Genesis 31:13

13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”

Genesis 31:13 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 31:13

I [am] the God of Bethel
The same Angel that appeared to Jacob in a dream, at the beginning of his six years' servitude, now appeared to him at the close of it, declaring himself to be the God of Bethel; or that God that manifested himself to him at Bethel, as Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase the words; for this is a distinct vision from that in the preceding verses, concerning the rams of different colours, and are both put together for the sake of brevity, and because they belong to the same affair: where thou anointedst the pillar, [and] where thou vowedst a vow unto
me: (See Gill on Genesis 28:19), (See Gill on 28:20); hereby signifying the divine approbation of the name Jacob gave to that place, and of what he did in it, and to put him in mind of his promise there made: now arise, get thee out from this land:
of Mesopotamia, or Syria, and out of Haran, a city there, where Jacob now was, and Laban lived: and return unto the land of thy kindred:
to the land of Canaan, the place of his nativity, and where his relations dwelt: this shows, that this appearance of God to him, as the God of Bethel, was at the close of his six years' service.

Genesis 31:13 In-Context

11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
12 “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you.
13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”
14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway.
15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. As in Greek version and an Aramaic Targum; Hebrew reads the God of Bethel.
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