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Pentateuch · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Genesis 35

Beginnings, creation, human rebellion, covenant, and the family of Abraham.

Old Testament

Genesis 35

1God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

2Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.

3Let’s arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the way which I went.”

4They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they didn’t pursue the sons of Jacob.

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

7He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

8Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.

9God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.

10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel.

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

12The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you I will give the land.”

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

14Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke 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 traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.

17When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.”

18As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.

19Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem).

20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

21Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22While Israel lived 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), Simeon, Levi, Judah, 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 Paddan Aram.

27Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.

28The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.

29Isaac gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Beginnings, creation, human rebellion, covenant, and the family of Abraham. Read Genesis 35 within the complete Genesis overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Genesis 35

Genesis 35 contains 29 verses and about 597 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 29 closes: “Isaac gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include jacob, sons, will, bethel, name, israel. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Genesis 35

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Genesis 35:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

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