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

1
And 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. ​
2
Then 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: ​
3
And 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.
4
And 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. ​
5
And 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. ​
6
So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
7
And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. ​
8
But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth. ​

God Renews the Covenant and Renames Israel

9
And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. ​
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And 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.
11
And 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; ​
12
And 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.
13
And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.
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And 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.
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And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

The Death of Rachel

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And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
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And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
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And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. ​
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And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. ​
20
And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

Reuben's Sin and the Twelve Sons of Jacob

21
And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.
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And 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: ​
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The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:
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The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:
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And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:
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And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.

The Death and Burial of Isaac

27
And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. ​
28
And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
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And 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. ​

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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