The Book of Genesis 29 Verses

Genesis 35

Jacob Returns to Bethel

Chapter 35 Overview · 29 Verses

1Then God said to Jacob: “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments. 3Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

4So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.

5As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. 6So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel (because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother).

8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth.

9After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

Genesis 35:1–9 Commentary

Returning to Bethel — Jacob Cleans House:

God commands Jacob to return to Bethel, and this time Jacob obeys without hesitation or bargaining — proof that the patriarch is finally learning spiritual maturity. After the massacre at Shechem, his sons had thoroughly looted the city, dragging pagan plunder, foreign idols, and captive women directly into the camp.

Jacob and Joshua — Burying Idols at Shechem:

Verse 2 (Genesis 35:2) tells you what Jacob ordered: “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you.” Verse 4 (Genesis 35:4) adds the detail that he buried them under an oak at Shechem. Fast-forward over five centuries into Israel’s future during the conquest to Joshua 24. Standing on that very same soil at Shechem, Joshua commands the nation to put away the foreign gods among them (Joshua 24:23)⁠, cuts a covenant there, and erects a memorial stone under the ancient oak beside the sanctuary of YAHWEH (Joshua 24:26)⁠. Same words, same place, same oak country, centuries apart. The gods Jacob’s household carried out of Mesopotamia were the same temptation Israel never fully shook, and Shechem is where both times the call was to bury them.

El-Bethel — Honoring the God Behind the Place:

By naming the site El-Bethel (“God of the House of God”), Jacob emphasizes not merely the sacred ground itself, but the living God who met him there twenty years earlier. Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse mentioned eleven chapters earlier back in Genesis 24:59⁠, dies and is buried here, apparently still an important figure in the family many years after accompanying Rebekah from Mesopotamia.

10And God said to him: “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.

11And God told him: “I am God Almighty: Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. 12The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

13Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him.

14So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. 15Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Genesis 35:10–15 Commentary

God Renames Israel and Promises Many Nations:

Jacob’s name had already been changed once before, three chapters earlier at Peniel in Genesis 32:28⁠; the divine repetition here at Bethel formally reaffirms and seals his covenant identity rather than indicating a second, separate renaming. God reiterates the covenant promises already given to Abraham and Isaac, echoing His earlier word seven chapters back in Genesis 28:3⁠. Notice God specifically says a nation and a company of nations will come from Jacob — that’s multiple nations descending from Israel, not just one. After God departs, Jacob sets up a pillar at the spot. Scholars are split on which pillar this is: either it’s a brand-new one, distinct from the one he erected at this same site twenty years earlier (Genesis 28:18–19)⁠, marking this sacred ground where God reaffirmed His covenant.

Qehal Goyim — A Sacred Assembly of Nations:

In verse 11 (Genesis 35:11)⁠, the phrase translated “a company of nations” is the Hebrew Qehal Goyim. Qahal would become the technical term in the Torah nearly five centuries later for the sacred assembly of Israel gathered before God at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 9:10) — later rendered ekklesia in the Greek Septuagint, the very word adopted for the congregation of believers throughout the New Testament. God is promising Jacob not merely genetic multiplication, but a global assembly drawn from many peoples, looking two millennia ahead to the day when the Apostle Paul reveals that Gentiles would be grafted into the commonwealth of Israel (Romans 11:17–24)⁠.

Benjamin Born, Rachel Dies

16Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”

18And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

Genesis 35:16–18 Commentary

Breathing Her Last — The Biblical Nature of Death:

While older English translations such as the ESV render the Hebrew of verse 18 (Genesis 35:18) literally as “as her soul was departing,” the original phrasing (tzeit naphshah) is simply a classic biblical idiom for taking one’s final breath — which the BSB accurately renders as “with her last breath — for she was dying.” In biblical Hebrew, nephesh never signifies an immortal, disembodied spirit that floats away to heaven at death; it denotes a living, breathing creature. Throughout Scripture, death is an unconscious sleep awaiting the resurrection, as Yeshua Himself declared regarding Lazarus two millennia later in John 11:11–14 and the Apostle Paul reiterated in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–16⁠. Rachel did not enter conscious bliss in the sky; she breathed her last physical breath and fell asleep in death.

From Ben-Oni to Benjamin — Grief to Strength:

Rachel names her son Ben-Oni, traditionally translated Son of My Sorrow, though the underlying Hebrew word, On, more literally carries the sense of vigor or strength — so the name may just as easily mean son of my strength spent, the last of her life poured out to bring him into the world. Either reading lands on the same grief. Jacob overrides the name and calls him Benjamin, meaning Son of the Right Hand — a designation that takes on profound significance thirteen chapters later when Jacob deliberately crosses his arms to place his right hand on Ephraim, Joseph’s younger son (Genesis 48:13–14)⁠.

19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave (it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day).

The Sons of Jacob (1 Chronicles 2:1–2)

21Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. 22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:

23The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

25The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

26And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

Genesis 35:19–26 Commentary

Rachel’s Tomb Endures as a Biblical Landmark:

Rachel is buried on the road to Bethlehem. Jacob tenderly recalls her resting place on his deathbed thirteen chapters ahead in Genesis 48:7⁠, and the site remained a prominent geographic beacon throughout Israel’s history, referenced nearly a thousand years later during the era of the kings in 1 Samuel 10:2⁠.

Rachel Weeps — Echoes in Jeremiah and Matthew:

Rachel’s roadside burial outside Bethlehem establishes an evocative prophetic connection that echoes across biblical history. Over twelve centuries later during the Babylonian captivity, the prophet Jeremiah personified the matriarch weeping from her nearby tomb as Judah’s children were marched into exile past Ramah (Jeremiah 31:15)⁠. Nearly two millennia down the road in the Gospels, Matthew applied this exact imagery to the tragic slaughter of the male infants in Bethlehem under King Herod (Matthew 2:17–18)⁠. In both passages, Rachel personifies Israel’s sorrow over lost children; yet Jeremiah immediately couples her grief with divine comfort, promising that her children will return from the land of the enemy (Jeremiah 31:16–17)⁠—pointing forward to the resurrection of the dead.

Reuben’s Treachery Costs Him the Birthright:

Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid who had already borne Dan and Naphtali to Jacob, is the woman Reuben violates in an audacious play for patriarchal authority. That single reckless betrayal ultimately strips Reuben of his firstborn inheritance — as Jacob’s fiery deathbed judgment will confirm fourteen chapters ahead at the close of Genesis (Genesis 49:3–4)⁠, and as the chronicler records fifteen centuries down the line in 1 Chronicles 5:1⁠.

Israel’s Twelve Sons — The Matriarchal Roster:

Jacob’s special affection clearly rests with Rachel and her two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. The covenant line divides across four matriarchs: Leah bears Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; Rachel bears Joseph and Benjamin; Bilhah bears Dan and Naphtali; Zilpah bears Gad and Asher.

The Death of Isaac

27Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

28And Isaac lived 180 years. 29Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 35:27–29 Commentary

Isaac Dies at 180 as Human Lifespans Decline:

Human lifespans continue their steady post-Flood decline, consistent with God’s decree twenty-nine chapters earlier back before the Flood in Genesis 6:3⁠: Noah lived 950 years, Shem 600, Arphaxad 438, Salah 433, Eber 464, Peleg 239, Reu 239, Serug 230, Nahor 148, Terah 205, Abraham 175, Isaac 180, Jacob 147, and Moses, the human author of the book of Genesis, will eventually die centuries later at 120 years — a gradual winding down that reflects the unfolding fulfillment of God’s ancient declaration.

Reunited to Bury Isaac — A Claim on Canaan:

The cave of Machpelah isn’t just a family plot; it’s the ultimate covenant anchor in Canaan, holding Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and eventually Jacob, as recorded fourteen chapters ahead near the close of the book in Genesis 49:29–31⁠. Even in death, the patriarchs stake an undeniable legal title to the Promised Land.

Genesis 35 Footnotes

Genesis 35 · Footnote 810 (Joshua 24:23): Joshua 24:23 — “Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to YAHWEH, the God of Israel.”

Genesis 35 · Footnote 811 (Joshua 24:26): Joshua 24:26 — Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was near the sanctuary of YAHWEH.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 812 (Genesis 24:59): Genesis 24:59 — So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 813 (Genesis 32:28): Genesis 32:28 — Then the Man said: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”

Genesis 35 · Footnote 814 (Genesis 28:3): Genesis 28:3 — May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 815 (Genesis 28:18–19): Genesis 28:18–19 — 18Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, 19and he called that place Bethel (though previously the city had been named Luz).

Genesis 35 · Footnote 816 (Deuteronomy 9:10): Deuteronomy 9:10 — Then YAHWEH gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by the finger of God with the exact words that YAHWEH spoke to you out of the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 817 (Romans 11:17–24): Romans 11:17–24 — 17Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either. 22 Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And if they also do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

Genesis 35 · Footnote 818 (John 11:11–14): John 11:11–14 — 11After He had said this, He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.” 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better.” 13 They thought that Yeshua was talking about actual sleep, but He was speaking about the death of Lazarus. 14 So Yeshua told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,

Genesis 35 · Footnote 819 (1 Thessalonians 4:13–16): 1 Thessalonians 4:13–16 — 13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. 14 For since we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Yeshua those who have fallen asleep in Him. 15 By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will be the first to rise.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 820 (Genesis 48:13–14): Genesis 48:13–14 — 13And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him. 14But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head (although Manasseh was the firstborn).

Genesis 35 · Footnote 821 (1 Chronicles 2:1–2): 1 Chronicles 2:1–2 — 1These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 822 (Genesis 48:7): Genesis 48:7 — Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

Genesis 35 · Footnote 823 (1 Samuel 10:2): 1 Samuel 10:2 — When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’

Genesis 35 · Footnote 824 (Jeremiah 31:15): Jeremiah 31:15 — This is what YAHWEH says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Genesis 35 · Footnote 825 (Matthew 2:17–18): Matthew 2:17–18 — 17Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Genesis 35 · Footnote 826 (Jeremiah 31:16–17): Jeremiah 31:16–17 — 16This is what YAHWEH says: “Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come, declares YAHWEH. Then your children will return from the land of the enemy. 17 So there is hope for your future, declares YAHWEH, and your children will return to their own land.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 827 (Genesis 49:3–4): Genesis 49:3–4 — 3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. 4Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 828 (1 Chronicles 5:1): 1 Chronicles 5:1 — These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 829 (Genesis 6:3): Genesis 6:3 — So YAHWEH said: “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”

Genesis 35 · Footnote 830 (Genesis 49:29–31): Genesis 49:29–31 — 29Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me, all of you, with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1248 (Genesis 35:2): Genesis 35:2 — So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1249 (Genesis 35:4): Genesis 35:4 — So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1250 (Genesis 35:11): Genesis 35:11 — And God told him: “I am God Almighty: Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1251 (Genesis 35:18): Genesis 35:18 — And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1478 (Genesis 35:1–9): Genesis 35:1–9 — 1Then God said to Jacob: “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments. 3Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem. 5As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. 6So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel (because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother). 8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth. 9After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1479 (Genesis 35:10–15): Genesis 35:10–15 — 10And God said to him: “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel. 11And God told him: “I am God Almighty: Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. 12The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him. 14So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. 15Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1480 (Genesis 35:16–18): Genesis 35:16–18 — 16Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.” 18And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1481 (Genesis 35:19–26): Genesis 35:19–26 — 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave (it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day). 21Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. 22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons: 23The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. 26And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.The Death of Isaac

Genesis 35 · Footnote 1482 (Genesis 35:27–29): Genesis 35:27–29 — 27Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28And Isaac lived 180 years. 29Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.