Genesis 35ESV
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Genesis35

English Standard Version

1 to , , to and there. an there to the who to you when you from your .

2So to his and to were with him, Put the that are you and and your .

3Then let us and to , so that I may there an to the who me in the of my and has been with me I have .

4So they to all the that they , and the that were in their . them under the that was near .

5And as they , a from fell upon the that were them, so that they did not the of .

6And to (that is, ), which is in the of , he and all the were with him,

7and there he an and the , because there had to him when he from his .

8And , , , and she was under an . So he its .

9 to again, when he from , and him.

10And to him, Your is ; shall your be , but shall be your . So he his .

11And to him, I am : be and . A and a of shall come from you, and shall from your own .

12The that I to and I will to you, and I will the to your you.

13Then from him in the where he had with him.

14And a in the where he had with him, a of . He a on it and on it.

15So the of the where had with him .

16Then they from . When they were some , went into , and she had .

17And when her was at its , the to her, Do not , for you have another .

18And as her was (for she was ), she his ; but his him .

19So , and she was on the to (that is, ),

20and a over her . It is the of , which is there to this .

21 and his the of .

22While in that , and with his . And of it. Now the of were .

23The of : ( ), , , , , and .

24The of : and .

25The of , : and .

26The of , : and . These were the of who were to him in .

27And to his at , or (that is, ), where and had .

28Now the of were .

29And breathed his , and he and was to his , and of . And his and him.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Genesis 35.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: God commands Jacob to go to Beth-el, He puts away idols from his family. (1–5). Jacob builds an altar, Death of Deborah, God blesses Jacob. (6–15). Death of Rachel. (16–20). Reuben's crime, The death of Isaac. (21–29).

vv1-5

Beth-el was forgotten. But as many as God loves, he will remind of neglected duties, one way or other, by conscience or by providences. When we have vowed a vow to God, it is best not to defer the payment of it; yet better late than never. Jacob commanded his household to prepare, not only for the journey and removal, but for religious services. Masters of families should use their authority to keep up religion in their families, Jos 24:15. They must put away strange gods. In families where there is a face of religion, and an altar to God, yet many times there is much amiss, and more strange gods than one would suppose. They must be clean, and change their garments. These were but outward ceremonies, signifying the purifying and change of the heart. What are clean clothes, and new clothes, without a clean heart, and a new heart? If Jacob had called for these idols sooner, they had parted with them sooner. Sometimes attempts for reformation succeed better than we could have thought. Jacob buried their images. We must be wholly separated from our sins, as we are from those that are dead and buried out of sight. He removed from Shechem to Beth-el. Though the Canaanites were very angry against the sons of Jacob for their barbarous usage of the Shechemites, yet they were so kept back by Divine power, that they could not take the opportunity now offered to avenge them. The way of duty is the way of safety. When we are about God's work, we are under special protection; God is with us, while we are with him; and if He be for us, who can be against us? God governs the world more by secret terrors on men's minds than we are aware of.

vv6-15

The comfort the saints have in holy ordinances, is not so much from Beth-el, the house of God, as from El-beth-el, the God of the house. The ordinances are empty things, if we do not meet with God in them. There Jacob buried Deborah, Rebekah's nurse. She died much lamented. Old servants in a family, that have in their time been faithful and useful, ought to be respected. God appeared to Jacob. He renewed the covenant with him. I am God Almighty, God all-sufficient, able to make good the promise in due time, and to support thee and provide for thee in the mean time. Two things are promised; that he should be the father of a great nation, and that he should be the master of a good land. These two promises had a spiritual signification, which Jacob had some notion of, though not so clear and distinct as we now have. Christ is the promised Seed, and heaven is the promised land; the former is the foundation, and the latter the top-stone, of all God's favours.

vv16-20

Rachel had passionately said, Give me children, or else I die; and now that she had children, she died! The death of the body is but the departure of the soul to the world of spirits. When shall we learn that it is God alone who really knows what is best for his people, and that in all worldly affairs the safest path for the Christian is to say from the heart, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. Here alone is our safety and our comfort, to know no will but his. Her dying lips called her newborn son Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow; and many a son proves to be the heaviness of her that bare him. Children are enough the sorrow of their mothers; they should, therefore, when they grow up, study to be their joy, and so, if possible, to make them some amends. But Jacob, because he would not renew the sorrowful remembrance of the mother's death every time he called his son, changed his name to Benjamin, the son of my right hand: that is, very dear to me; the support of my age, like the staff in my right hand.

Cross References

Genesis 35

The initial vow and divine encounter at Bethel which Jacob is now commanded to perform.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB

v10Genesis 32:28thematic

The formal confirmation of Jacob's name change to Israel, originally given at Peniel.

Supported by John Calvin

v22Genesis 49:4thematic

Jacob's dying prophecy denouncing Reuben for defiling his couch with Bilhah.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v221 Chronicles 5:1thematic

Explains that Reuben lost his birthright because he defiled his father's bed.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v2Genesis 31:19thematic

Rachel's theft of Laban's household idols (teraphim) which are now purged and buried.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v11Genesis 17:1thematic

Revelation of God as El Shaddai (God Almighty), repeating the covenant formula given to Abraham.

Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin

v29Genesis 25:9thematic

Parallels Isaac and Ishmael burying Abraham; here, estranged brothers Esau and Jacob bury Isaac.

Supported by Matthew Henry

The distress and flight from Esau that prompted the original journey to Bethel.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v2Joshua 24:15thematic

Patriarchal responsibility to purge household idolatry and lead the family in true worship.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v2Exodus 19:10thematic

Ceremonial washing and changing garments as outward signs of internal sanctification before meeting God.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v3Psalms 66:13thematic

Resolving to pay vows made to God in the day of deep distress.

Supported by JFB

v5Exodus 23:27thematic

The 'terror of God' fell upon Canaanite cities, preventing pursuit of Jacob's family.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v8Genesis 24:59thematic

Deborah was Rebekah's nurse who originally accompanied her from Mesopotamia.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v29Genesis 27:41contrast

Esau previously vowed to kill Jacob after Isaac's death, but they bury him together in peace.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v29Genesis 49:31thematic

Confirms Isaac's burial place in the cave of Machpelah alongside Abraham and Sarah.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin

The danger of delaying or neglecting to pay vows made to God.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v4Hosea 2:13thematic

Earrings used as superstitious amulets or associated with false worship are discarded.

Supported by JFB

v16Genesis 30:1thematic

Rachel's earlier desperate demand for children contrastingly ends in her death during childbirth.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v181 Samuel 4:20thematic

A parallel of a mother dying in childbirth, receiving comfort about her newborn son.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v19Micah 5:2thematic

Rachel's burial place at Ephrath is identified with Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v222 Samuel 16:22thematic

Absalom's public sin with David's concubines echoes Reuben's violation of Jacob's concubine.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v29Genesis 27:2thematic

Isaac lived about forty years after thinking his death was imminent.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v21Micah 4:8allusion

Prophetic mention of 'the tower of the flock' (Migdal Eder), where Israel pitched tent.

Supported by Matthew Henry

The Mosaic law pronounces a curse on anyone who lies with his father's wife.

Supported by Matthew Henry

Paul condemns incest with a father's wife, a sin not even tolerated among pagans.

Supported by Matthew Henry