Genesis35

God commands Jacob to return to Bethel, where Jacob purifies his household of idols and builds an altar. God reappears, renames Jacob "Israel," and reiterates the covenant promises of land and numerous descendants. During their journey, Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin, and later, Jacob's father Isaac dies and is buried by his sons.

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Jacob Returns to Bethel and Purifies His Household

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

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

Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.

As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.

So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.

There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.

Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth.

God Renews the Covenant and Renames Israel

After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.

And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.

The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him.

So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.

Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

The Death of Rachel

Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.

During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”

And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

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

Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.

Reuben's Sin and the Twelve Sons of Jacob

Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.

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

The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

The Death and Burial of Isaac

Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

And Isaac lived 180 years.

Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Study Notes for Genesis 35

Verse 1

God commands Jacob to return to Bethel, the site of his original covenant dream (Gen 28:10-22), to fulfill the vow he made there. This move is necessary to establish the sanctity of his household after the violence at Shechem.

Verse 2

Jacob demands religious purification, indicating that his household, including those acquired in Padan-aram or Shechem, still harbored idols (likely including Rachel's stolen teraphim). This act of cleansing is required before approaching the holy ground of Bethel.

Verse 4

By burying the idols and the pagan earrings (often used as amulets) under the oak, Jacob performs a decisive act of separation, symbolically abandoning foreign worship before receiving renewed covenant blessings.

Verse 5

The 'terror of God' refers to a divinely instilled fear that prevented the neighboring Canaanite tribes from pursuing Jacob's family in retaliation for the massacre of the Shechemites (Gen 34).

Verse 7

Jacob names the altar Elbethel ('God of Bethel'), commemorating the specific manifestation of God at this location, emphasizing that the God who appeared to him in distress is sovereign and present.

Verse 8

The death of Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, is noted to mark the passing of the older generation and to reinforce the historical reality of the journey. Allonbachuth means 'Oak of Weeping,' highlighting the mourning period.

Verse 9

This appearance solidifies the covenant promises made to Abraham and Isaac. God formally confirms the name Israel, which Jacob had received during his wrestling match at Penuel (Gen 32:28).

Verse 11

God identifies himself as El Shaddai ('God Almighty'), the title associated with the covenant promise of fertility and multiplication. The promise includes descendants forming 'a nation and a company of nations' (referencing the twelve tribes and future kings).

Verse 18

Rachel names her son Benoni ('Son of my sorrow') reflecting her dying pain, but Jacob immediately renames him Benjamin ('Son of the right hand'), suggesting blessing, strength, and favor.

Verse 19

Rachel's death near Ephrath (later identified as Bethlehem) is a tragic climax to Jacob's journey, marking the end of the matriarchal line. Her burial site became a significant landmark in Israelite tradition.

Verse 22

Reuben’s act of sleeping with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, was an act of usurpation, challenging Jacob’s authority and claiming the rights of the firstborn. This sin later cost Reuben his birthright (Gen 49:3-4).

Verse 27

Jacob finally returns to Mamre/Hebron, where his parents resided. This reunion is the last recorded moment of the patriarchs together before Isaac’s death.

Verse 29

Isaac dies at 180 years old, having lived the longest of the three patriarchs. The joint burial by Esau and Jacob indicates a final, peaceful reconciliation between the brothers, fulfilling the promise that he would be 'gathered unto his people.'

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Genesis35

Jacob Returns to Bethel and Purifies His Household

God Renews the Covenant and Renames Israel

The Death of Rachel

Reuben's Sin and the Twelve Sons of Jacob

The Death and Burial of Isaac

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