Genesis 35

1 thy brother. Jacob seems to have forgotten his vow (ch. xxviii. 22), or at least to have too long delayed its performance.

2 strange gods. Probably such objects of idolatrous worship as the teraphim (xxxi. 19, 34); Rachel’s household deities.—be clean. Personal cleanliness has always been regarded as a natural symbol of moral purity. Cp. Heb. x. 22.

4 earrings. Ornaments representing objects of idolatrous worship were, and still are, common among the heathen, and are used as charms. Cp. xxxv. 4; Hos. ii. 13.—oak. It seems not unlikely that Gen. xii. 6; Josh. xxiv. 26; Judges ix. 6, 37, all refer to this tree.

5 the terror of God. i.e., “a great terror” (R.V.).

8. Rebekah’s nurse. From this it seems likely that Rebekah’s mother was dead, and that her nurse had returned to Padan-aram, attaching herself to the household of Jacob and his wives.

9. And God appeared. This second appearance is fulfilment of the promise made in the former; and the second pillar (ver. 14) is a testimony that the faith and hope indicated by the former (xxviii. 18, etc.) had been justified by the event.

11. God Almighty. “El-Shaddai.” This is the name by which God revealed Himself to Abraham (xvii. 1), and gave him the promise now so far fulfilled: see also xxviii. 3.

15. Bethel. Renewing the name with a fuller meaning.

16. Ephrath. Or, “Ephrath”: see Micah v. 2.

18. Benjamin. “Son of the right hand,” or “son of good fortune,” as contrasted with “Benoni.” “Son of my sorrow.”

19 buried. A building called the Tomb of Rachel, now covered with a Turkish mosque, is shown between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. But see 1 Sam. x. 2.

22 heard it. That is, with displeasure, as he afterwards showed by taking away the birthright. See xlix. 4.

26 in Padan-aram. All but Benjamin, who was born in Canaan (vers. 16-19).

27 the city of Arbah. Rather, “Kirjath-Arba,” or Hebron (see Josh. xiv. 13).

29 died. This is mentioned by anticipation. Jacob was a hundred and twenty years old when his father died (xxv. 26; xxxv. 28); but he was a hundred and thirty when he went into Egypt (xlvii. 9); and Joseph had preceded him at least twenty years (cp. xxxvii. 2; xli. 46, 53, 57). So that Isaac’s death occurred at least ten years after the former, and ten years before the latter of those events.