And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
What does Genesis 35:22 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 35:22
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: Jacob's return and his father's death. The family of Jacob is now enumerated, because it has been completed by the birth of Benjamin. "In Padan-aram." This applies to all of them but Benjamin; an exception which the reader of the context can make for himself. Jacob at length arrives with his whole establishment at Hebron, the third notable station occupied by Abraham in the land Genesis 13:1 . Here also his father sojourns. The life of Isaac is now closed. Joseph must have been, at the time of Jacob's return, in his thirteenth year, and therefore, his father in his hundred and fourth. Isaac was consequently in his hundred and sixty-third year.
Key words
- pass
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Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land,.
- Israel
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Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land,.
- dwelt
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Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land,.
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.
Related topics
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Glossary
- Reuben Person
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Behold a son!, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah ( Gen. 29:32 ). His sinful conduct, referred to in Gen. 35:22 , brought down upon him his dying father’s malediction (48:4).