Old Testament Commentary - Genesis 35

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 35 God sends Jacob to Beth-el, where he builds an altar, and the Lord appears to him —He renews the promise that Jacob shall be a great nation, and that his name shall be Israel—Jacob sets up an altar and pours a drink offering—Rachel bears Benjamin, dies in childbirth, and is buried near Beth-lehem— Reuben sins with Bilhah—Isaac dies and is buried by Jacob and Esau.
1 AND God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there^a: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou ^afleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange ^agods that are among you, and be ^bclean, and change your garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my ^adistress, and was with me in the way which I went.	1^a dwell there This 'dwelling' at Bethel was not a long extended stay but only a mere encampment for the purpose of Jacob communing with the Lord. Remember Rachels has been expecting all this time since Jacob left Laban and the land of Padan-aram. This means that Jacob departed Padan-aram after which he was pursued by Laban and Laban met up with Jacob where Jacob had encamped early in his journey. After that Jacob encamped at least once more prior to meeting with Esau in which Jacob determined his strategy of how to approach Esau. After Jacob met with and was accepted by Esau, Jacob continue on to Shechem were the encamped and lived for a time, a few months. It was at this point that Dinah got herself into trouble at age about 13 with the prince of that land. This is were Simeon and Levi acted dishonorably as denoted by Jacob. Because of that event dealing with Dinah, Shechem, Simeon and Levi, Jacob was 'forced' to leave in disgrace and was told by God to travel to and stop at Bethel where Jacob would commune with God. It might of been well for Jacob to have stayed at Bethel longer, but he continues to journey even with Rachel finally now at the ending of her pregnancy. When Rachel does finally give birth, Jacob's party is just on the outskirts, a short distance or about a mile from Ephrath. All in all, it has been a very busy 8-9 months since Jacob departed Padan-aran to when Rachel dies in giving birth to Benjamin at the end of her pregnancy.	1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods^a 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. 5 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.	4^a they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods The Jews like to point fingers at Rachel at 'the' worshipper of 'strange gods' because she is he one who took the images from her father. But significant here is the plural 'they', which sets forth that any number of the others had 'strange gods' from Padan-aran. Rachel was not the sole offender. Jacob is here getting his house in order. Who knows but what Jacob gave up some items himself. In the case of Rachel, as well as the camp of Jacob, it is important to note that prior to her death she along with the others in the camp, repented. This was NOT a 'death-bed' repentance on the part of Rachel who was going to die a short time just this side of Ephrath. Rachel did not anticipate dying, her repentance was true and acceptable before the Lord. This would also have been the occation when Rachel received prophetic understanding that it was through her seed that the Messiah was to legally and rightfully come, Messiah ben Joseph, through her eldest son. This would have been known in Jacob's camp from that time on, and Jacob would have understood that Joseph was the 'chosen son'. Between Rachel's prophetic declaration, Jacob's favoring of Joseph, and Joseph's own prophetic dreams after Rachel's death, Joseph's brothers would have been further enduced to jealousy and rath against their 'younger brother' Joseph being proclaimed to 'rule over them' and be the chosen 'firstborn' of Israel, the heir of the covenant in every respect.. this	1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
6 ¶ So Jacob came to ^aLuz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Beth-el, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 But Deborah Rebekah's ^anurse died, and she was buried beneath Beth-el under an oak: and the name of it was called ^bAllon-bachuth.		1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
9 ¶ And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but ^aIsrael shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
11 And God said unto him, I am ^aGod Almighty: be ^bfruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of ^cnations shall be of thee, and ^dkings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the ^aland which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. 14 And Jacob set up a ^apillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a ^bdrink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el.
16 ¶ And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17 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.
18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she ^adied) that she called his name ^bBen-oni: but his father called him ^cBenjamin. 19 And ^aRachel died, and was buried in the way to ^bEphrath, which is Beth-lehem. 20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.
21 ¶ And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the ^atower of Edar. 22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and ^alay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the ^bsons of Jacob were ^ctwelve:
23 The sons of Leah; ^aReuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: 24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: 25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: 26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram.
27 ¶ And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28 And the ^adays of ^bIsaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was ^agathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob ^bburied him.