The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”
God meets Jacob again at Bethel, the place where He first made Himself known to him years before. This time God comes unasked, and gives him the land He had already promised to Abraham and Isaac — two men who died owning none of it.
A promise no one asked for
Jacob did not ask for this meeting. God takes the initiative, and speaks to him as He once spoke to Abraham:
The Christian's FriendGod Himself appeared to him now, though Jacob had not asked Him to. We read in Genesis 35:9, "God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him." He gave him the name of Israel, as if He had not given it to him before. And He reveals His own name to him, though Jacob never asked for it. He talks with him as He once did with Abraham. He renews the promises, and confirms them to him — at least those which relate to Israel. And when He had finished speaking with him, God went up from him, for He had visited him.
God had already set the terms at this same place, years before:
F. B. HoleAt Bethel, in Genesis 28, God declared what He would be for Jacob and to Jacob. He raised no question about Jacob's response or behaviour. Now God is always true to Himself and to His word. Before God gave the law through Moses, He was dealing with these patriarchs on the basis of His promises in grace, and those promises stand.
The name that guarantees it
In the same breath God calls Himself "God Almighty". That name carried a guarantee long before Jacob heard it:
An Outline of Sound WordsAs the Almighty, God promised to be a God to Abraham and to his descendants after him (Gen. 17:7)... The Name of the Almighty assured Abraham that God would do all He had promised. Isaac blessed Jacob in the Name of the Almighty (Gen. 28:3). And when God changed Jacob's name to Israel, He said, "I am God Almighty… The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you" (Gen. 35:9–12). Jacob uses the Name of the Almighty in Genesis 43:14, 48:3 and 49:25. He knew the almighty power of the One who had blessed him despite all his failures.
Nothing is left hanging on conditions
The verse gives the land twice over — to Jacob, and to his descendants. Commentators place this in a line of promises that carry no strings:
J. N. DarbyIn Genesis 15 the promise rests on a covenant God made with Abraham, again without condition. It is an absolute gift of the country... In Genesis 17:7-8, the promise of the earth is renewed. These are confirmed to Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4), and to Jacob (Gen. 35:10, 12). These are "the promises made to the fathers," and to Israel, "beloved for the sake of the fathers." God made them to Abraham without any condition, whether spiritual or earthly.
Promised to men who never owned it
God speaks as if the land were already handed over, yet Abraham and Isaac died owning none of it. That gap carries a startling conclusion:
William KellyGod never gave Abraham, Isaac or Jacob actual possession of the land of Israel while they were alive in their natural bodies. Yet He did promise them the land — not just to their children, but to themselves. So they must rise again to have that land promised to them. God gave them the land in promise, but they never owned it. They must therefore own it another day. And they cannot own it while they are dead, so they must live again to actually have the promised land.
The scope: Israel and the land
Jacob receives the same promise of nations and kings that Abraham had. But this promise has a border:
William KellyHe has, like Abraham in Gen. 17, the promise of nations and kings from his line; but nothing here goes beyond the bounds and glory of Israel and the land.
Jacob's answer
Jacob answers with a stone pillar — his third. The first two show what has changed:
L. M. GrantHis first had been one of confidence in the flesh (Gen. 28:18-22); his second was the pillar of broken confidence (Gen. 31:45), showing how untrustworthy the flesh is. This third is the pillar of confidence in God. This time he makes no vow. Instead he pours a drink offering and oil on the pillar, showing his genuine appreciation of God's faithfulness and grace.
Summary
- Grace first. God appears unasked and says nothing about Jacob's failures; the promises rest on God's word, not on Jacob's behaviour.
- Almighty backs it. God gives the land as "God Almighty" — the name that assured Abraham He would do all He promised.
- Given, not offered. God attaches no conditions, and the same unconditional promise runs from Abraham through Isaac to Jacob.
- Resurrection implied. Abraham and Isaac died without owning a foot of it, so they must live again to receive what God promised.
- Bounded but sure. God's promise here reaches no further than Israel and the land, and within those borders it stands.