What does Genesis 35:9 mean?
When Jacob fled into Paddan-aram (Genesis 27:42), he slept alone in an area where he had an encounter with God (Genesis 28:10–22). There, he promised to worship God alone. Decades later, God has commanded Jacob to return to the location of this event (Genesis 35:1). Jacob had obeyed by burying his family's idols (Genesis 35:4) and relocating, divinely protected from harassment by other tribes (Genesis 35:5).God seems to view Jacob's return to Bethel and the building of the altar to the Lord as his official return to the land of promise. The Lord appears to Jacob once more, to deliver to Jacob the strongest blessing and most thorough set of promises given thus far. The exact nature of this appearance is not clear. Whether this was a human-like appearance, or a more obscure form, Scripture does not say.