn 48:4

and kings will descend from you. # Lit will come from your loins # Gn 17:6,16; 36:31

12I will give to you the land

that I gave to Abraham and Isaac. # Gn 12:7; 13:15; 26:3-4; 28:13; Ex 32:13

And I will give the land

to your future descendants.

13Then God withdrew # Lit went up # Gn 17:22; 18:33 from him at the place where He had spoken to him.

14Jacob set up a marker at the place where He had spoken to him — a stone marker. He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. # Gn 28:18-19; 31:45 15Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Rachel’s Death

16They set out from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17During her difficult labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have another son.” # Gn 30:24 18With her last breath — for she was dying — she named him Ben-oni, # = Son of My Sorrow but his father called him Benjamin. # = Son of the Right Hand 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem # Mc 5:2; Mt 2:18). 20Jacob set up a marker on her grave; it is the marker at Rachel’s grave to this day.

Israel’s Sons

21Israel set out again and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. # Or beyond Migdal-eder 22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. # Gn 49:3-4

Jacob had 12 sons: # 1Ch 2:1-2

23Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn),

Simeon, Levi, Judah,

Issachar, and Zebulun.

24Rachel’s sons were

Joseph and Benjamin.

25The sons of Rachel’s slave Bilhah

were Dan and Naphtali.

26The sons of Leah’s slave Zilpah

were Gad and Asher.

These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

Isaac’s Death

27Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre # Gn 13:18; 18:1; 23:19 in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron # Jos 14:15), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28Isaac lived 180 years. 29He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people, # Gn 25:8,17; 49:33; Nm 20:24,26; Dt 32:50 old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

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Genesis 35

Jacob Returns to Bethel

1 # Gn 28.11-17. God told Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”

2Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him:

Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. 3Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.

4So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings,#35.4 earrings: These would have had symbols of foreign gods on them. and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.

5While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. 6Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. 7Jacob built an altar there and called it “God of Bethel,” because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. 8While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah#35.8 Deborah: See 24.59 and the note there. died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it “Weeping Oak.”

God Blesses Jacob at Bethel

9-11 # Gn 32.28. #Gn 17.4-8. After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:

I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel#35.9-11 Israel: See the note at 32.28. instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. 12I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.

13After God had gone, 14#Gn 28.18,19. Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, 15and he named the place Bethel.#35.15 Bethel: See the note at 28.19.

Benjamin Is Born

16Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. 17She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, “Don't worry! It's a boy.” 18Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, “I'll name him Benoni.”#35.18 Benoni: In Hebrew “Benoni” means “Son of my Sorrow.” But Jacob called him Benjamin.#35.18 Benjamin: In Hebrew “Benjamin” can mean “Son at my Right Side” (the place of power).

19Rachel was buried beside the road to Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem. 20Jacob set up a tombstone over her grave, and it is still there. 21Jacob, also known as Israel, traveled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.

22 # Gn 49.4. During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives.#35.22 other wives: See the note at 22.24. Bilhah had been Rachel's servant woman (see 29.28-30). And Jacob found out about it.

Jacob's Twelve Sons

23-26Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria.#35.23-26 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10. His first-born Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher.

Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.

Isaac Dies

27 # Gn 13.18. Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner. 28-29Isaac died at the ripe old age of 180, then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

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