Génesis 35

Jacob vuelve a Betel

1 Dios le dijo a Jacob: «Ponte en marcha, y vete a vivir a Betel. Erige allí un altar al Dios que se te apareció cuando escapabas de tu hermano Esaú».

2 Entonces Jacob dijo a su familia y a quienes lo acompañaban: «Desháganse de todos los dioses extraños que tengan con ustedes, purifíquense y cámbiense de ropa.

3 Vámonos a Betel. Allí construiré un altar al Dios que me socorrió cuando estaba yo en peligro, y que me ha acompañado en mi camino».

4 Así que le entregaron a Jacob todos los dioses extraños que tenían, junto con los aretes que llevaban en las orejas, y Jacob los enterró a la sombra de la encina que estaba cerca de Siquén.

5 Cuando partieron, nadie persiguió a la familia de Jacob, porque un terror divino se apoderó de las ciudades vecinas.

6 Fue así como Jacob y quienes lo acompañaban llegaron a Luz, es decir, Betel, en la tierra de Canaán.

7 Erigió un altar y llamó a ese lugar El Betel,^[a] porque allí se le había revelado Dios cuando escapaba de su hermano Esaú.

8 Por esos días murió Débora, la nodriza de Rebeca, y la sepultaron a la sombra de la encina que se encuentra cerca de Betel. Por eso Jacob llamó a ese lugar Elón Bacut.^[b]

9 Cuando Jacob regresó de Padán Aram^[c], Dios se le apareció otra vez y lo bendijo

10 con estas palabras: «Tu nombre es Jacob,^[d] pero ya no te llamarás así. De aquí en adelante te llamarás Israel».^[e] Y, en efecto, ese fue el nombre que le puso.

11 Luego Dios añadió: «Yo soy el Dios Todopoderoso. Sé fecundo y multiplícate. De ti nacerá una nación y una comunidad de naciones, y habrá reyes entre tus vástagos.

12 La tierra que les di a Abraham y a Isaac te la doy a ti, y también a tus descendientes».

13 Y Dios se alejó del lugar donde había hablado con Jacob.

14 Jacob erigió una estela de piedra en el lugar donde Dios le había hablado. Vertió sobre ella una libación, y la ungió con aceite,

15 y al lugar donde Dios le había hablado lo llamó Betel.^[f]

Muerte de Raquel y de Isaac

16 Después partieron de Betel. Cuando todavía estaban lejos de Efrata, Raquel dio a luz, pero tuvo un parto muy difícil.

17 En el momento más difícil del parto, la partera le dijo: «¡No temas; estás por tener otro varón!»

18 No obstante, ella se estaba muriendo, y en sus últimos suspiros alcanzó a llamar a su hijo Benoní,^[g] pero Jacob, su padre, le puso por nombre Benjamín.^[h]

19 Así murió Raquel, y la sepultaron en el camino que va hacia Efrata, que es Belén.

20 Sobre la tumba Jacob erigió una estela, que hasta el día de hoy señala el lugar donde Raquel fue sepultada.

21 Israel siguió su camino y acampó más allá de Migdal Edar.

Mientras vivía en esa región, Rubén fue y se acostó con Bilhá, la concubina de su padre. Cuando Israel se enteró de esto, se enojó muchísimo.^[i]

Hijos de Jacob

22 Jacob tuvo doce hijos:

23 Los hijos de Lea fueron Rubén, que era el primogénito de Jacob, Simeón, Leví, Judá, Isacar y Zabulón.

24 Los hijos de Raquel fueron José y Benjamín.

25 Los hijos de Bilhá, la esclava de Raquel, fueron Dan y Neftalí.

26 Los hijos de Zilpá, la esclava de Lea, fueron Gad y Aser.Estos fueron los hijos que tuvo Jacob en Padán Aram.

27 Jacob volvió a la casa de su padre Isaac en Mamré, cerca de Quiriat Arbá, es decir, Hebrón, donde también habían vivido Abraham e Isaac.

28 Isaac tenía ciento ochenta años

29 cuando se reunió con sus antepasados. Era ya muy anciano cuando murió, y lo sepultaron sus hijos Esaú y Jacob.

Génesis 35 Commentary

Chapter 35

God commands Jacob to go to Beth-el, He puts away idols from his family. (1-5) Jacob builds an altar, Death of Deborah, God blesses Jacob. (6-15) Death of Rachel. (16-20) Reuben's crime, The death of Isaac. (21-29)

Verses 1-5 Beth-el was forgotten. But as many as God loves, he will remind of neglected duties, one way or other, by conscience or by providences. When we have vowed a vow to God, it is best not to defer the payment of it; yet better late than never. Jacob commanded his household to prepare, not only for the journey and removal, but for religious services. Masters of families should use their authority to keep up religion in their families, Jos. 24:15 . They must put away strange gods. In families where there is a face of religion, and an altar to God, yet many times there is much amiss, and more strange gods than one would suppose. They must be clean, and change their garments. These were but outward ceremonies, signifying the purifying and change of the heart. What are clean clothes, and new clothes, without a clean heart, and a new heart? If Jacob had called for these idols sooner, they had parted with them sooner. Sometimes attempts for reformation succeed better than we could have thought. Jacob buried their images. We must be wholly separated from our sins, as we are from those that are dead and buried out of sight. He removed from Shechem to Beth-el. Though the Canaanites were very angry against the sons of Jacob for their barbarous usage of the Shechemites, yet they were so kept back by Divine power, that they could not take the opportunity now offered to avenge them. The way of duty is the way of safety. When we are about God's work, we are under special protection; God is with us, while we are with him; and if He be for us, who can be against us? God governs the world more by secret terrors on men's minds than we are aware of.

Verses 6-15 The comfort the saints have in holy ordinances, is not so much from Beth-el, the house of God, as from El-beth-el, the God of the house. The ordinances are empty things, if we do not meet with God in them. There Jacob buried Deborah, Rebekah's nurse. She died much lamented. Old servants in a family, that have in their time been faithful and useful, ought to be respected. God appeared to Jacob. He renewed the covenant with him. I am God Almighty, God all-sufficient, able to make good the promise in due time, and to support thee and provide for thee in the mean time. Two things are promised; that he should be the father of a great nation, and that he should be the master of a good land. These two promises had a spiritual signification, which Jacob had some notion of, though not so clear and distinct as we now have. Christ is the promised Seed, and heaven is the promised land; the former is the foundation, and the latter the top-stone, of all God's favours.

Verses 16-20 Rachel had passionately said, Give me children, or else I die; and now that she had children, she died! The death of the body is but the departure of the soul to the world of spirits. When shall we learn that it is God alone who really knows what is best for his people, and that in all worldly affairs the safest path for the Christian is to say from the heart, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. Here alone is our safety and our comfort, to know no will but his. Her dying lips called her newborn son Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow; and many a son proves to be the heaviness of her that bare him. Children are enough the sorrow of their mothers; they should, therefore, when they grow up, study to be their joy, and so, if possible, to make them some amends. But Jacob, because he would not renew the sorrowful remembrance of the mother's death every time he called his son, changed his name to Benjamin, the son of my right hand: that is, very dear to me; the support of my age, like the staff in my right hand.

Verses 21-29 What a sore affliction Reuben's sin was, is shown, " and Israel heard it." No more is said, but that is enough. Reuben thought that his father would never hear of it; but those that promise themselves secrecy in sin, are generally disappointed. The age and death of Isaac are recorded, though he died not till after Joseph was sold into Egypt. Isaac lived about forty years after he had made his will, chap. 27:2 . We shall not die an hour the sooner, but much the better, for timely setting our hearts and houses in order. Particular notice is taken of the agreement of Esau and Jacob at their father's funeral, to show how God had wonderfully changed Esau's mind. It is awful to behold relations, sometimes for a little of this world's goods, disputing over the graves of their friends, while they are near going to the grave themselves.

Footnotes

• [a] En hebreo, "El Betel " significa "Dios de Betel" .
• [b] En hebreo, "Elón Bacut " significa "encina del llanto" .
• [c] "Padán Aram" . Es decir, el noroeste de Mesopotamia; también en v. 26.
• [d] En hebreo, "Jacob " significa "él agarra el talón " (en sentido figurado: "él suplanta " o "engaña" ).
• [e] En hebreo, "Israel " significa "él lucha con Dios" .
• [f] En hebreo, "Betel " significa "casa de Dios" .
• [g] En hebreo, "Benoní " significa "hijo de mi aflicción " o "hijo de mi tristeza" .
• [h] En hebreo, "Benjamín " significa "hijo de mi mano derecha" .
• [i] "Cuando Israel se enteró de esto, se enojó muchísimo " (LXX); "Israel se enteró " (TM).

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 35

This chapter gives an account of Jacob's going to Bethel, and building an altar there by the order and direction of God, Ge 35:1-7, where Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried, Ge 35:8, and where God appeared to Jacob, confirmed the new name of Israel he had given him, and renewed to him the promises of the multiplication of his seed, and of their inheriting the land of Canaan, Ge 35:9-13; all which is gratefully acknowledged by Jacob, who erected a pillar in the place, and called it Bethel, in memory of God's gracious appearance to him there, Ge 35:14,15; from hence he journeyed towards his father's house, and on the way Rachel his wife fell in travail, and bore him a son, and died, and was buried near Ephrath, Ge 35:16-21; near this place Reuben committed incest with Bilhah, Ge 35:22, and the names of the twelve sons of Jacob are given, Ge 35:23-26; and the chapter is closed with an account of Jacob's arrival at his father's house, of the death of Isaac, and of his burial at the direction of his two sons, Ge 35:27-29.