Bereshis 35:5

5 And they journeyed; and the chittat Elohim (terror of G-d) was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue after the Bnei Ya’akov.

Bereshis 35:5 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 35:5

And they journeyed
Jacob and his family, with all that were with them, from Shechem to Bethel:

and the terror of God was upon the cities that [were] round about
them;
an exceeding great panic seized the inhabitants of the cities of the land of Canaan, all about Shechem, which was from God himself impressing it on their minds, through what the sons of Jacob had done to that city:

and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob;
as it might have been thought they would, and take revenge on them for their ill usage of the inhabitants of a neighbouring city; but instead of this, they were afraid they should be used in the same manner; wherefore Jacob and his family journeyed in safety, and came to Bethel in peace.

Bereshis 35:5 In-Context

3 And let us arise, and go up to Beit-El; and I will build there a Mizbe’ach unto El (G-d) Who answered me in my yom tzoros, and was with me in the derech in which I went.

4 And they gave unto Ya’akov kol elohei hanekhar which were in their yad, and all their nezamim which were in their oznayim; and Ya’akov buried them under the elah (terebinth) which was at Shechem.

5 And they journeyed; and the chittat Elohim (terror of G-d) was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue after the Bnei Ya’akov.

6 So Ya’akov came to Luz, which is in Eretz Kena’an, that is, Beit-El, he and kol haAm that were with him.

7 And he built there a Mizbe’ach, and called the makom (place) El Beit-El; because there HaElohim appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of achiv.