Genesis 35

This chapter concludes the Jacob narrative in the latter part of Genesis. It begins with Jacob's household setting out for Bethel after the events at Shechem in Genesis 34 and ends with the death of Isaac, leading into the genealogy of Esau in Genesis 36.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 God tells Jacob to go up to Bethel and build an altar there. Jacob gathers the foreign idols and earrings, buries them under the oak near Shechem, and departs. The surrounding cities are seized with terror, and no one pursues them.
• Verses 6–8 Jacob arrives at Luz, that is, Bethel, builds an altar, and calls the place El-bethel ("the God of Bethel"). Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, dies and is buried at Allon-bachuth ("the oak of weeping").
• Verses 9–15 God appears to Jacob again, gives him the name Israel, and promises him descendants and the land. Jacob sets up a stone pillar and pours a drink offering and oil on it.
• Verses 16–20 On the way to Ephrath, Rachel gives birth to a son after hard labor and dies. Rachel names him Benoni ("son of my sorrow"), but Jacob calls him Benjamin ("son of the right hand") and sets up a pillar over her grave.
• Verses 21–26 While Israel is dwelling beyond the tower of Edar, Reuben lies with Bilhah. The twelve sons are then listed according to their four mothers.
• Verses 27–29 Jacob comes to Isaac at Hebron. Isaac dies at the age of 180, and Esau and Jacob bury him.

Key Verses

• Genesis 35:2 "Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments" — cited as a model of putting away idols and purifying oneself before worship.
• Genesis 35:10 "Israel shall be thy name" — the renaming in Genesis 32 is proclaimed again at Bethel.
• Genesis 35:11 "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply" — the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 17 is passed on to Jacob.

People and Places

• Jacob, Rachel, Isaac, Esau
• Deborah — the nurse of Rebekah; not to be confused with Deborah the judge.
• Reuben — Jacob's firstborn son. Benjamin — Jacob's youngest son.
• Bilhah and Zilpah — the maidservants of Rachel and Leah.
• Bethel — formerly called Luz. It is where Jacob met God while fleeing from his brother (Jacob's Ladder).
• Ephrath — the text identifies it as Bethlehem.
• Hebron — Mamre, at Kirjath-arba, where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.

Points to Consider

• The renaming as Israel appears twice, in chapters 32 and 35. Traditionally, the second account is read as a confirmation at Bethel of the earlier declaration, while some critical scholars regard the two as distinct traditions preserved side by side.
• The text does not explain why the earrings were buried along with the idols. One interpretation views them as amulets associated with idolatry.
• Reuben's act becomes the grounds in Genesis 49 for his losing the preeminence of the firstborn, and 1 Chronicles 5:1 records that the birthright passed to the sons of Joseph.
• 1 Samuel 10:2 places Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the border of Benjamin, and views differ on the tomb's location.
• In Matthew 2, verse 18 interprets Herod's massacre of the infants through verse 15 of Jeremiah 31, which speaks of Rachel weeping.

In Korean Churches

The phrase "Let us go up to Bethel" is frequently used in sermons as a call to return to one's first devotion in faith, and Genesis 35:1–7 is a common text for revival meetings and New Year's sermons.