After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.
Parallel translations
- WEB God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.
- KJV And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.
- NKJV Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him.
- NASB Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.
- NLT Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,
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
God appears to Jacob again at Bethel and blesses him after his return from Paddan Aram.
Overview
God graciously reaffirms His relationship with Jacob through a renewed appearance and blessing. This theophany confirms that the covenant promises still stand despite Jacob's years of struggle and his family's failures. God's faithful initiative, not Jacob's merit, secures the blessing, pointing to the grace fully revealed in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Gen 26:2The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.
- Gen 18:1Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.
- 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 12:7Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
- Gen 17:1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.
- Gen 31:11–13In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’
- Gen 32:24–30So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
- Jer 31:3The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.
- 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 48:3–4Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me
- Gen 32:1Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
- Gen 31:3Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
- Gen 46:2–3And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Here I am,” replied Jacob.
- Acts 7:2And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
- Hos 12:4Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there—
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 35:9 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.