God Blesses Jacob at Bethel
Genesis 35:1-15
Gen.35.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- ושב: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- מזבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנראה: PART,niphal,ptcp,m,sg,def
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- בברחך: PREP+PART,qal,ptcp,m,sg,poss,2,m,sg
- מפני: PREP
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אחיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.28:10-22 (structural): Jacob's earlier experience at Bethel (dream of the ladder), his vow and setting up a pillar/altar at the same site — the original establishment of Bethel as Jacob's sacred place.
- Gen.28:15 (verbal): God's promise 'I am with you and will keep you...' in the Bethel vision is echoed by God's reassurance to Jacob when told to go to Bethel (cf. Gen 35:3).
- Gen.31:13 (quotation): God identifies himself as 'the God of Bethel' and instructs Jacob regarding return — a direct reiteration of Bethel's significance and the command to go there.
- Gen.12:8 (thematic): Abraham's earlier building of an altar at Bethel establishes the location as a patriarchal shrine and provides a pattern for Jacob's altar-building here.
- Gen.35:9 (verbal): God appears again at Bethel to Jacob and reiterates promises/relationship (including renaming Jacob), linking the command to go to Bethel with divine manifestation and covenantal affirmation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother.”
- And God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother.”
Gen.35.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- הסרו: VERB,hif,imp,2,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- הנכר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בתככם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,pl
- והטהרו: VERB,hithpael,imp,2,pl
- והחליפו: VERB,hif,imp,2,pl
- שמלתיכם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 35:4 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the household actually hands over the foreign gods and Jacob buries them (same episode of removing idols).
- Joshua 24:23 (thematic): Joshua's exhortation to 'put away the foreign gods' and serve Yahweh echoes Jacob's command to remove idols before worship/renewal at Shechem.
- 1 Samuel 7:3 (verbal): Samuel tells Israel to 'put away the foreign gods and prepare your hearts'—a similar call to discard idols and purify oneself for faithful service.
- Deuteronomy 12:2–3 (verbal): Lawrior instructions to destroy the altars, pillars, and carved images of the nations correspond to the injunction to remove and purge foreign gods from the community.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst, and purify yourselves, and change your garments.”
- And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst, and purify yourselves, and change your garments.”
Gen.35.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונקומה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,pl
- ונעלה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- ואעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- מזבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הענה: VERB,ptcp,qal,pres,3,m,sg
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- ביום: PREP
- צרתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+suff:1,sg
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- עמדי: PREP+1cs
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הלכתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Gen.28:10-22 (verbal): Jacob's earlier vow at Bethel: he promises to return and build an altar if God will be with him — same location, same promise to erect an altar in response to divine presence and protection.
- Gen.35:7 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: Jacob actually builds an altar at El‑Bethel here, fulfilling the intention expressed in 35:3 and completing the Bethel motif in the chapter.
- Gen.12:7-8 (thematic): Abraham's pattern of divine appearance followed by erecting an altar to the LORD: models the patriarchal practice of commemorating God's presence and deliverance with an altar at the site of revelation.
- 1 Sam.7:12 (thematic): Samuel sets up a stone (Ebenezer) and declares 'Thus far the LORD has helped us,' paralleling Jacob's acknowledgement that God 'answered me in the day of my distress' and the erection of a memorial/altar in response to divine aid.
Alternative generated candidates
- “Let us arise and go up to Bethel, that I may make there an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me on the way that I went.”
- “And let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me on the way that I went.”
Gen.35.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- הנכר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בידם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- הנזמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- באזניהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
- ויטמן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- האלה: DEM,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עם: PREP
- שכם: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 31:19 (verbal): Rachel steals her father Laban’s household gods (teraphim) and hides them in a camel’s saddle — a direct parallel in possession and secret concealment of household idols.
- Judges 18:17-18 (thematic): The Danites seize Micah’s household gods and carry them off to establish cultic objects in their new city — parallels the transfer and re‑use/ownership of teraphim.
- Exodus 32:2-4 (verbal): The people remove earrings to fashion the golden calf (Aaron collects earrings) — echoes the connection between personal ornaments (earrings) and idolatrous objects.
- Judges 8:24-27 (thematic): Gideon’s collection of enemy earrings to make an ephod (later becoming a cultic snare) parallels use of captured jewelry for cultic/portable religious objects and the problematic status of such items.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth that is near Shechem.
- And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth that is near Shechem.
Gen.35.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויסעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- חתת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- הערים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- סביבתיהם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- רדפו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אחרי: PREP
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 23:27 (verbal): God promises to put 'terror' (fear) before Israel against the peoples of the land — language and idea parallel to 'the terror of God fell on the surrounding cities' so they did not pursue Jacob's sons.
- Joshua 2:9-11 (thematic): Rahab reports that the peoples of the land have heard of Israel's deeds and 'their hearts melted' — a close narrative parallel in which fear of God among local populations prevents pursuit of Israel.
- Joshua 5:1 (thematic): When the kings of the Amorites and Canaanites heard of Israel's acts (e.g., crossing the Jordan), 'their hearts melted' and they lost spirit — similar motif of surrounding cities paralyzed by fear and not attacking.
- Deuteronomy 7:22 (allusion): God declares he will give the nations over to Israel and 'throw them into great panic' until destroyed — echoes the idea of divine-instilled fear protecting Israel from pursuit.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
- And they journeyed; and the terror of God was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
Gen.35.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לוזה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 28:10-19 (verbal): Jacob previously came to Luz/Bethel after his dream and named the place Bethel — the same site referenced in 35:6, providing backstory for Jacob’s return.
- Genesis 35:1-7 (structural): Immediate context: God commands Jacob to go to Bethel, and Jacob moves there with all who were with him, which is recapitulated in 35:6.
- Judges 1:22-26 (thematic): Account of the house of Joseph capturing Luz and renaming it Bethel; reinforces the identity and continuity of the place named in Genesis.
- Genesis 12:8 (thematic): Abram built an altar between Bethel and Ai, showing Bethel’s earlier role as a patriarchal cult site that Jacob later returns to.
- Amos 4:4 (allusion): Prophetic references to Bethel as a prominent cultic location highlight the ongoing religious significance of the site mentioned in Gen 35:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan—that is, Bethel—he and all the people who were with him.
- And Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (that is, Bethel), he and all the people who were with him.
Gen.35.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- מזבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- למקום: PREP
- אל: NEG
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- כי: CONJ
- שם: ADV
- נגלו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בברחו: PREP+VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- מפני: PREP
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 28:16-22 (verbal): Jacob earlier names the site Bethel, sets up a stone/pillar and vows after God appears to him — language and action parallel the later altar and naming here.
- Genesis 31:13 (allusion): God speaks to Jacob as 'the God of Bethel,' explicitly recalling the pillar/altar and linking divine revelation at Bethel to Jacob's flight and return.
- Genesis 12:7-8 (thematic): Abram builds an altar and calls on the name of the LORD at a significant site (Shechem), paralleling the practice of marking a place of divine encounter with an altar and naming it.
- 1 Samuel 7:12 (thematic): Samuel sets up a stone (Ebenezer) as a memorial of the LORD's help — similar motif of erecting cultic/commemorative monuments where God acts.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (structural): Jeroboam establishes an altar at Bethel and makes it a cultic center, showing the later religious significance of the same place Jacob named and where he built an altar.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he built there an altar and called the place El-Bethel, for there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from before his brother.
- And he built there an altar and called the place El-Bethel, for there God had been revealed to him when he fled from before his brother.
Gen.35.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותמת: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- דברה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מינקת: NOUN,f,sg,cnst
- רבקה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותקבר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מתחת: PREP
- לבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cns
- אל: NEG
- תחת: PREP
- האלון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אלון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.35.19 (structural): Close narrative parallel within the same episode: like Deborah the nurse, Rachel dies on the journey and is buried (both passages record the death and burial of important women in Jacob’s household).
- Gen.24.59 (verbal): Earlier mention that Rebekah left home 'with her nurse' links verbally and socially to Deborah as Rebekah’s nurse here (establishes continuity of the nurse’s role in Rebekah’s story).
- Judg.4.5 (allusion): Another prominent biblical woman named Deborah who sits/judges 'under' a tree (the palm of Deborah) near Ramah and Bethel — echoes name, female authority, and association with a tree and the Bethel region.
- Gen.12.6-7 (verbal): Use of a place-name built on an oak/elôn (Elon-Moreh) parallels Allon-bacuth linguistically and topographically: both mark locations named for significant trees.
- Hos.4.13 (thematic): Oaks and other large trees are regularly noted as cultic or landmark sites in the prophets (e.g., sacrificial activity 'under oaks'), providing a thematic background for burying or commemorating events at a named tree.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon-bacuth.
- And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel, under the oak; and he called its name Allon-bacuth.
Gen.35.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עוד: ADV
- בבאו: PREP+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מפדן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויברך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
Parallels
- Genesis 28:13-15 (verbal): Earlier theophany to Jacob: God appears, reiterates the promise of land and descendants and assures presence and protection—paralleling God’s appearance and blessing after Jacob’s return from Paddan-aram.
- Genesis 31:3 (thematic): God speaks to Jacob at his departure from Paddan-aram, commanding him to return to the land of his fathers and promising divine presence—prepares the context for the appearance/blessing in 35:9.
- Genesis 32:24-30 (thematic): Jacob’s nocturnal encounter with God (the wrestling theophany) results in a transformative blessing and a new identity (Israel); another episode of divine encounter and blessing in Jacob’s life.
- Genesis 12:2-3 (thematic): The promise of blessing to the patriarch and his offspring (to make a great nation and bless the nations) establishes the covenantal theme that underlies God’s appearances and blessings to Jacob.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him.
- And God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him.
Gen.35.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יקרא: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.32.28 (verbal): Earlier, nearly identical declaration that Jacob’s name will no longer be Jacob but Israel—direct verbal parallel within the narrative.
- Gen.17.5 (thematic): God renames Abram as Abraham as a covenantal sign; thematically parallels divine renaming that marks a new identity and role.
- Hosea 12:3-4 (allusion): Recounts Jacob’s wrestling with God and his prevailing—an allusion to the event behind the name 'Israel' (one who struggles with God) and its significance.
- Isaiah 62:2 (thematic): Promises that the people will be given a 'new name' by the LORD—uses the motif of divine renaming to signify restored identity, paralleling Jacob→Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” And he called his name Israel.
- And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” And he called his name Israel.
Gen.35.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- שדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרה: VERB,qal,impv,2,ms
- ורבה: VERB,qal,impv,2,ms
- גוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וקהל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- ומלכים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מחלציך: PREP,2,m,sg
- יצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Gen.17:1-6 (verbal): God's self-designation as 'El Shaddai' ('God Almighty') and the promise that Abram will be fruitful and that kings will come from his offspring closely mirror the language and promises in Gen 35:11.
- Gen.28:3-4 (verbal): Isaac's blessing of Jacob repeats the 'God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you' formula, echoing the promise given to Jacob at Bethel.
- Gen.49:10 (thematic): Jacob's later blessing predicting rulership ('the scepter... until Shiloh comes') relates thematically to the promise that kings will come from Jacob's line in Gen 35:11.
- Exod.1:7 (thematic): The description of Israel in Egypt as 'fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied' represents the realized fulfillment of the fertility/multiplication promise made to the patriarchs.
- Ps.105:8-11 (structural): This psalm recounts the covenant promises to Abraham and his descendants (land, nation, and enduring covenant), structurally echoing the covenantal assurances expressed in Gen 35:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God said to him, “I am El Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your loins.”
- And God said to him, “I am El Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assembly of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come out of your loins.”
Gen.35.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לאברהם: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וליצחק: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אתננה: VERB,qal,fut,1,sg
- ולזרעך: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אחריך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
- אתן: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Genesis 12:7 (verbal): Earliest promise that the land will be given to Abram's offspring—same promise formula linking land to Abraham's seed (’to your offspring I will give this land’).
- Genesis 17:8 (verbal): Reiterates covenantal grant: God will give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession—same covenantal language of giving the land to Abraham and his seed.
- Genesis 26:3-4 (verbal): God’s promise to Isaac mirrors the promise to Abraham: the land will be given to Isaac and his offspring, using nearly identical wording and continuing the patriarchal land grant.
- Genesis 28:13-15 (verbal): God’s promise to Jacob at Bethel echoes the same pledge: the land will be given to Jacob and his descendants, reaffirming the ancestral promise preserved in Gen 35:12.
- Exodus 6:4 (allusion): God recalls the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the promise to give them the land—an explicit reference that links the patriarchal land promise in Genesis to Israel’s covenant identity in Exodus.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac—I will give it to you, and to your seed after you I will give the land.”
- “And the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac—I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you I will give the land.”
Gen.35.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מעליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- במקום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
Parallels
- Judges 6:21-22 (verbal): After the angel of the LORD consumes Gideon’s offering, the angel 'departed out of his sight'—uses the same idea of a divine messenger leaving after a theophany.
- Judges 13:20-22 (verbal): The angel of the LORD 'ascended in the flame of the altar' and 'did no more appear' to Manoah and his wife—language and motif of ascent/departure following a divine appearance.
- Exodus 33:20-23; 34:5-7 (thematic): God 'passes by' Moses and limits Moses’ sight; God manifests, speaks, and then withdraws—parallel motif of a localized theophany that ends with God’s departure.
- 1 Kings 19:11-12 (thematic): The LORD 'passed by' Elijah in a theophany (wind, earthquake, fire, then a still small voice); a prophetic encounter in which God's presence comes and the encounter concludes—similar structure of divine appearance and withdrawal.
- Genesis 28:16-17 (structural): Jacob’s earlier Bethel vision: God speaks to him at a specific place and the vision ends; parallels the same pattern of a place-bound divine encounter in Jacob’s life.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him.
- And God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him.
Gen.35.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצב: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מצבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- במקום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- מצבת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- אבן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויסך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- נסך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויצק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- שמן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.28:18 (verbal): Same language and action — Jacob takes a stone, sets it up as a pillar at Bethel and anoints/pours oil on it; Gen 35:14 repeats the Bethel pillar-anointing motif.
- Gen.31:45-52 (thematic): Jacob and Laban set up a heap/pillar (a matsevah) as a witness to their covenant; use of stones/pillars as covenant witnesses parallels Gen 35:14's memorial pillar.
- Joshua 4:20-24 (thematic): Joshua sets up twelve stones as a lasting memorial after Israel crosses the Jordan; like Gen 35:14, stones function as public commemorative testimony to God’s action.
- 1 Sam.7:12 (thematic): Samuel sets up the Ebenezer stone as a memorial of Yahweh’s help—another instance of erecting a stone to mark divine intervention, echoing Gen 35:14’s commemorative pillar.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out a libation on it and poured oil on it.
- And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out on it a libation and poured oil on it.
Gen.35.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- שם: ADV
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- שם: ADV
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
Parallels
- Gen.28:19 (verbal): The same naming of the place as 'Bethel' occurs earlier when Jacob first dreams of God at that location; the language and naming are repeated.
- Gen.12:8 (thematic): Abram builds an altar and calls on the name of the LORD at 'Bethel' (between Bethel and Ai), showing the site's association with worship and divine encounter prior to Jacob.
- Judg.1:22-26 (allusion): Passage identifies the older name 'Luz' and its capture, reflecting the tradition of the site's earlier name and its renaming/identification as Bethel in patriarchal memory.
- 1 Kgs.12:28-30 (thematic): Jeroboam establishes cultic worship (a golden calf) at Bethel, demonstrating the later religious significance and contested character of the place named by Jacob.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
- And Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
And God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother." And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst, and purify yourselves, and change your garments."
"And let us arise and go up to Bethel, and there I will make an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me on the way that I went." And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth that is near Shechem. And they journeyed; and the dread of God was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (that is, Bethel), he and all the people who were with him. And there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God revealed himself to him when he fled from before his brother. And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel, under the oak; and he called its name Allon-bacuth. And God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him. And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." And he called his name Israel. And God said to him, "I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and an assembly of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come out from your loins."
"And the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give to you; and to your offspring after you I will give the land." And God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out on it a drink offering and poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.