Genesis 12:7-8

12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants ¹  I will give this land.” So Abram ²  built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel ³  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. ⁴ 

Genesis 35:1

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ⁵  to Bethel ⁶  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ⁷ 

Genesis 35:3

35:3 Let us go up at once ⁸  to Bethel. Then I will make ⁹  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ¹⁰  and has been with me wherever I went.” ¹¹ 

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¹ tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

³ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

⁴ tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

⁵ tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

⁶ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

⁷ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

⁸ tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.

⁹ tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.

¹⁰ tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.

¹¹ tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).