And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.
What does Genesis 35:21 mean?
What a sore affliction Reuben's sin was, is shown, "and Israel heard it." No more is said, but that is enough.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Genesis 35:21-25 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 35:21
Eder - The tower of the flock was probably a watch-tower where shepherds guarded their flocks by night. It was a mile (Jerome) or more south of Bethlehem. Here Reuben was guilty of the shameful deed which came to the knowledge of his father, and occasions the allusion in Genesis 49:4 . He was by this act degraded from his position in the holy family. The division of the open parashah in the text here is more in accordance with the sense than that of the verse.
Key words
- Israel
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And Israel journeyed,.
- journeyed
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And Israel journeyed,.
Context in Genesis 35
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Genesis 35 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the family line through Isaac and Jacob. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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Glossary
- Eder Place
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Flock. (1. ) A city in the south of Judah, on the border of Idumea ( Josh. 15:21 ). (2. ) The second of the three sons of Mushi, of the family of Merari, appointed to the Levitical office ( 1 Chr. 23:23 ; 24:30 ). Modern identification: Khirbet es Siyar el Ghanam.