Genesis 35:6 kjv
So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
Genesis 35:6 nkjv
So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.
Genesis 35:6 niv
Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 35:6 esv
And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him,
Genesis 35:6 nlt
Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan.
Genesis 35 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:10-19 | Jacob departed from Beersheba... He came to a certain place... he called the name of that place Bethel... | Jacob's original dream and renaming of Luz to Bethel, establishing the site's significance. |
| Gen 31:3 | Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” | God's directive for Jacob to return to his homeland, setting the stage for his journey. |
| Gen 31:13 | ‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, depart from this land and return to the land of your birth.’” | God identifies Himself by His connection to Bethel, recalling Jacob's vow there. |
| Gen 35:1 | God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother.” | The immediate divine command that precipitates Jacob's journey to Bethel in Gen 35:6. |
| Gen 35:2-4 | Jacob said to his household... “Put away the foreign gods that are among you... Let us arise and go up to Bethel..." | The necessary purification preceding their arrival at Bethel, signifying a return to exclusive worship of God. |
| Gen 35:9-15 | God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him... He called the name of the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel. | God's subsequent re-affirmation of the covenant at Bethel, validating Jacob's return. |
| Gen 12:7-8 | Then the LORD appeared to Abram... And he built an altar there... from there he moved to the mountain... and built an altar... | Abraham, Jacob's grandfather, also built altars and dwelt in the land, marking sacred sites for worship. |
| Exod 20:24 | ‘An altar of earth you shall make for Me... In every place where I cause My name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.' | Reinforces the importance of specific places for divine encounter and worship. |
| Josh 18:13 | From there the boundary passes along south to Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward... | Highlights the geographical prominence and established name of Bethel in the promised land distribution. |
| Judg 1:22-26 | The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel... its former name was Luz. | Historical mention of Bethel (formerly Luz) within Israelite territory and conquest narratives. |
| 1 Kgs 12:28-29 | the king made two calves of gold... He set one in Bethel... | Bethel, tragically, became a center for idol worship under Jeroboam, corrupting its sacred heritage. |
| Amos 5:5 | “But do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing.” | A prophetic condemnation against Israel for corrupting the holy site of Bethel with idolatry. |
| Hos 12:4-5 | Indeed, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept and sought favor from Him; He met Him in Bethel, And there He spoke with us— The LORD God of Hosts is His name. | Reminds Israel of Jacob's encounter with God at Bethel, a place of divine revelation and covenant. |
| Psa 78:12 | Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. | God performs mighty acts in specific places, underscoring the significance of sites like Bethel in the biblical narrative. |
| Psa 132:3-5 | "Surely I will not enter my house or lie on my bed... Till I find a place for the LORD, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” | Illustrates devotion to establishing a "house for God," reflecting Jacob's act of building an altar at Bethel. |
| Isa 2:2-3 | Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains... | Foreshadows a future "house of God" to which all nations will come, paralleling Bethel as a focal point of divine presence. |
| Ezek 37:26-27 | I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them... My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. | Emphasizes God's desire to dwell among His people, recalling His presence at Bethel. |
| John 1:51 | And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” | Jesus links Himself to Jacob's dream at Bethel, indicating that He is the true ladder connecting heaven and earth. |
| Acts 7:5 | But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on; but even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him. | Reflects on the ancestral promises of the land, affirmed at Bethel. |
| Heb 11:8-10 | By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called... He dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise... | Describes the patriarchs' journey of faith in the promised land, including their arrival at God-designated places like Bethel. |
| Rev 21:3 | And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people..." | The ultimate fulfillment of God dwelling among His people, echoing the significance of Bethel as "house of God." |
Genesis 35 verses
Genesis 35 6 Meaning
Genesis 35:6 states that Jacob, in obedience to God's command, arrived with his entire household at Luz, which he had previously renamed Bethel. This arrival signified his return to the land of Canaan, specifically to the site where God had first revealed Himself to him and given him the Abrahamic covenant promises, thereby fulfilling God's directive and Jacob's earlier vow. It marks a moment of divine faithfulness and Jacob's renewed commitment to his spiritual heritage.
Genesis 35 6 Context
Genesis 35:6 occurs within a significant period of transition and spiritual renewal for Jacob's family. Following the chaotic events at Shechem (the rape of Dinah and the vengeful massacre by Simeon and Levi in Genesis 34), Jacob's household was in great disrepute and danger from surrounding inhabitants. In response to this crisis, God directly commands Jacob in Genesis 35:1 to go up to Bethel, dwell there, and build an altar to God who appeared to him when he fled from Esau. This command is a call for Jacob to return to the site of his first explicit encounter with God and to renew his covenant commitments. Prior to their journey, Jacob commands his household to purify themselves by putting away foreign gods, cleansing themselves, and changing their garments (Gen 35:2-4), symbolizing a spiritual preparation for drawing near to God. Thus, verse 6 marks the successful completion of this immediate divine directive, Jacob's obedient arrival at a place of renewed worship, and a literal homecoming to a site imbued with deep spiritual meaning for him and his descendants. Historically, Luz/Bethel was an ancient and important regional center in Canaan.
Genesis 35 6 Word analysis
- So: (Waw). A consecutive conjunction, linking this event directly to the preceding divine command and Jacob's preparations. It signifies the successful execution of what was previously planned or commanded.
- Jacob: (Yaʿaqōḇ). The patriarch whose life is a journey of faith, marked by divine encounters, struggles, and transformations. His name, "supplanter" or "he grasps the heel," highlights his human weakness and divine strength. His presence here fulfills his previous vow.
- came: (Wayyābōʾ). Hebrew perfect consecutive, emphasizing a completed action. It signifies Jacob's arrival, fulfilling God's explicit instruction to "go up" (Gen 35:1).
- to Luz: (Lūzāh). The ancient Canaanite name for the city. It means "almond tree" or "stony place." This is the original secular name of the place, before its spiritual significance was revealed.
- (that is, Bethel): (hîʾ Bēṯ-ʾĒl). This parenthetical clarification, a common biblical literary device, explicitly identifies Luz with the sacred name Jacob gave it. This helps the reader understand the significance of the location and connects it to the pivotal events in Genesis 28 and God's renewed command in 35:1. It emphasizes the spiritual identity over the original mundane name.
- Bethel: (Bēṯ-ʾĒl). Meaning "house of God" (Bayit "house" + ʾEl "God"). This name was given by Jacob after his dream of the ladder connecting heaven and earth (Gen 28:19). It signifies a place of divine revelation, presence, and covenant.
- which is in the land of Canaan: (bəʾereṣ Kənāʿan). This phrase grounds the spiritual event in geographical reality. It reaffirms God's covenant promise of the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 12:7; 15:18-21; 28:13). Their presence in Canaan is a partial fulfillment and a step towards ultimate possession.
- he and all the people who were with him: (hūʾ wəḵāl hāʿām ʾăšer ʾittô). This emphasizes that Jacob did not come alone but with his entire extensive household—wives, children, servants, livestock. This collective obedience underscores the comprehensive spiritual preparation (Gen 35:2-4) and marks the group's united return to a sacred site.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "So Jacob came... to Luz (that is, Bethel)": This phrase highlights the divine orchestrating and Jacob's immediate compliance. It connects the ordinary geographic name to its deeply sacred meaning, emphasizing the location's identity as "God's house." This isn't just a physical move but a spiritual pilgrimage to the very spot where Jacob first made a covenant with God.
- "which is in the land of Canaan": This is more than a geographical descriptor. It links Jacob's movement to the broader promise of the land given to Abraham and his descendants. Their very presence at Bethel, a central Canaanite site, reaffirms God's ongoing commitment to the patriarchal covenant and sets the stage for future possession.
- "he and all the people who were with him": This clause demonstrates the corporate nature of this spiritual act. Jacob's leadership extends to his entire household, whose prior purification reflects the communal nature of drawing near to God. Their collective arrival reinforces the idea that this was a shared act of faith and obedience, not merely a personal one.
Genesis 35 6 Bonus section
- The naming of "Bethel" itself carries a theological significance: it is the place where Jacob experiences God's presence as tangibly "the house of God." This foreshadows later concepts of the tabernacle and temple as God's dwelling place among His people, and ultimately the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers and the church as the true "house of God" (1 Tim 3:15).
- Jacob's return to Bethel at God's command echoes Abraham's journey to Canaan at God's call. Both patriarchs respond to divine directives to settle in the promised land, building altars as markers of their faith and worship. This pattern of pilgrimage, obedience, and altar-building defines early patriarchal faith.
- The fact that God commanded Jacob to go to Bethel after the traumatic events at Shechem indicates God's purposeful redirecting of Jacob's path. It's not just a change of scenery, but a forced spiritual re-evaluation and rededication. God uses even challenging circumstances to bring His people back to Himself and His purposes.
Genesis 35 6 Commentary
Genesis 35:6 marks a crucial moment in Jacob's narrative, representing a return to spiritual grounding after a period of instability and defilement. The direct connection to God's command in Genesis 35:1, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there," highlights Jacob's obedience. This obedience is preceded by a profound act of family purification (Gen 35:2-4), where Jacob instructs his household to put away foreign gods, demonstrating a commitment to exclusive worship of Yahweh. The arrival at "Luz, that is, Bethel" is profoundly symbolic. Luz represents the secular, ordinary place, while Bethel, meaning "House of God," signifies the divine encounter and covenant renewal. It is not merely a journey home, but a spiritual pilgrimage back to the site of God's initial promises to Jacob (Gen 28) and the renewal of his faith in the promised land. This verse shows God’s faithfulness in leading Jacob back to the place of blessing and Jacob’s active role in sanctifying his household. It underscores the importance of returning to foundational truths and places of divine encounter when one’s spiritual life is challenged. The presence of "all the people who were with him" further emphasizes the corporate dimension of this rededication and the impact of the leader's faith on his entire community. This return to Bethel sets the stage for further divine revelations to Jacob, cementing his identity and future lineage.