The Meaning of Genesis 35:4 Explained

Genesis 35:4

KJV: And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

YLT: And they give unto Jacob all the gods of the stranger that are in their hand, and the rings that are in their ears, and Jacob hideth them under the oak which is by Shechem;

Darby: And they gave to Jacob all the strange gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth that is by Shechem.

ASV: And they gave unto Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they gave  unto Jacob  all the strange  gods  which [were] in their hand,  and [all their] earrings  which [were] in their ears;  and Jacob  hid  them under the oak  which [was] by Shechem. 

What does Genesis 35:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 35:1-15 - Jacob Blessed At Bethel
Thirty years before Jacob was at Bethel. Life was young then. He had only his staff. The future was unshaped and unknown. It was on the occasion of his first night from home; and he made many vows. How much had happened since then! Marriage, prosperity, children! But he had drifted down the stream, and had traveled into the far country from God. It was well that he should get back to Bethel, and consider the whole story of his life, as you may trace a river from source to mouth from an overlooking hill. The divine summons is always bidding us be clean and change our garments, and be rid of idols. There God gave him the great new name of Israel; and took to himself the reassuring name of El-Shaddai. It was as though, as the Almighty, he pledged himself to realize the highest and best. Let us take heart! God will make us fruitful, will give us the land, and will ward off the results of our misdeeds, Genesis 35:5.
For Review Questions on Genesis see the e-Sword Book Comments for Genesis.
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Chapter Summary: Genesis 35

1  God commands Jacob to go to Bethel
2  He purges his house of idols
6  He builds an altar at Bethel
8  Deborah dies at Allon Bacuth
9  God blesses Jacob at Bethel
10  Jacob Named Israel
16  Rachel travails of Benjamin, and dies in the way to Edar
22  Reuben lies with Bilhah
23  The sons of Jacob
27  Jacob comes to Isaac at Hebron
28  The age, death, and burial of Isaac

What do the individual words in Genesis 35:4 mean?

So they gave unto Jacob - all gods the foreign that [were] in their hands and the earrings in their ears and hid them under the terebinth [tree] that [was] by Shechem
וַיִּתְּנ֣וּ אֶֽל־ יַעֲקֹ֗ב אֵ֣ת כָּל־ אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּיָדָ֔ם וְאֶת־ הַנְּזָמִ֖ים בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּטְמֹ֤ן אֹתָם֙ תַּ֥חַת הָאֵלָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִם־ שְׁכֶֽם

וַיִּתְּנ֣וּ  So  they  gave 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֶֽל־  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יַעֲקֹ֗ב  Jacob 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.
אֵ֣ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֱלֹהֵ֤י  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
הַנֵּכָר֙  the  foreign 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֵכָר  
Sense: foreign, alien, foreignness, that which is foreign.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּיָדָ֔ם  in  their  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הַנְּזָמִ֖ים  the  earrings 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נֶזֶם  
Sense: ring, nose ring, earring.
בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם  in  their  ears 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fdc, third person masculine plural
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
וַיִּטְמֹ֤ן  and  hid 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: טָמַן  
Sense: to hide, conceal, bury.
תַּ֥חַת  under 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
הָאֵלָ֖ה  the  terebinth  [tree] 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֵלָה  
Sense: terebinth, terebinth tree.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that  [was] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שְׁכֶֽם  Shechem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁכֶם 
Sense: son of Hamor, the chieftain of the Hivites at Shechem at the time of Jacob’s arrival.