Genesis 35:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.

NIV: Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb.

NASB: And Jacob set up a memorial stone over her grave; that is the memorial stone of Rachel’s grave to this day.

CSB: Jacob set up a marker on her grave; it is the marker at Rachel's grave still today.

NLT: Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.

KJV: And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

NKJV: And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

Jacob fell deeply in love with Rachel (Genesis 29:20) and worked hard to become her husband. Her death in childbirth would have been especially crushing (Genesis 35:16–19). In memory, Jacob builds a stone pillar over her tomb. Previously, Jacob has built stone pillars to mark places where God appeared to him (Genesis 28:18–19) and to mark his agreement with Laban, Rebekah's father (Genesis 31:44–49). Now he marks the place where his most loved wife (Genesis 29:30) has died.

When the Bible uses the phrase that something is "there to this day," it refers to the time that the passage was physically written down. These words would have been recorded, originally, by Moses. He likely recorded them while Israel was traveling in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. This would have been several hundred years later (Exodus 12:41), making the survival of such a monument especially noteworthy. Having said that, the location of Rachel's tomb remained a well-known landmark for many years. It is referred to as a specific place both by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:2) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15).

Genesis 35:16–29 describes Jacob's painful losses following God's great blessing at Bethel. His beloved wife Rachel dies giving birth to his twelfth son, Benjamin. Jacob buries her and builds a stone pillar to mark her tomb. Next, his firstborn son, Reuben, defiles the family by sleeping with one of Jacob's servant-wives. Though Jacob seems to do nothing, at first, Reuben will lose his birthright as a result. Finally, Jacob's father Isaac dies at 180 years old. Jacob and Esau reunite to lay their father to rest at the family burial cave at Mamre. The rest of Genesis will explain how the people of Israel came to live in Egypt.

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.