The thirty-fifth chapter of Genesis stands as a pivotal moment of spiritual realignment and divine confirmation in the life of Jacob and his family. Following the turbulent events in Shechem, this chapter details a deliberate and purifying journey back to Bethel, the “house of God,” where Jacob’s profound encounter with the Lord first began. It is a narrative rich with themes of obedience, purification, covenant faithfulness, and the painful yet purposeful transition between seasons of life. This passage not only marks a geographical return but a profound spiritual homecoming, where identities are confirmed, promises are reiterated, and the legacy of the patriarchs is solidified.
The Divine Command to Return to Bethel
The chapter opens with a clear and direct command from God to Jacob: “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” This instruction is not a mere suggestion; it is a divine summons that calls for immediate and decisive action. The significance of Bethel cannot be overstated. It was the very place where, years earlier, a fearful and fleeing Jacob had encountered God in a dream of a ladder reaching to heaven. God had made monumental promises to him there—promises of land, descendants, and divine presence. Now, after years of building a family and wealth, often through his own cunning and resulting in complex difficulties, God calls him back to the point of origin.
This return represents a spiritual reset. God is redirecting Jacob’s focus from the consequences of his own schemes—dramatized by the violence following the rape of Dinah—to the unwavering certainty of God’s covenant. The command to “dwell there” implies a call to re-establish his life on the foundation of that promise, moving away from the compromise and danger that had characterized his stay in Shechem. It is a powerful lesson in repentance, not merely as sorrow for sin, but as a literal turning around and returning to the place of God’s blessing and presence.
The Necessary Act of Purification
Jacob’s response to God’s command is immediate and comprehensive. He understands that a return to a holy God requires personal and corporate holiness. He instructs his entire household and all who are with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.”
This three-fold directive is a blueprint for genuine spiritual preparation:
- Put away the foreign gods: This act involves a radical renunciation of all idolatry. The presence of “foreign gods” is telling; it likely includes the household idols Rachel had stolen from her father Laban and the pagan influences absorbed from the surrounding Canaanite culture. Burying these idols under the terebinth tree near Shechem symbolizes a definitive break with a compromised past.
- Purify yourselves: This likely involved ceremonial washing, a physical act representing the need for inner cleansing and consecration before approaching God. It signifies the seriousness of coming into the presence of the Almighty.
- Change your garments: Fresh clothing symbolizes a new beginning, a putting aside of the old defilement and preparing for a fresh encounter with the divine.
This process highlights a fundamental biblical principle: God’s grace initiates the call, but a proper response involves a willing heart that actively removes every barrier to full devotion.
The Journey and the Reaffirmation of Jacob’s Name
As Jacob and his purified household journey, the terror of God falls upon the surrounding cities, preventing them from pursuing Jacob in revenge for the slaughter in Shechem. This divine protection is a tangible sign of God’s favor upon an obedient Jacob. Upon arrival at Bethel, Jacob builds an altar and names the place El-Bethel, meaning “God of the House of God.” This act of worship culminates in God appearing to him once again.
This theophany is a profound renewal of the covenant. God reaffirms Jacob’s new identity, declared at Peniel after wrestling with God: “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” The name Israel, meaning “he strives with God,” is now officially confirmed. With this identity comes the restatement of the promises made to Abraham and Isaac: fruitfulness, a company of nations, kings among his descendants, and the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. This encounter solidifies the transition from Jacob the supplanter to Israel the prince with God, the bearer of a sacred legacy.
The Bittersweet Realities of Life and Death
The chapter does not shy away from the harsh realities of human experience, even amidst great spiritual victory. The narrative includes two significant deaths that bookmark this Bethel experience.
First, the death of Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, is recorded. Her passing is noted with sorrow, symbolized by the naming of the oak tree under which she was buried, “Allon-bacuth,” or “Oak of Weeping.” This event serves as a reminder of the passing of the old generation and the personal losses that accompany life’s journey.
Second, and most poignant, is the death of Rachel. As the company journeys from Bethel toward Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel goes into labor with her second son, Benjamin. The childbirth is tragically difficult, and as her life ebbs away, she names her son Ben-oni, “son of my sorrow.” But Jacob, in an act of redemptive love, renames him Benjamin, “son of the right hand,” or “son of my strength.” Rachel’s death and burial on the way to Ephrath is a heart-wrenching moment, a stark reminder that obedience to God does not exempt one from profound grief and pain.
Finally, the chapter concludes with the death of Isaac himself at a ripe old age, and the note that his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. This final act signifies a tentative reconciliation and brings the narrative of the patriarch Isaac to a close, fully passing the covenant promise to Jacob and his twelve sons, whose lineages are listed, setting the stage for the story of Joseph and the migration to Egypt.
The enduring message of Genesis 35 is that God faithfully renews His covenant with those who return to Him in obedient faith. It demonstrates that a life of faith is a journey marked by both majestic encounters with God and deep valleys of human sorrow, yet through it all, God’s sovereign purpose moves inexorably forward.