35:2Why did the people have these idols? Idols were sometimes seen more as good luck charms than as gods. Some Israelites, even though they worshiped God, had idols in their homes, just as some Christians today own good luck trinkets. Jacob believed that idols should have no place in his household. He wanted nothing to divert his family’s spiritual focus. Jacob ordered his household to get rid of their idols. Unless we remove idols from our lives, they can ruin our faith. What idols do we have? An idol is anything we put before God. Idols don’t have to be physical objects; they can be thoughts or desires. Like Jacob, we should get rid of anything that could stand between us and God.
Life Application Study BibleGenesisChapter 35
Genesis 35
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 66, 67, 68
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35Genesis 35
Jacob’s Return to Bethel
135 Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.” 20 Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I wasin distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” 40 they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. 5As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family. 6Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. 7Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau. 8Scon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”). 9Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,!°saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.”* So God renamed him Israel. 11Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! 12And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” 8Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. 14Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. 15And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
1616Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. 17After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” 18Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”), The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel's grave, and it can be seen there to this day. 21Then Jacob* traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder. 22While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard aboutit. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
23The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, andZebulun.
24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
26The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant, were Gad and Asher.These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.
27So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in Mamre, which is near Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners. 28Isaac lived for 180 years.
Textual footnotes
- 35:10 Jacob sounds like the Hebrew words for “heel” and “deceiver.” /sraef means “God fights.”
- 35:21 Hebrew /srael; also in 35:22a. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout
Life Application Notes 5 notes
35:4Why did the people give Jacob their earrings? Jewelry in itself was not evil, but in Jacob’s day earrings were often worn as good luck charms to ward off evil. The people in his family had to cleanse themselves of all pagan influences, including reminders of foreign gods.
35:10God reminded Jacob of his new name, Israel, which meant “one who struggles with God.” Although Jacob’s life was littered with difficulties and trials, his new name was a tribute to his desire to stay close to God despite life’s disappointments. Many people believe that Christianity should offer a problem-free life. Consequently, as life gets tough, they draw back disappointed. instead, they should determine ta prevail with God through life’s storms. Problems and difficulties are painful but inevitable; you might as well see them as opportunities for growth. You can’t prevail with God unless you have troubles to prevail over.
35:13,14This oil used to anoint the pillar was olive oil of the finest grade of purity. It was expensive, so using it showed the high value placed on the anointed object. Jacob was showing the greatest respect for the place where he had met with God.
35:22Reuben’s sin was costly, although not right away. As the oldest son, he stood to receive a double portion of the family inheritance and a place of leadership among his people. Reuben may have thought he had gotten away with his sin. No more is mentioned of it until Jacob, on his deathbed, assembled his family for the final biessing. Suddenly Jacob took away Reuben’s double portion and gave it to someone else. The reason? “You went to bed with my wife; you defiled my marriage couch” (49:4). Sin’s consequences can plague us long after the sin is committed. When we do something wrong, we may think we can escape unnoticed, only to discover later that the sin has been quietly breeding serious consequences.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Personality profile · page 67
Profile: Dinah
As far as we know, Dinah was Jacob’s only daughter. She lived among ten older and two younger brothers. She grew up in a family rocked by struggle between two sisters married to the same man. Dinah’s mother, Leah, knew that Jacob loved her sister and rival Rachel. We don't know how the bitterness and jealousy between these women affected the only girlchild in the family. By the time Dinah was a teenager, her family was living in Shechem, a town north of Bethel and Jerusalem in the Promised Land. Apparently no one really paid much attention to Dinah until she went out for a walk in town one day. She was noticed and raped by Shechem, the son of the ruler of the city. Violated and shamed, Dinah found herself in the center of a family crisis. Snechem asked his father to arrange a marriage with Dinah. But in Jacob’s and his sons’ eyes, Dinah had been damaged and their family had been insulted. Jacob failed to provide any fatherly leadership in this situation and his sons took matters into their own hands. The results were treacherous and bloody. In all of this, the victim was overlooked. Dinah was neither comforted nor consulted. Instead, she was treated with almost as much disrespect by her family as she had been by Shechem. By handing her over to Shechem, they used Dinah as bait in a trap that led to the murder of all the men in Shechem’s village. Dinah’s brothers profited from the massacre of Shechem. Jacob was angry at his sons for their actions, but did nothing. Meanwhile, Dinah slipped back into oblivion. Her story reminds us of the tragedies that occur when family members are careless with each other. Someone ends up paying a high price. You probably know someone who can identify closely with Dinah. Perhaps you have experienced that same anonymity as a victim who was unnoticed or forgotten. Remember several glimmers of hope: Even when everyone else forgets, God doesn’t; when no one seems to notice, God sees; when no one seems to care, God cares; when you fee! all alone, you aren’t. And one of the first lessons God will teach you as you depend on him is that there are others who also care and are willing to help. Begin to speak to God today in prayer about your past.
Strengths and accomplishments
• Jacob’s only daughter
Lessons from her life
• Thoughtless avengers often hurt the original victims a second time
• Family members can be trampled in the rush for family honor
Vital statistics
• Where: Paddan-aram
• Relatives: Parents: Jacob and Leah. Siblings: Twelve brothers. Aunt: Rachel. Grandparents: Isaac and Rebekah, Laban. Uncle: Esau
“Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah” (Genesis 30:21).
Key verse
Dinah’s story is told in Genesis 34. Her birth is mentioned in Genesis 30:21; she is last mentioned in Genesis 46:15.
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