Genesis 35
Big idea: God calls Jacob back to the place he vowed to return to, and the household changes before it travels: bury the foreign gods, purify yourselves, change your clothes. They go up, and a terror of God keeps the cities from pursuing. At Bethel the altar is built and the vow of chapter 28 is kept, and God appears again to confirm the name Israel and the promise of nations and kings. Then the chapter turns to loss, one grave at a time: Deborah under the oak, Rachel on the road to Ephrath naming her son Son of My Sorrow while her husband renames him Son of the Right Hand, Reuben disgracing himself with his father's concubine, and finally Isaac dying at 180, buried by both his sons. The twelve are listed. A generation ends.
Chapter 35 closes the patriarchs' generation and lists the twelve sons. Chapter 36 records Esau's line in full and sets it aside; chapter 37 turns to the son who is already the favourite.
35:1–8 — Put away the foreign gods
God tells Jacob to go up to Bethel and make an altar there — to the God who appeared to him when he fled from Esau. Jacob tells his household to put away the foreign gods, purify themselves and change their clothes, and they hand over their idols and earrings, which he buries under the oak at Shechem. As they travel, a terror of God is on the cities around them, and no one pursues. At Bethel he builds the altar and names the place El Bethel. Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, dies and is buried under an oak they name the Oak of Weeping.
1 God 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.” 2 Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Let’s 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.” 4 They 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. 5 They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they didn’t pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 He 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. 8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.
35:9–15 — Your name is Israel
God appears to Jacob again on his return from Paddan Aram and blesses him, confirming the new name: your name will not be Jacob any more, but Israel. He identifies himself as God Almighty and repeats the whole promise — be fruitful and multiply, a nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings from your body; and the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I give to you and your offspring. Jacob sets up a pillar of stone, pours a drink offering and oil on it, and names the place Bethel.
9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him. 10 God 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. 11 God 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. 12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you I will give the land.” 13 God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. 14 Jacob 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. 15 Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him “Bethel”.
35:16–29 — Rachel's grave, and Isaac's
On the road to Ephrath Rachel goes into hard labour and dies bearing a son. With her last breath she names him Benoni, son of my sorrow; his father renames him Benjamin, son of the right hand. She is buried on the way to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem, and Jacob sets a pillar on her grave. Then Reuben lies with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel hears of it — one flat sentence. The twelve sons are listed by mother. Jacob comes at last to Isaac at Mamre, and Isaac dies at a hundred and eighty, gathered to his people, buried by Esau and Jacob.
16 They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor. 17 When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.” 18 As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin. 19 Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. 21 Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While 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. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah (Rachel’s servant): Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah (Leah’s servant): Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram. 27 Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners. 28 The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years. 29 Isaac gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).