Genesis 35:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”

NIV: The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.'

NASB: And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you.'

CSB: I will give to you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac. And I will give the land to your future descendants."

NLT: And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.'

KJV: And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

NKJV: The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.”

God is appearing to Jacob and restating His covenant promises to this grandson of Abraham (Genesis 17:1; 28:13–14; 35:9–11). After reminding Jacob that his name has been changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28), God has promised that nations and kings will come from him. Now the Lord confirms that His promises to give the land of Canaan to Abraham and Isaac belong to Jacob and his descendants, as well.

Jacob can rest assured that all God's covenant promises to Abraham and Isaac are still in effect. They will continue to apply to his many sons and their offspring to follow. As with his ancestors, Jacob will live to see only some of these promises fulfilled in his lifetime. His descendants will see them realized entirely (Hebrews 11:12–16).

Genesis 35:1–15 describes the fulfillment of Jacob's vows made to the Lord some twenty years earlier. Then, Jacob encountered God after fleeing from Esau (Genesis 27:42). Now that Jacob has returned safely to Canaan and resolved the conflict with Esau, God commands him to build an altar at the place of their earlier meeting. Jacob rids his family of all of their false idols and builds the altar. God appears to him, confirming the covenant promises once more. Jacob responds to God's appearance and blessing by building a stone pillar and pouring a drink offering and oil over it. This location is named Bethel, meaning "House of God."

God commands Jacob to build an altar to Him at Bethel. This will fulfill vows Jacob made after encountering the Lord for the first time, as he was fleeing for his life from Esau. Jacob rids his family of all their false idols and travels to Bethel. God appears to him again, reaffirming all the covenant promises. As they travel away, Rachel dies giving birth to Jacob's twelfth son. His first son, Reuben, sleeps with Jacob's servant-wife Bilhah, losing his birthright as a result. Finally, Jacob's father Isaac dies at 180 years old.

Recent events have left Jacob fearful of the people of the land. His sons slaughtered an entire town to avenge their sister's rape. However, God apparently uses this bloodshed to inspire fear. Nobody attacks Jacob's family as they travel to Bethel, setting up an altar and renewing their covenant with God. Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob's eldest son sleeps with one of his servant-wives, losing his birthright. Isaac dies, and Jacob and Esau bury him in the family burial cave in Mamre. The story then focuses on Jacob's sons, primarily Joseph, as the family finds themselves drawn into Egypt.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/3/2024 11:11:15 AM