35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once 1 to Bethel 2 and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 3 35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. 4 Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 5 35:3 Let us go up at once 6 to Bethel. Then I will make 7 an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress 8 and has been with me wherever I went.” 9
35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession 10 and the rings that were in their ears. 11 Jacob buried them 12 under the oak 13 near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. 14 The surrounding cities were afraid of God, 15 and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) 16 in the land of Canaan. 17 35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel 18 because there God had revealed himself 19 to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, 20 Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named 21 Oak of Weeping.) 22
35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. 23 35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. 24 Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! 25 35:12 The land I gave 26 to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants 27 I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place 28 where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. 29 He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. 30 35:15 Jacob named the place 31 where God spoke with him Bethel. 32
35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, 33 Rachel went into labor 34 – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, 35 the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” 36 35:18 With her dying breath, 37 she named him Ben-Oni. 38 But his father called him Benjamin instead. 39 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 40 35:20 Jacob set up a marker 41 over her grave; it is 42 the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.
35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 43 35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with 44 Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, 45 to Kiriath Arba 46 (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 47 35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 48 35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. 49 He died an old man who had lived a full life. 50 His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
36:1 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom). 51
36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: 52 Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter 53 of Zibeon the Hivite, 36:3 in addition to Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
36:4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 36:5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
36:6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from 54 Jacob his brother 36:7 because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land where they had settled 55 was not able to support them because of their livestock. 36:8 So Esau (also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir. 56
36:9 This is the account of Esau, the father 57 of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.
36:10 These were the names of Esau’s sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were:
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
36:12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons 58 of Esau’s wife Adah.
36:13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons 59 of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter 60 of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Esau.
36:15 These were the chiefs 61 among the descendants 62 of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 36:16 chief Korah, 63 chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons 64 of Adah.
36:17 These were the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these were the sons 65 of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:18 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
36:19 These were the sons of Esau (also known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.
36:20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, 66 who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants 67 of Seir in the land of Edom.
36:22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; 68 Lotan’s sister was Timna.
36:23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, 69 and Onam.
36:24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs 70 in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).
36:25 These were the children 71 of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
36:26 These were the sons of Dishon: 72 Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
36:27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
36:28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
36:29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, 36:30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chief lists in the land of Seir.
36:31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: 73
36:32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.
36:33 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
36:34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
36:35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith.
36:36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.
36:37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth by the River 74 reigned in his place.
36:38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
36:39 When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad 75 reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. 76 His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
36:40 These were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, 36:41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 36:42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 36:43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements 77 in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.
1 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
2 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
3 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
4 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
5 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the
6 tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
7 tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
8 tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
9 tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
10 tn Heb “in their hand.”
11 sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).
12 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
13 tn Or “terebinth.”
14 tn Heb “and they journeyed.”
15 tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).
16 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
17 tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”
18 sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
19 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
20 sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.
21 tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
22 tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
23 tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn The name Israel means “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). See Gen 32:28.
24 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
25 tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”
sn A nation…will descend from you. The promise is rooted in the Abrahamic promise (see Gen 17). God confirms what Isaac told Jacob (see Gen 28:3-4). Here, though, for the first time Jacob is promised kings as descendants.
26 tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the
27 tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
28 tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
29 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
30 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
31 sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
32 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.
map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
33 tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
34 tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”
35 tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).
36 sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.
37 tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.
38 sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.
39 tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.
sn His father called him Benjamin. There was a preference for giving children good or positive names in the ancient world, and “son of my suffering” would not do (see the incident in 1 Chr 4:9-10), because it would be a reminder of the death of Rachel (in this connection, see also D. Daube, “The Night of Death,” HTR 61 [1968]: 629-32). So Jacob named him Benjamin, which means “son of the [or “my”] right hand.” The name Benjamin appears in the Mari texts. There have been attempts to connect this name to the resident tribe listed at Mari, “sons of the south” (since the term “right hand” can also mean “south” in Hebrew), but this assumes a different reading of the story. See J. Muilenburg, “The Birth of Benjamin,” JBL 75 (1956): 194-201.
40 sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.
map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
41 tn Heb “standing stone.”
42 tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).
43 sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.
44 tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.
sn Reuben’s act of having sexual relations with Bilhah probably had other purposes than merely satisfying his sexual desire. By having sex with Bilhah, Reuben (Leah’s oldest son) would have prevented Bilhah from succeeding Rachel as the favorite wife, and by sleeping with his father’s concubine he would also be attempting to take over leadership of the clan – something Absalom foolishly attempted later on in Israel’s history (2 Sam 16:21-22).
45 tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.
46 tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
47 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
48 tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
49 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
50 tn Heb “old and full of years.”
51 sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50,” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.
52 tn Heb “from the daughters of Canaan.”
53 tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.
54 tn Heb “from before.”
55 tn Heb “land of their settlements.”
56 tn Traditionally “Mount Seir,” but in this case the expression בְּהַר שֵׂעִיר (bÿhar se’ir) refers to the hill country or highlands of Seir.
57 sn The term father in genealogical records needs to be carefully defined. It can refer to a literal father, a grandfather, a political overlord, or a founder.
58 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
59 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
60 tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.
61 tn Or “clan leaders” (so also throughout this chapter).
62 tn Or “sons.”
63 tc The Samaritan Pentateuch omits the name “Korah” (see v. 11 and 1 Chr 1:36).
64 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
65 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
66 sn The same pattern of sons, grandsons, and chiefs is now listed for Seir the Horite. “Seir” is both the name of the place and the name of the ancestor of these tribes. The name “Horite” is probably not to be identified with “Hurrian.” The clan of Esau settled in this area, intermarried with these Horites and eventually dispossessed them, so that they all became known as Edomites (Deut 2:12 telescopes the whole development).
67 tn Or “sons.”
68 tn Heb “Hemam”; this is probably a variant spelling of “Homam” (1 Chr 1:39); cf. NRSV, NLT “Heman.”
69 tn This name is given as “Shephi” in 1 Chr 1:40.
70 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; Syriac reads “water” and Vulgate reads “hot water.”
71 tn Heb “sons,” but since a daughter is included in the list, the word must be translated “children.”
72 tn Heb “Dishan,” but this must be either a scribal error or variant spelling, since “Dishan” is mentioned in v. 28 (see also v. 21).
73 tn Or perhaps “before any Israelite king ruled over [them].”
74 tn Typically the Hebrew expression “the River” refers to the Euphrates River, but it is not certain whether that is the case here. Among the modern English versions which take this as a reference to the Euphrates are NASB, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT. Cf. NAB, TEV “Rehoboth-on-the-River.”
75 tc Most
76 tn The name of the city is given as “Pai” in 1 Chr 1:50.
77 tn Or perhaps “territories”; Heb “dwelling places.”