27:41). The town has no walls; but the main streets opening on the principal roads have gates. According to Acts they were all buried at Shechem in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor. 4:28). He does set up a place of worship as soon as he enters Canaan, thereby showing his commitment to make God the center of his home. The well dug by Abraham and secured to him by oath had been covered and lost. It was thirty years after Jacobs vow to return to Bethel that he determined to fulfill it, and this in light of the fact that Bethel lay only thirty miles from Shechem.11. Nearly thirty years have passed since Jacob vowed to return to Bethel, where God had revealed Himself to him during his flight from Esau to Paddan-aram. At the western end is another, 85 ft. long by 55 broad. why did Jacob travel to Succoth (the opposite direction of Esau According to Josh 15:13 it was so called after Arba, the father of Anak. In Gen 21:31 Abraham and Abimelech took an oath of witness that the former had dug the well and seven ewe lambs were offered in sacrifice, "Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them." But all of a sudden, when God called him to return to Bethel, he was greatly concerned about purity. While living here in Hebron he made the multi-colored coat for his son Joseph, and later Joseph's brother became jealous of this and Joseph's ability to interpret dreams and Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold to the Midianites who took him to Egypt to be sold as a slave (Gen. 37:1-36). Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. Previous to this time, God had chosen to fulfill His covenant to Abraham through one son to the exclusion of others. There is a song which says, whatever it takes to be closer to Thee, Lord, thats what Ill be willing to do. I doubt that many of us are willing to make that kind of commitment for fear of what might have to be set aside. Under Jehu, who restored the calf worship, and Jeroboam II his great grandson, Bethel comes again into prominence (2 Kings 10:29). The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. Is this not also the explanation for the actions of Reuben? 35. One Step Forward and Three Backward (Genesis 33:1--34:31) 13:22). Jacob somewhat passively accepted the rape of his daughter and even entered into an agreement whereby the purity of the covenant people of God would be lost (chapter 34). God revealed to Jacob His plan of redemption through offering His only son as a substitute for the sins of the whole world. And God said to him, Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name. Thus He called him Israel. Jacob arose and returned to Bethel where he would renew his vow to the Lord and he built an altar at Bethel and worshiped God (Gen. 35:1-15). At this point, Joseph was the youngest son (Gen 33:2) and the only child of Rachel. God does not, like many of us do as parents, yell and holler, fuss and fume, over the disobedience of His children. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 80:10) fills in more detail about the events subsequent to Dinah's abduction. Hebron is one of the most ancient cities in the world still existing; and in this respect it is the rival of Damascus. There are at present on the spot two principal wells and five smaller ones. A second passage is even more striking. On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name (Gen. 26:31-33). 18 Both in verse 4 and verse 8, the oak tree is called the oak, not an oak. Jacob's Well is also about 250 feet from the archaeological ruins of ancient Shechem. Jacob had children with her sister Leah (see Genesis 29), and Rachel became jealous. Nowhere are we told that Jacob gave a tithe, as he had promised years before (28:22). 19:4). For shortly after this, when Joseph was sold into Egypt, he was seventeen years old. JACOB. HOHAM (which see), king of Hebron, was one of the five kings defeated by Joshua at Beth-horon and slain at Makkedah (Josh 10:3 f). (a) In Babylonian documents of the period of the Patriarchs, there occur such personal names as Ja-ku-bi, Ja-ku-ub-ilu (the former doubtless an abbreviation of the latter), and Aq-bu-u (compare Aq-bi-a-hu), according to Hilprecht a syncopated form for A-qu(? Genesis 34: Jacob's Response to Dinah's Rape - BibleWise Yesterday we used Jacob's arrival at his ordained destination (Bethel, Gen. 35:115) as a metaphor for the security we have in knowing that the Lord will grant us success in our journey of sanctification. Here the name is ascribed to the Hebrew root shabha`, "to swear," but this same root is connected with the idea of seven, seven victims being offered and to take an oath, meaning "to come under the influence of seven." The southern limit of the Holy Land, as Dan in the N.: "from Dan to Beersheba" (compare in David's census, 1 Chronicles 21:2; 2 Samuel 24:2-7) comprehends the whole. While Jacob dilly-dallied and drug his feet for ten years, he finally arrived. View our current career opportunities. 8:17-19); and (4) the promise of the Seed in which all nations of the earth were to be blessed (Gen. 22:18). His body was embalmed, carried with great care and pomp into the land of Canaan, and deposited with his fathers, and his wife Leah, in the cave of Machpelah. He is near Bethel but not near to the God of Bethelat least not in chapter 34. And they dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom.2 Chronicles 30:5 - So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done [it] of a long [time in such sort] as it was written.Genesis 46:5 - And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.2 Chronicles 24:1 - Joash [was] seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. Jacob in Easton's Bible Dictionary one who follows on another's heels; supplanter, (Gen. 25:26; 27:36; Hos. Map of the Journeys of Isaac - Bible History Rivaling Damascus in antiquity. Joseph's tomb can still be seen today in Shechem (modern-day Nablus). Bethel in Easton's Bible Dictionary house of God. With the disruption of the kingdom came Bethel's greatest Maps are essential for any serious Bible study. 12 We can deduce that some time has passed from two lines of inquiry. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. 7. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? Haran. It matters a great deal. No real growth or progress in Jacobs spiritual life could take place until he returned to Bethel. 1. He escaped from the angry pursuit of Laban, from a meeting with Esau, and from the vengeance of the Canaanites provoked by the murder of Shechem; and in each of these three emergencies he was aided and strengthened by the interposition of God, and in sign of the grace won by a night of wrestling with God his name was changed at Jabbok into Israel. The burial of Isaac was a cooperative effort of both Jacob and Esau. Shechem - Wikipedia (See Joshua 21:11; Judges 1:10.) I pray that you will do this now by simply acknowledging your sin and your utter inability to gain Gods favor or admission into His kingdom. The home of the prophetess Deborah was not far off (Jdg 4:5). On the round mount S.E. The water is excellent, and grass with crocuses and lilies abounds. Jacob was not to go up to Bethel to live (Meek). "Seven wells" is improbable on etymological grounds; the numeral should in that case be first. And so this chapter not only describes the way back for Jacob, but it also outlines the way back for any believer who has grown cold and indifferent by failing to walk in the path which God has made clear. In this experience Jacob learned a lesson which is pertinent to us as well: safety is not to be found in our own strength nor in alliances with pagans, but in the fear of God, which causes us to maintain the purity He demands. A place in Central Israel, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai. Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. S. of the town in the bottom of the valley is a tank, 130 ft. square by 50 deep. It lay South of Shiloh (Jdg 21:19). After the death of Saul, David was here anointed king (2 Sam 5:3) and reigned here 7 1/2 years, until he captured Jerusalem and made that his capital (2 Sam 5:5); while here, six sons were born to him (2 Sam 3:2). Jacobs renewal at Bethel necessitated several actions on Jacobs part. Moses therefore lists these twelve sons according to their mothers, beginning first with Leah, then Rachel, and concluding with Bilhah and Zilpah. Jacob in Succoth and then in Shechem, from Genesis 33:18-20 commented by ASV and questions In Succoth Jacob rested for a while in Succoth, may be a year or so for all the animals and the children to recover after the escape from Laban and all these efforts when he met Esau, the camp needed to rebuild. Bethel is the name given by anticipation to the place; appropriately so, as Abram virtually made it the "house of God." 2 Kings 23:8 - And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that [were] in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which [were] on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.2 Samuel 24:2 - For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which [was] with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.Amos 5:5 - But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.Nehemiah 11:30 - Zanoah, Adullam, and [in] their villages, at Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and [in] the villages thereof. It was afterwards known as Mamre. Yes, Jacob does mislead his brother. At length all traces of the idolatries were extirpated by Josiah, king of Judah (2 Kings 23:15-18); and the place was still in existence after the Captivity (Ezra 2:28; Neh. God had, after all, clearly spoken. After a unique wrestling match with God, however, we witness a change in Jacob. Jacob was preoccupied with prosperity and security at the expense of purity and piety. He did not live there long, but moved southward. What Jehovah has made one see (this hophal mowreh occurs four times in the Pentateuch, nowhere in later books) "the vision of Jehovah". The other well is 5 feet in diameter, and was 42 feet to the water. Strange to say, Isaac lived to witness Jacobs grief over Joseph. Leupold, Genesis, II, p. 929. The disaster that befalls Dinah in chapter 34 is another hint, after the fact, that Bethel was to be Jacobs proper home. 19:28).Hebron in Fausset's Bible Dictionary 1. No Christian ever suffers the penalty for sins, for Jesus Christ has borne our sins on the cross. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt here, and it was here that Abraham bought a tomb - the Cave of Machpelah. Mount Bethel was a hilly district near Bethel (Josh. Over the former probably David hung Ishbosheth's murderers (2 Samuel 4:12). When David became king of Judah this was his royal residence, and he resided here for seven and a half years (2 Sam. The Geographical, Historical, & Spiritual Significance of Shechem 3. In the context of this text, Jacob has fled from Laban, not knowing that Rachel has stolen her fathers household gods (Genesis 31:19-20). Probably on rising ground East of Bethel Abraham and Lot stood to view the uninviting highlands and the rich lands of the Jordan valley (Gen 13:9 ff). Life, even the Spirit-filled life, is full of sickness (Philippians 2:25ff. 1 Chronicles 2:42-43. He kidnapped her and forced her to stay and live with him. This accounts for a school of prophets of Jehovah being there in Elijah's time (2 Kings 2:2-3). It was George Bush (not the Vice President of the United States but the author of one of the old, classic commentaries on Genesis) who most clearly verbalized this truth: These incidents may teach us that the most precious favors of heaven often come to us, not in the form of blessings or promises entirely new, but in the repetition or revival of those which we have already experienced in times past. Jacob and Esau Timeline 0 - Birth prophecy - the older shall serve the younger - Isaac is 60 (Yasher 26:12-15 & Gen_25:23-26) As we will see, this choice had tragic consequences. In truth, she would die in the bearing of children. No doubt Jacob intended to get around to going up to Bethel in time, but there was no hurry in his mind. Furthermore, the wives and children, who were taken captive and would be taken away, must have had Canaanite relatives eagerly seeking revenge.17 After all, what had been done to Dinah was committed on a grand scale by her brothers in their killing the men of Shechem and kidnapping the women and children. Isaacs death is now reported, though it did not take place for another twelve or thirteen years. Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. Whether married or not, make time for private study and praise. Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho under the curse (1 Kings 16:34).Bethel in Hitchcock's Bible Names the house of GodBethel in Naves Topical Bible 1. It is time for Isaac to step aside, as well as Jacob, at least for the time being. In Genesis 35:1 Jacob was commanded to return to Bethel, where He had appeared to him. Now Deborah, Rebekahs nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth (Genesis 35:1-8). Hebron was the original name, changed to Kirjath Arba during Israel's sojourn in Egypt, and restored by Caleb, to whom it was given at the conquest of Israel (Genesis 23:2; Joshua 14:13-15). First, there was no need for a tithe here. HEBRON is one of the most ancient cities in the world still existing, and it is in this respect the rival of Damascus. First, I am deeply impressed with the importance of renewal. Solomon knew it also and had him put to death for treason. (See BETHAVEN.) Timeline. "The mount of the Lord" (Genesis 22:14) means almost always Mount Zion. The faith of Jacob must become the faith of his children. And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed [and] keep thy flock:Genesis 35:14 - And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, [even] a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.Joshua 24:32 - And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.Genesis 30:41 - And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.Ezekiel 37:25 - And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, [even] they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David [shall be] their prince for ever.1 Samuel 12:8 - When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.Obediah 1:18 - And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it].Deuteronomy 29:13 - That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and [that] he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.Genesis 31:46 - And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.Isaiah 43:22 - But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.Lamentations 2:2 - The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought [them] down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.Psalms 22:23 - Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.Genesis 37:2 - These [are] the generations of Jacob.