Genesis 16:13

16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” ¹  for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” ² 

Genesis 31:13

31:13 I am the God of Bethel, ³  where you anointed ⁴  the sacred stone and made a vow to me. ⁵  Now leave this land immediately ⁶  and return to your native land.’”

Genesis 35:1

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ⁷  to Bethel ⁸  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ⁹ 

Genesis 35:3

35:3 Let us go up at once ¹⁰  to Bethel. Then I will make ¹¹  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ¹²  and has been with me wherever I went.” ¹³ 

¹ tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).

² tn Heb “after one who sees me.”

³ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

⁴ sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the Lord as an anointing. Jacob had consecrated the place.

⁵ sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the Lord when he anointed the stone (Gen 28:20-22). God is now going to take him back to the land, and so he will have to fulfill his vow.

⁶ tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.

⁵ tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

⁶ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

⁷ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

⁷ tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.

⁸ tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.

⁹ tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.

¹⁰ tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).