Genesis 35

Genesis 35 marks the return of Jacob to Bethel to fulfill his vow to God, signaling a transition in the patriarchal narrative from the chaotic events at Shechem to the establishment of the family in Canaan. It is a chapter characterized by covenant renewal, the purging of idolatry, and significant familial transitions marked by both joy and loss.

• God commands Jacob to return to Bethel and build an altar, leading Jacob to command his household to purge themselves of foreign gods.
• The family travels to Bethel, protected by the 'terror of God,' where Jacob builds an altar at El-Bethel.
• God appears to Jacob, reaffirms the name change to Israel, and reiterates the covenant promises of land and a multitude of descendants.
• The narrative recounts the death of Deborah, the death of Rachel during the birth of Benjamin, and Reuben's act of defiling Jacob's concubine.
• The chapter concludes with Jacob's arrival at Mamre and the death of his father, Isaac.

• Bethel/El-Bethel
• Strange gods and earrings hidden under the oak at Shechem
• The terror of God (חִתָּה)
• Ben-oni (son of my sorrow) renamed Benjamin (son of my right hand)
• Reuben's sin with Bilhah
• Death of Isaac at 180 years old

This chapter is the climax of Jacob's journey back to the place of his original divine encounter, emphasizing that the blessing of the covenant is tied to total devotion to God alone. Matthew Henry observes that even in families with a face of religion and an altar to God, there is often much amiss, and Jacob's need to purge the 'strange gods' highlights the ongoing necessity of repentance and reformation.

Faithfulness to God requires the intentional removal of all idols, even those hidden within one's own house, in order to fully embrace the promise of His presence.

The chapter follows a downward and then upward movement: the household must descend into self-examination and purgation to ascend to the holy place of Bethel, followed by a sequence of life-altering family tragedies and the final transition of leadership to the next generation.

• 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 (Genesis 35:11)
• 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 (Genesis 35:12)

• Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there (Genesis 35:1)
• Make there an altar unto God (Genesis 35:1)
• Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments (Genesis 35:2)

• The narrative immediately follows the events of Genesis 34, where Simeon and Levi slaughtered the men of Shechem. The 'terror of God' is the only thing preventing a retaliatory attack from neighboring tribes.

• The burial of idols under a terebinth tree was a way of desecrating them and removing them from use. The act of pouring a drink offering and oil on a pillar (v. 14) was a ritual acknowledgment of a sacred site.
• Rachel's death in childbirth and her naming of the child reflect the cultural weight placed on childbirth, while Jacob's renaming reflects the patriarch's authority to establish the child's identity.

• This passage functions as a 'bookend' to Jacob's life in the northern region; he has now returned to the land of his father and is transitioning toward the final stage of his life as the elder patriarch.
• The list of the twelve sons in verses 23-26 serves as a summary of the 'house of Jacob' before the narrative shifts to the life of Joseph.

• Jacob's return to Bethel fulfills the vow he made in Genesis 28:20-22. The promise of 'kings' (v. 11) looks forward to the establishment of the Davidic throne in Israel's history.
• The death of Rachel is later referenced by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15) and serves as a backdrop for the narrative of the return from exile.

• Genesis 28:10-22 (The original vision at Bethel is referenced as the place where God answered Jacob).
• Genesis 32:28 (Re-affirming the name 'Israel').

• God (אֱלֹהִים H430): Used here as the majestic, plural form of the supreme Deity.
• Terror of God (חִתָּה H2847): Suggests a divine, supernatural dread or panic inflicted by God upon the surrounding nations.
• Purify yourselves (טָהֵר H2891): Carries the sense of being 'Levitically uncontaminated' or morally set apart.
• God Almighty (אֵל שַׁדַּי): A title emphasizing God's omnipotence and sufficiency as the Provider.

• That Jacob's family possessed 'strange gods' despite his previous experience with God suggests that the influence of Laban's household or the culture of Shechem had not been fully eradicated until this moment of deliberate reform.
• The distinction between Ben-oni (his mother's perspective of sorrow) and Benjamin (the father's perspective of strength and right-hand favor).

• The exact location of the 'tower of Edar' (v. 21) is geographically ambiguous.
• The specific age difference between the birth of Benjamin and the death of Isaac is not explicitly stated in a timeline, requiring careful reading of the final verses.