God’s Word Translation
Genesis 35:2
2So Jacob said to his family and those who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods which you have, wash yourselves until you are ritually clean, and change your clothes.
Genesis 35:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
- New International Version (NIV)So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.
Context of Genesis 35:2
1Then God said to Jacob, “Go to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there. I am the God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his family and those who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods which you have, wash yourselves until you are ritually clean, and change your clothes. 3Then let’s go to Bethel. I will make an altar there to God, who answered me when I was troubled and who has been with me wherever I’ve gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that they had in their possession as well as the earrings that they had on. Jacob buried these things under the oak tree near Shechem.
Read all of Genesis 35Genesis 35:2 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ אֶל־בֵּית֔וֹ וְאֶ֖ל כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִמּ֑וֹ הָסִ֜רוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּתֹכְכֶ֔ם וְהִֽטַּהֲר֔וּ וְהַחֲלִ֖יפוּ שִׂמְלֹתֵיכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto his householdבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- with him, Put awayסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
- the strangeנֵכָרnêkâr · foreignH5236
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- among youתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- and be cleanטָהֵרţâhêr · be pureH2891
- and changeחָלַףchâlaph · to passH2498
- your garmentsשִׂמְלָהώimlâh · mantleH8071
Cross-references for Genesis 35:2
- Genesis 18:19I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his family after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. In this way I, the Lord, will do what I have promised Abraham.”
- Joshua 24:15But if you don’t want to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve the Lord.”
- Psalms 101:2I want to understand the path to integrity. When will you come to me? I will live in my own home with integrity.
- Genesis 31:19When Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s idols.
- Exodus 20:3“Never have any other god.
- Exodus 23:13“Be careful ⌞to do⌟ everything I told you. “Never mention the names of other gods or let them be heard on your lips.
- Deuteronomy 5:7“Never have any other gods.
- Deuteronomy 6:14Never worship any of the gods worshiped by the people around you.
- Deuteronomy 7:25Burn their idols. Don’t ever long for the silver and gold on these idols or take any of it for yourselves. It might be a trap for you. Besides, these idols are disgusting to the Lord your God.
- Deuteronomy 11:28You’ll be cursed if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God, if you turn from the way I’m commanding you to live today, and if you worship other gods you never knew.
- Deuteronomy 32:16They made him furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him because they worshiped worthless idols.
- Joshua 23:7Don’t get mixed up with the nations left in your territory. Don’t ever mention the names of their gods or swear an oath to them. Don’t ever serve their gods or bow down to them.
- Joshua 24:2Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Long ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and served other gods.
- Judges 10:16Then they got rid of the foreign gods they had and served the Lord. So the Lord could not bear to have Israel suffer any longer.
- Ruth 1:15Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law.”
- 1 Samuel 7:3Samuel told the entire nation of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord wholeheartedly, get rid of the foreign gods you have, including the statues of the goddess Astarte. Make a commitment to the Lord, and serve only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
Commentaries on Genesis 35:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Put away the strange gods - הנכר אלהי elohey hannechar, the gods of the foreigners, which were among them. Jacob's servants were all Syrians, and no doubt were addicted less or more to idolatry and superstition. These gods might belong to them, or, as some have conjectured, they were the teraphim which Rachel stole; but these have already been supposed to be astrological tables, or something of this kind, called by Laban his gods, because by them he…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-29Verses 1-29 - The Death of Isaac 8. דברה deborâh Deborah, “bee.” בּכוּת אלּון 'alôn -bākût Allon-bakuth, “oak of weeping.” 16. כברה kı̂brâh “length stretch.” A certain but unknown distance, a stadium or furlong (Josephus) a hippodrome (Septuagint) which was somewhat longer, a mile (Kimchi). אפרת 'ephrâth Ephrath, “fruitful or ashy.” 18. בן־אוני ben -'ônı̂y Ben-oni, “son of my pain.” בנימין bı̂nyāmı̂yn Binjamin, “son of the right hand.” 19. לחם בית…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4Jacob vowed to fully devote himself to the Lord (28:20–22). To establish this devotion, his family had to get rid of all pagan idols and stop worshiping other gods. God allows no rivals. Only the Lord could be their God (compare Joshua 5:1–9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Then Jacob said unto his household ... Put away the strange gods that are among you--Hebrew, "gods of the stranger," of foreign nations. Jacob had brought, in his service, a number of Mesopotamian retainers, who were addicted to superstitious practices; and there is some reason to fear that the same high testimony as to the religious superintendence of his household could not have been borne of him as was done of Abraham (Ge 18:19). He might have been…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 35:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 35
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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