Genesis Chapter 35 in Simple English

Read Genesis Chapter 35

1God said to Jacob, "Get up, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau."

2Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you. Make yourselves clean, and change your clothes."

3"Let us get up and go to Bethel. There I will make an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my trouble, and was with me on the road I travelled."

4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and all the earrings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.

5Then they set out. The terror of God fell on the cities around them, so they did not chase after the sons of Jacob.

6So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people who were with him.

7There he built an altar, and he called the place Elbethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from his brother.

8But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died. She was buried below Bethel under an oak tree, and its name was called Allonbachuth.

9God appeared to Jacob again when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

10God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. You will not be called Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel." So he called his name Israel.

11God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and increase. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body."

12"The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you. And to your descendants after you I will give the land."

13Then God went up from him, in the place where he had talked with him.

14Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God talked with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.

15Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him Bethel.

16They travelled on from Bethel. There was still a little way to go to Ephrath when Rachel began to give birth, and her labour was hard.

17While she was in hard labour, the midwife said to her, "Do not be afraid. You will have this son too."

18As her life was leaving her, for she was dying, she called his name Benoni. But his father called him Benjamin.

19So Rachel died, and she was buried on the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. That is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

21Israel travelled on, and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

22While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

23The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.

24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali.

26The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Padanaram.

27Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, to the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived as strangers.

28Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.

29Then Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. He was old and had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Explanation

Genesis 35

In short

God tells Jacob to return to Bethel and build an altar. Jacob obeys, purifies his household of foreign gods, and meets God again, who renames him Israel and promises him many descendants and the land of Canaan. On the journey afterward, Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin, and later Jacob's father Isaac dies and is buried by both his sons.

Context

Jacob has been living away from Canaan for many years. This chapter begins God's instruction to him to go back to Bethel, the place where Jacob once saw God in a vision when he was fleeing from his brother Esau. God is calling him to mark that sacred place with an altar and to reaffirm his covenant with Jacob.

What the text says

God commands Jacob to go to Bethel and build an altar (verse 1). Jacob tells his household to remove all foreign gods and idols they possess and to purify themselves (verses 2-3). The people give Jacob these items, including earrings, and he buries them under an oak tree (verse 4). As they travel, the surrounding cities do not attack them because of God's protective fear on the region (verse 5). Jacob arrives at Bethel (also called Luz), builds an altar there, and names the place Elbethel (verses 6-7). On the way, Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, dies and is buried there (verse 8). God appears to Jacob again and blesses him, renaming him Israel and promising him many descendants and the land (verses 9-12). Jacob sets up a stone pillar and makes an offering at this place (verses 13-15). Traveling onward, Rachel goes into hard labour and dies giving birth to a son (verses 16-19). Jacob names this son Benjamin and marks Rachel's grave with a pillar (verses 20). Later, Reuben lies with Bilhah, Jacob's concubine (verse 22). The text then lists all twelve sons of Jacob by their mothers (verses 23-26). Finally, Jacob comes to his father Isaac at Hebron, where Isaac dies at one hundred eighty years old, and both Esau and Jacob bury him (verses 27-29).

Takeaways

God's appearance and promise to Jacob at Bethel marks a turning point where Jacob becomes Israel, moving from flight and fear to established covenant and blessing.
Purification from foreign gods comes before Jacob meets God again, suggesting separation from idolatry was part of his preparation.
Major life events (Rachel's death, Isaac's death) follow the covenant renewal, showing how God's promise carries the family forward through loss and change.

Genesis 35 - Simple English