Genesis Chapter 35
Showing all 29 verses for Genesis Chapter 35.
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"And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. "
"God said to Jacob, 'Get up, go to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.'"
God calls Jacob back to Bethel, the very place of his earlier transformative encounter. Sometimes God calls you back to a place or practice of earlier faithfulness, not because you've failed, but because it's time to renew what began there.
"Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: "
"Jacob said to his household and everyone with him, 'Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes.'"
Jacob instructs his household to put away foreign idols before approaching God together. Real, honest preparation, clearing away whatever competes for your devotion, matters before you can wholeheartedly meet with God.
"And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. "
"'Let's get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me when I was in trouble, and who has been with me on every journey I've made.'"
Jacob reminds his family that God answered him 'in the day of my distress.' Let your own testimony of God's faithfulness in hard times become something you actively share with the people closest to you, not just something you privately remember.
"And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. "
"So they handed over all the foreign idols they had and the earrings they were wearing, and Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem."
The family surrenders their idols and ornaments, and Jacob buries them completely. A genuine spiritual turning point often calls for decisively removing what needs to be left behind, not simply setting it quietly to one side.
"And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. "
"As they travelled, a great fear from God fell on the surrounding cities, so no one pursued Jacob's sons."
God causes a great fear to fall on the surrounding cities, protecting Jacob's vulnerable family. Trust that God can provide real protection in the aftermath of your own family's mistakes, even when the danger you're facing is partly of your own making.
"So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. "
"So Jacob arrived at Luz, in Canaan - that is, Bethel - along with everyone who was with him."
Jacob and his household arrive safely at Bethel, completing the journey God called them to. Obedience to a clear calling, even a difficult or lengthy one, brings you to exactly where God intended you to be.
"And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. "
"There he built an altar and named the site El-Bethel, meaning 'God of Bethel,' because that was where God had appeared to him when he was fleeing from his brother."
Jacob builds an altar and names the place after God, honouring the earlier revelation he received there. Returning to honour a place or moment where God once met you is a meaningful way to keep His faithfulness alive in your memory.
"But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth. "
"Deborah, Rebekah's old nurse, died and was buried beneath Bethel, under an oak tree that was named Allon-bachuth, meaning 'oak of weeping.'"
Deborah's death is recorded with real tenderness, and the family names the place for their grief. Let genuine grief for a beloved, faithful presence in your life be honoured and named, not brushed past as though it were insignificant.
"And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. "
"God appeared to Jacob again, now that he had returned from Paddan-aram, and blessed him."
God appears to Jacob again upon his return, blessing him once more. God's presence in your life isn't a single, one-time event; He continues to meet and bless you again and again throughout an ongoing relationship.
"And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. "
"God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob - your name will be Israel.' And he called him Israel."
God confirms Jacob's new name, Israel, cementing the identity given to him earlier. A significant, God-given change in your identity deserves to be reaffirmed and lived into over time, not just experienced once and forgotten.
"And God said unto him, 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; "
"God also said, 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and increase in number - a nation, in fact a whole community of nations, will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.'"
God introduces Himself as 'God Almighty,' promising a nation and kings will come from Jacob. Let the scale of God's ambition for your life and legacy stretch your own expectations beyond what feels currently possible.
"And 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. "
"'The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I now give to you, and to your descendants after you.'"
God reaffirms the promise of land first given to Abraham, now extended to Jacob directly. Trust that the promises God made to those who came before you are genuinely renewed and personally extended to you in your own generation.
"And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. "
"Then God withdrew from him, from the place where they had spoken."
God departs after speaking, having said what needed to be said in this encounter. Not every meaningful encounter with God needs to be prolonged; let it be complete when it's complete, and trust what was said in it.
"And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. "
"Jacob set up a stone pillar at the spot where God had spoken with him, and poured a drink offering and oil over it."
Jacob marks the place with a stone pillar and a drink offering, an act of worship and remembrance. Physical, deliberate acts of worship can help anchor a significant spiritual moment more deeply in your memory than words alone.
"And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel. "
"Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel."
Jacob names the place Bethel once more, reaffirming its significance. Some places and moments deserve to be named and renamed in your own life, keeping their significance alive as your relationship with God continues to grow.
"And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. "
"They set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labour, and it was a difficult birth."
Rachel goes into hard labour as the family travels on from Bethel. Real hardship can arrive right on the heels of a genuine spiritual high point; one doesn't cancel out the other, and both deserve to be met honestly.
"And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. "
"During the difficult labour, the midwife said to her, 'Don't be afraid - you're going to have this son too.'"
The midwife offers Rachel comfort and hope even in the midst of severe distress. Offering genuine comfort and hope to someone in acute suffering, even when you can't change their circumstances, is a real and valuable gift.
"And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. "
"As she was dying, with her last breath she named him Ben-oni, meaning 'son of my sorrow' - but his father named him Benjamin instead."
Rachel names her son 'son of my sorrow' as she dies, while Jacob renames him 'son of my strength.' Grief and hope can be held by different people, or even by the same person at different times, over the very same loss; both responses are real and valid.
"And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. "
"Rachel died and was buried on the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem."
Rachel dies and is buried along the road, a profound loss for Jacob and his family. Let real loss be named honestly and mourned fully, even amid an otherwise full and eventful season of life.
"And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day. "
"Jacob set up a pillar over her grave, and it is still known as Rachel's grave to this day."
Jacob marks Rachel's grave with a lasting monument. Marking the resting places and memories of those you've loved and lost is a meaningful way to honour them for years to come.
"And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. "
"Israel moved on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder."
Jacob continues his journey, carrying his grief forward as life goes on. Grief doesn't require your life to stop entirely; you can carry real sorrow forward while still moving faithfully into whatever comes next.
"And it came to pass, when Israel in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"While Israel was living in that region, Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel found out about it. Now Jacob had twelve sons in total:"
Reuben commits a serious betrayal against his father, and it isn't hidden or excused. Even a family shaped by real faith is not immune to serious failures; Scripture doesn't hide this reality, and neither should you pretend your own family is beyond it.
"The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: "
"Leah's sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun."
Leah's six sons are listed, forming much of the future tribal structure. Every person's place within a family's larger story matters, even when their contribution is simply being counted among those who came before.
"The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: "
"Rachel's sons: Joseph and Benjamin."
Rachel's two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, are named, marking her lasting legacy. A person's legacy can live on richly through the people they loved and raised, even after their own life has ended.
"And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: "
"The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali."
Bilhah's sons are named, honoured as part of the full family record. Every member of a family, whatever their role or status, deserves to be counted and named with genuine dignity.
"And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram. "
"The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram."
Zilpah's sons complete the list of twelve, born during Jacob's years in Padanaram. A long, complicated season of your life can still produce something whole and complete, even when it wasn't seamless as it happened.
"And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. "
"Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived."
Jacob returns to his father Isaac at Hebron, reconnecting with his family's roots. Staying connected to your family's roots and the elders who shaped you is worth the effort, even after years of distance and change.
"And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. "
"Isaac lived to be a hundred and eighty years old."
Isaac's long life, 180 years, is recorded simply and honestly. A long life, well lived, deserves to be honoured plainly and with genuine gratitude for its fullness.
"And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. "
"Then Isaac breathed his last and died, joining his ancestors, old and having lived a full life; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him."
Esau and Jacob come together in peace to bury their father. Real reconciliation, once achieved, can hold steady enough to bring two people together again for what matters most, even after a lifetime of complicated history.