Genesis 35

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.”

It’s time for Jacob to keep his promise to God.

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.”

Bethel means “House of God.”

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.

This would include the idols that Rebecca stole from her father.

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.

God kept them safe from retribution for what they had done to Shechem.

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.

Elbethel means “God the House of God.”

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

Allonbachuth means “Terebinth of Weeping.” Rebekah’s nurse would probably have been the equivalent of her nanny. They may have been bringing her to see her charge from years before. She didn’t make it.

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.

Have you ever wondered how God spoke to people in instances like this? Did Jacob hear an audible voice? Did an angel come talk to him?

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;

Here is that command to have babies again. Jacob could not have accomplished God’s will in his life if he had limited his family to the “responsible” two children.

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.

“House of God.”

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.

Benoni means “Sorrow.” Benjamin means “Son of the Right Hand.”

Death in childbirth has always occurred, though it was a relative rarity until the middle 1800’s when doctors took over delivery and insisted on women being in hospitals. The lowering of death rates is directly related to the invention of hand washing and better nutrition. Both of these apply across the board from the planned homebirth to the hospital birth. Today, the death rate in homebirths in developed nations is lower than the rate in hospitals due to mommy having immunity to the germs in her own home but not in the hospital.

Rachel most likely died of blood loss.

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:

This is what disqualified Ruben from inheriting the oldest child blessing. This type of sin is so grievous to God, Paul tells us in the New Testament to not even talk about it.

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.

It appears Rabekah had died.