May 21, 2025

DAILY BIBLE READING

Genesis 35 – Jacob Returns to Bethel, Is Confirmed as Israel, and Experiences Loss and Promise

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Bible Text – Genesis 35 (KJV)

¹ 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.

² 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:

³ 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.

⁴ 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.

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.

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

⁷ 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.

⁸ But Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

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

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ 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;

¹² 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.

¹³ And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

¹⁶ And they journeyed from Bethel; 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 died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

¹⁹ And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

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 tower of Edar.

²² And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt 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:

²³ The sons of Leah; Reuben, 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 Padanaram.

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 days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

²⁹ 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.

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Introduction

After turbulent years marked by cunning, conflict, flight, and inner struggle, Jacob returns to the place where God once met him: Bethel. There God renews His covenant, Jacob purges his household of foreign gods, and he builds an altar. Yet this homecoming is laced with sorrow: Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin, Reuben sins against his father’s concubine, and Isaac finally passes away. Genesis 35 is a chapter of contrasts — new beginnings and farewells, blessing and sin — but above all, it shows God’s faithfulness guiding Jacob toward the fulfillment of His promise.

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Commentary

1.God’s Call to Return to Bethel (vv. 1–5)

God summons Jacob back to Bethel to build an altar, prompting a spiritual and communal reorientation. Jacob responds decisively: all foreign gods are cast aside, garments are changed, and purification precedes the journey. In turn, God’s protective presence silences any pursuers — a quiet but profound demonstration of His power and care.

2.Jacob Builds an Altar and God Confirms His Promise (vv. 6–15)

At Bethel, where Jacob first encountered God in his flight, he erects an altar. God reappears, renames him Israel, and reiterates the Abrahamic promises: fruitfulness, nationhood, kingship, and inheritance of the land. Jacob’s worship—drink offering and anointing the pillar—seals this renewed covenant relationship.

3.Death of Rachel and Birth of Benjamin (vv. 16–20)

On the road to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel dies during Benjamin’s birth. In her final moments she calls him Ben-oni (“son of my sorrow”), though Jacob renames him Benjamin (“son of the right hand” or “son of fortune”). The juxtaposition of grief and hope underscores that even in loss, God’s gift endures.

4.Reuben’s Transgression and the Listing of Jacob’s Sons (vv. 21–26)

Reuben, the firstborn, violates familial trust by sleeping with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine—an act with lasting repercussions (cf. Gen 49:4). The text then catalogs Jacob’s twelve sons—the progenitors of Israel’s tribes—all born before the promised land is entered.

5.Jacob’s Return to Isaac and Isaac’s Death (vv. 27–29)

Jacob reunites with aged Isaac in Hebron. Isaac lives 180 years, then dies “old and full of days.” Notably, both Esau and Jacob bury him together, suggesting reconciliation at life’s end and closing the patriarchal narrative on a note of familial unity.

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Summary

Genesis 35 shows Jacob at the pinnacle of his maturity: he responds to God’s call, leads his family in purification, receives confirmation of his calling, yet also suffers the loss of loved ones. God renews His covenant and stands above all human failure. Jacob—now Israel—is no longer just the schemer but one guided by God. Rachel’s death, Reuben’s transgression, and Isaac’s departure remind us that even under God’s blessing, life remains full of pain—but God’s story continues.

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Application for Today

1. Spiritual Renewal Requires Purity. Just as Jacob called his household to discard idols, we must periodically shed distractions and idols to truly encounter God.

2. God’s Faithfulness Transcends Our Failures. Despite Jacob’s and his sons’ shortcomings, God steadfastly upholds His covenant. Our imperfections do not nullify His promises.

3. Loss Coexists with God’s Blessing. Rachel’s death reminds us that sorrow may accompany blessing, yet out of grief God can bring forth hope and life.

4. Reconciliation Heals Generational Wounds. Isaac’s burial by both sons models how healing and unity can follow years of estrangement.

5. Remember Where God Meets You. Jacob’s altars and memorials at Bethel and Rachel’s tomb mark divine encounters. We too should honor and remember the places and moments where God has spoken to us.