Commentary - Genesis 35:1-8

Bird's-eye view

Following the bloody and compromising events at Shechem in the previous chapter, Jacob and his household are in a spiritually precarious position. They have made themselves a stench to the inhabitants of the land, and they are polluted with the idols and practices of the surrounding culture. This chapter is about God's gracious intervention. He calls Jacob back to a place of prior commitment, Bethel, the house of God. The passage details a necessary and thorough housecleaning, a corporate act of repentance led by the patriarch. It is a story of covenant renewal. Jacob leads his family in putting away their idols, consecrating themselves, and returning to the place of worship. In response, God grants them supernatural protection on their journey and meets with Jacob once more, reaffirming His covenant promises. This is a picture of how God deals with His people when they have wandered, He calls them back to Himself, requires repentance, and then reaffirms His grace.

Outline

Context In Genesis

Genesis 35 cannot be understood apart from the debacle of Genesis 34. Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, have just carried out a vengeful massacre of the Shechemites, and the family has taken plunder, which would have included not just material goods but also pagan religious artifacts. Jacob is fearful of reprisal and is living in a state of compromise. He has settled near Shechem, a place of defilement, instead of pressing on to Bethel where he had vowed to return (Gen 28:20-22). God's command in 35:1 is therefore a course correction. It is a summons out of a place of sin and fear and a call to return to a place of worship and fellowship with God. This chapter marks a significant turning point for Jacob, moving him from a compromised patriarch to a covenant leader who purifies his household and re-establishes proper worship.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

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

The initiative here is entirely God's. Jacob is stuck. He is in a mess of his own family's making, and God is the one who speaks first. This is always how grace operates. The command is clear: "Arise, go up." This is a call to action, to leave the place of compromise. The destination is specific: Bethel, which means "house of God." This is not just a geographical move; it is a spiritual pilgrimage back to the place of his first real encounter with the living God. God wants him to "live there," to dwell in the place of communion. And the central activity is worship: "make an altar there." Worship is the goal of our redemption. Notice also that God reminds Jacob of his history. He is the God "who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." God is reminding Jacob of his past deliverance and faithfulness. This is the basis for Jacob's trust now. God is saying, "I was faithful then, and I will be faithful now. Get moving."

2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you and cleanse yourselves and change your garments;

Jacob's response is immediate obedience, and it begins with him exercising his proper authority as the head of his house. He doesn't just pack his bags; he addresses the root spiritual problem. His family is polluted. The "foreign gods" were likely the teraphim Rachel stole from Laban, along with idols and amulets gathered from the plunder of Shechem. They cannot go up to the house of God while carrying the furniture of hell in their luggage. So Jacob issues a threefold command for consecration. First, "Put away the foreign gods." This is repentance, a turning away from all rivals to God. Second, "cleanse yourselves." This refers to ceremonial washing, an external act signifying an internal purification. Third, "change your garments." Filthy garments in Scripture represent sin and defilement. Changing them represents a new identity, a new way of life. This is a beautiful Old Testament picture of what it means to prepare for worship, and what it means to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Jacob now includes himself with them, "let us arise," and states the positive purpose for their purification. They are not just getting rid of bad things; they are preparing for a good thing, which is the worship of God at Bethel. Jacob then gives his personal testimony. This is a key moment of leadership. He is not just issuing commands; he is sharing his faith. He identifies God as the one "who answered me in the day of my distress." That distress was his flight from Esau. He also testifies that God "has been with me wherever I have gone." Despite his wanderings, his deceptions, and his compromises, Jacob acknowledges God's persistent, faithful presence. This is the foundation of true worship, a personal history with the grace of God.

4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

The household's response is total. They give up "all" their foreign gods. There is no holding back. They also give up the "rings which were in their ears." These were not simply fashion accessories; in that culture, earrings were often used as pagan amulets or charms. They were part of the whole idolatrous system. This was a radical renunciation of all superstition and reliance on anything other than the true God. Jacob's action is decisive. He takes these objects of false worship and "hid them," or buried them, under a great tree. He doesn't smash them or melt them down; he puts them out of sight, under the earth. It is a burial of their old life. He is making a definitive break with the paganism that had entangled his family. Repentance must be practical and thorough.

5 Then they journeyed on, and there was a terror from God upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Here we see the immediate fruit of obedience. Logically, the surrounding Canaanite cities should have formed a coalition and wiped out Jacob's family for the outrage committed by Simeon and Levi. Jacob's fear in Genesis 34:30 was entirely rational from a human perspective. But when God's people obey Him, God provides for their protection. A supernatural "terror from God" falls upon their enemies. God Himself fights for them. Their purification and pilgrimage to Bethel placed them under the umbrella of divine protection. They were vulnerable, but God made them untouchable. This is a foundational principle: our safety is not found in our own strength or cunning, but in our obedience to God.

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

The journey is successful. The text simply notes their arrival. He comes to Luz, the old name for the place, and the narrator reminds us that this is Bethel, the house of God. The whole company, "he and all the people who were with him," arrives safely. This fulfills the command of verse one. God's commands always come with His enabling power to carry them out.

7 And he built an altar there and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.

Having arrived, Jacob does what he was commanded to do. He builds an altar. This is the climax of the journey. The altar is the place of sacrifice, communion, and worship. He then names the place "El-bethel," which means "The God of the House of God." He is not just naming the place; he is naming the God who sanctifies the place. His worship is specific. It is rooted in his history with this particular God who revealed Himself at this particular place. The reason is stated again, for emphasis: "because there God had revealed Himself to him." All true worship is a response to God's prior revelation. We do not invent worship; we respond to the God who has made Himself known.

8 Then Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.

This verse can seem like a strange interruption, but it is deeply significant. Deborah was Rebekah's nurse, meaning she had been with Jacob's family since before he was born. She was a living link to his mother and his past life at home. Her death here, at Bethel, marks the end of an era. It is another burial, another break with the past. As Jacob is re-establishing his family in the land of promise, the old ties are being cut. The fact that her burial is noted, and the tree is named "Allon-bacuth" (Oak of Weeping), shows the deep affection the family had for this faithful servant. Even in the midst of covenant renewal and worship, the ordinary sorrows of life occur. But they are now framed by the presence of God at Bethel. Life, death, worship, and sorrow are all brought together under the lordship of the God of the house of God.

Application

The pattern laid out in this chapter is a timeless one for the people of God. When we find ourselves in a place of spiritual compromise and fear, as Jacob was at Shechem, the call from God is always to "arise and go up." It is a call to return to the place of true worship.

This return requires the leadership of heads of households. Like Jacob, Christian fathers are responsible for calling their families to repentance. This is not a suggestion; it is a command. We must lead the charge in identifying and putting away the "foreign gods" in our homes. These may not be little statues, but they are idols nonetheless, whether they are found on our screens, in our ambitions, or in our bank accounts. Anything that rivals God for our ultimate allegiance is an idol and must be buried.

This process of purification, of cleansing ourselves and changing our garments, is the necessary preparation for worship. We cannot come into the presence of a holy God while clinging to our sin. Repentance must be thorough and practical. And when we do this, when we obey God and set our faces toward Bethel, we can trust in His covenant protection. The world may have every reason to be hostile to us, but a "terror from God" stands between the obedient believer and his enemies.

Finally, our lives are to be centered on the altar. We are called to be a people of worship, constantly remembering the God who has revealed Himself to us in Christ, the one who answered us in our distress and has been with us all the way.