Genesis 35:7

Then Jacob piled up stones to make a table with a flat top, so that he could burn animals to show respect to God. And Jacob gave that place a new name. He called it El Bethel. That name means God is in Bethel. A long time before this, when Jacob ran away from his brother Esau, God came and talked to Jacob in that place. That’s the reason why Jacob gave it that name.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

In Context

6Later on, Jacob and his mob got to the place called Bethel, in Canaan country. That place used to be called Luz.

8At that time, there was a woman called Deborah in Jacob’s camp. She used to look after Jacob’s mother Rebekah, at the time when Rebekah was a little girl. Now Deborah was very old, and she died. So Jacob’s mob buried Deborah’s body under a big tree, near Bethel. And they called it Allon Bakuth. That name means big tree where they cried.

Read all of Genesis 35

Cross References

Genesis 12:7God showed himself to Abram there, and God said to him, “I will give this country to your son, and to all the people that will be born into his family later on.” So Abram piled up stones to make a table with a flat top. It was a special place for him to burn animals to show right respect to God.

Genesis 28:10This is the story about what happened to Jacob next, after his father Isaac sent him away to find a wife. Jacob left his home in Beersheba, and he started to go towards the town called Haran, in Paddan Aram country.

Genesis 28:17So Jacob got frightened. He said, “This place frightens me. I know for sure that God lives here. This place joins up with heaven.”

Genesis 31:13I am God. A long time ago, I came to you at the place called Bethel. That’s the place where you poured olive oil on top of a stone to show that it was a special place, and you made promises to me. Now leave this country straight away, and go back to your home country.”’”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 35:7-16

Jacob's Arrival at Bethel. ( b. c. 1732.) 6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Beth-el, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place El-Beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Beth-el under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth. 9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him.… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 35:7