Genesis 35:2

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:
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.

Context of Genesis 35:2

1Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” 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. 3Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.

Genesis 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 18:19For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
• Joshua 24:15But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
• Psalms 101:2I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.
• Genesis 31:19When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.
• Exodus 20:3“You shall have no other gods before me.
• Exodus 23:13“Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.
• Deuteronomy 5:7“You shall have no other gods before me.
• Deuteronomy 6:14Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;
• Deuteronomy 7:25The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God.
• Deuteronomy 11:28the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
• Deuteronomy 32:16They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
• Joshua 23:7Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them.
• Joshua 24:2Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.
• Judges 10:16Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.
• Ruth 1:15“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
• 1 Samuel 7:3So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of 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

• Altar
• Beth-El
• Family
• Holiness
• Iconoclasm
• Idolatry
• Jacob
• Polytheism
• Purification
• Teraphim
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Jacob
• Jacob, Israel
• Strange Gods
• Change
• Hard
• Pillar
• Pursue
• Travail
• Archaeology; Archaeology and Criticism
• Genealogy

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