Genesis — Chapter 35

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1And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

2Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

3And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

4And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

7And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

8But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth.

9And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him.

10And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

11And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

12And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

13And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

14And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

15And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

16And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

17And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

18And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.

19And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.

21And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

22And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

23The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:

24The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:

25And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:

26And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram.

27And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

28And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

29And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

1And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

2Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments:

3and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

4And they gave unto Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5And they journeyed: and a terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (the same is Beth-el), he and all the people that were with him.

7And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el; because there God was revealed unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

8And Deborah Rebekah`s nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under the oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth.

9And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

10And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

11And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

12and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

13And God went up from him in the place where he spake with him.

14And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spake with him, a pillar of stone: and he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon.

15And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el.

16And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some distance to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.

17And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; for now thou shalt have another son.

18And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.

19And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem).

20And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the Pillar of Rachel`s grave unto this day.

21And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father`s concubine: and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

23The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob`s first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun;

24the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin;

25and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel`s handmaid: Dan and Naphtali;

26and the sons of Zilpah, Leah`s handmaid: Gad and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

28And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years.

29And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, old and full of days: and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

1Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.

3Let us go up at once to Bethel. Then I will make an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress and has been with me wherever I went.”

4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem

5and they started on their journey. The surrounding cities were afraid of God, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

6Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.

7He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel because there God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

8(Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named Oak of Weeping.)

9God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him.

10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel.

11Then God said to him, “I am the Sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation—even a company of nations—will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!

12The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants I will also give this land.”

13Then God went up from the place where he spoke with him.

14So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it.

15Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Bethel.

16They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, Rachel went into labor—and her labor was hard.

17When her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.”

18With her dying breath, she named him Ben Oni. But his father called him Benjamin instead.

19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

20Jacob set up a marker over her grave; it is the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.

21Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.

22While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went to bed with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.Jacob had twelve sons:

23The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

26The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

27So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

28Isaac lived to be 180 years old.

29Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. He died an old man who had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

1God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

2Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.

3Let us arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the way which I went.”

4They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they didn’t pursue the sons of Jacob.

6So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

7He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

8Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.

9God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.

10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel.

11God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.

12The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you will I give the land.”

13God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him.

14Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.

15Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him “Bethel”.

16They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.

17When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.”

18As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.

19Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem).

20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

21Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.

23The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25The sons of Bilhah (Rachel’s servant): Dan and Naphtali.

26The sons of Zilpah (Leah’s servant): Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

27Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.

28The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.

29Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

God calls Jacob back to Bethel to renew the covenant; Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin, and Isaac dies at 180.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 35 records Jacob's return to Bethel — fulfilling his 20-year-old vow (28:20-22). God commands him to go back to where it all began. The chapter includes spiritual renewal (putting away idols), God's reaffirmation of the covenant, Rachel's death giving birth to Benjamin, and Isaac's death. It's a chapter of both renewal and loss — new beginnings and painful endings.
Return to Bethel (vv.1-8): God commands: "Arise, go up to Bethel" (v.1). Jacob orders his household: "Put away the strange gods... be clean... change your garments" (v.2). They surrender their idols and earrings (v.4). Jacob buries them under an oak at Shechem (v.4). "The terror of God" protects them on the journey (v.5). He builds an altar: "El-beth-el" (v.7).
God's Covenant Reaffirmed (vv.9-15): God appears and confirms the name change: "Israel" (v.10). "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply" (v.11). The land promise reaffirmed (v.12). Jacob sets up a pillar and pours oil (v.14).
Rachel's Death (vv.16-20): Traveling from Bethel, Rachel goes into hard labor (v.16). She dies giving birth (v.18). She names him "Ben-oni" (son of my sorrow); Jacob renames him "Benjamin" (son of my right hand) (v.18). Rachel buried near Bethlehem (v.19).
Reuben's Sin and the Twelve Sons (vv.21-26): Reuben sleeps with Bilhah, Jacob's concubine (v.22) — forfeiting his birthright (cf. 49:3-4). The twelve sons listed (vv.23-26).
Isaac's Death (vv.27-29): Jacob returns to Isaac at Hebron (v.27). Isaac dies at 180 (v.28). Esau and Jacob bury him together (v.29).

Map & Geography

  • Bethel (v.1) — Jacob returns to where God first appeared to him (ch.28). The journey from Shechem to Bethel moves south through the hill country.
  • Ephrath / Bethlehem (v.19) — Rachel dies and is buried on the road to Bethlehem, approximately 5 miles south of Jerusalem. The future birthplace of David and of Christ.
  • Hebron / Mamre (v.27) — Jacob arrives at his father Isaac's home in the southern hill country.
  • Migdal-eder / "tower of the flock" (v.21) — near Bethlehem, a shepherding landmark (cf. Micah 4:8).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the return to Bethel, spiritual renewal, Rachel's death, and the covenant reaffirmation.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Back to Bethel" on v.1 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1328) "Arise, go up to Bethel — go BACK to where you met God. Back to the place of your first encounter, your first vow, your first love. When you've wandered, when you've settled in the wrong place, when idols have crept in — God says: go back to Bethel. Back to the altar. Back to the beginning. But first: put away the strange gods. You can't go back to Bethel carrying Shechem's idols."

Reflection

  • 1. "Arise, go up to Bethel" (v.1). Is God calling you back to a place of original encounter — back to basics, back to your first love? Where is your "Bethel" that you need to return to?
  • 2. "Put away the strange gods" (v.2). What idols have accumulated in your life — things that compete with God for your devotion? What needs to be buried before you can worship freely?
  • 3. Rachel's death (v.18) reminds us that following God doesn't exempt us from pain. Jacob lost the love of his life on the road of obedience. Faith doesn't prevent suffering — but God is present in it.
  • 4. "Ben-oni" became "Benjamin" (v.18). Jacob renamed sorrow as strength. How might God be renaming your sorrows — transforming pain into purpose?
  • 5. The twelve sons are now complete (vv.23-26). God built a nation through a deeply imperfect family. He can build something beautiful through your imperfect life too.