There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.
Parallel translations
- WEB He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
- KJV And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
- NKJV And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.
- NASB Then he built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.
- NLT Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jacob builds an altar and names the place El Bethel, for there God had revealed Himself when he fled Esau.
Overview
Jacob fulfills both God's command and his old vow by erecting an altar at Bethel, naming it 'God of Bethel.' The name honors the God who met him there decades earlier in his flight. This act of worship marks Jacob's spiritual maturing and his grateful acknowledgment of God's faithful presence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Gen 28:13And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.
- Gen 35:1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
- Gen 35:3Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
- Gen 28:22And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”
- Gen 28:19and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
- Exod 17:15And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner.
- Ezek 48:35The perimeter of the city will be 18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”
- Judg 6:24So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
- Eccl 5:4–5When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 35:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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