Kejadian 13:3

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ¹  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ²  He returned ³  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁴  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.

Kejadian 28:11

28:11 He reached a certain place ⁵  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ⁶  He took one of the stones ⁷  and placed it near his head. ⁸  Then he fell asleep ⁹  in that place

Kejadian 28:19

28:19 He called that place Bethel, ¹⁰  although the former name of the town was Luz.

Kejadian 35:1

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ¹¹  to Bethel ¹²  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ¹³ 

Kejadian 35:8

35:8 (Deborah, ¹⁴  Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named ¹⁵  Oak of Weeping.) ¹⁶ 

Kejadian 35:15

35:15 Jacob named the place ¹⁷  where God spoke with him Bethel. ¹⁸ 

[13:3]  ¹ tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

[13:3]  ² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:3]  ³ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

[28:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “lay down.”

[28:19]  ¹⁰ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).

[28:19]  map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[35:1]  ¹² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:1]  ¹³ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

[35:8]  ¹⁴ sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.

[35:8]  ¹⁵ tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.

[35:8]  ¹⁶ tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.

[35:15]  ¹⁷ sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.

[35:15]  ¹⁸ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

[35:15]  map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.