1
God said to Jacob, “Get ready, go up to Bethel, live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from 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 us get ready and go up to Bethel; I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me on the way that I have gone.”
4
So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob buried them under the great tree near Shechem.
5
After that they set out. And the terror from God came upon the cities around them, so that the sons of Jacob were not pursued.
6
Then Jacob came to Luz in the land of Canaan — that is, Bethel — he and all the people who were with him.
7
There he built an altar, and he called the place El-Bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.
8
Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the great tree, which was named The Tree of Weeping.
9
After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.
10
God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; from now on your name shall not be Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So God named him Israel.
11
God also said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation, even a company of nations, shall come from you, and kings shall come from you.
12
And the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac I will give to you, and to your offspring after you.”
13
Then God went up from Jacob, from the place where he had spoken with him.
14
And Jacob set up a pillar in that place, a stone pillar; he poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.
15
Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
16
Then they set out from Bethel. When they were not far from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and her labor was very hard.
17
And when she was in very hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid; this time too you will have a son.”
18
And as she was breathing her last — for she died afterward — she named the child Ben-oni, but his father named him Benjamin.
19
Thus Rachel died, and she was buried beside the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem.
20
Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
21
Then Israel journeyed on, and pitched his tent beyond Migdal-Eder.
22
While Israel lived in that land, it happened that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine; and Israel heard of it.
(35-22b) Now the sons of Jacob were twelve in number.
23
The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25
And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali.
26
And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-Aram.
27
Then Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba — that is, Hebron — where Abraham and Isaac had lived as foreigners.
28
Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.
29
Then Isaac breathed his last, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days; and Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.
🛐🕊️ Summary of Genesis 35
This chapter is a moment of spiritual restoration for Jacob, while also recounting several important events in his family — from the renewal of the covenant, Rachel’s death, to the death of his father, Isaac.
1. God Commands Jacob to Bethel (verses 1–15)
- The Lord spoke, telling Jacob to go to Bethel, the place where he had once built an altar.
- Jacob told his household to put away the idols, cleanse themselves, and change their garments — a sign of repentance.
- Jacob built an altar and named the place El-Bethel (“God of Bethel”).
- The Lord appeared and renewed the promise of Abraham:
“Your name is Israel… a nation and a company of nations shall come from you.”
- The place was marked with a stone and a drink offering as a holy memorial.
2. Rachel’s Death and Benjamin’s Birth (verses 16–20)
- On the journey, Rachel gave birth to her second child in pain and named him Ben-Oni (“son of my sorrow”), but Jacob named him Benjamin (“son of my right hand”).
- Rachel died and was buried in Bethlehem. Jacob set up a pillar over her grave.
3. Reuben’s Sin and the List of Jacob’s Sons (verses 21–26)
- Reuben lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine — a shameful act that later cost him his birthright (Gen. 49:3–4).
- The list of Jacob’s 12 sons is given here in full.
4. The Death of Isaac (verses 27–29)
- Jacob returned to Hebron, where Isaac lived.
- Isaac died at the age of 180 years, and was buried by Esau and Jacob together.
📖 Main Lessons
- Spiritual restoration begins with repentance and cleansing from idols.
- God faithfully renews His promise to those who return to obedience.
- Every important moment (birth, death, meeting with God) should be marked and remembered spiritually.
- Personal sin can damage the future and the inheritance of blessing.
- Even though Jacob’s family was not perfect, God continued to work among them.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Bethel became a symbol of a spiritual turning point — when Jacob cleansed his life and his family, the Lord renewed His promise and his identity.
- The change of name from Jacob to Israel is reaffirmed, marking the transition from deceiver to leader of God’s people.
- Rachel’s tragic death, yet the birth of Benjamin, reminds us that blessing sometimes comes through suffering.
- Reuben’s sin is a warning that personal failure can affect a lineage and the history of salvation.
- Isaac’s death shows the fulfillment of generations, and the reconciliation of Esau and Jacob that remained intact.
