Neville Goddard on Genesis 35:1-7 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Genesis 35 in context

Scripture Focus

1And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

2Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

3And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

4And 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.

5And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

7And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

Genesis 35:1-7

Biblical Context

God tells Jacob to rise, go to Bethel, and build an altar as a sign of worship. He commands the household to remove the strange gods, purify themselves, and dedicate the journey to the true God.

Neville's Inner Vision

You are Jacob in this moment, and the call to Bethel is the I AM within you inviting a total inner conversion. The directive to rise and dwell at Bethel is your awareness choosing to rest in the Presence rather than in the surface drama. The command to put away the strange gods translates to letting go of mental idols—fears, cravings, identities that pretend to stand between you and God. The cleansing and garment change are inner resets: you clothe yourself anew in a consciousness worthy of the altar, the state that answers in distress and travels with you. The idols under the oak by Shechem symbolize hidden beliefs you have not confessed; when you revise them, the inner terror of God settles upon the surrounding towns of ego and keeps pursuing you no more. Bethel becomes El-Bethel—the Place where God appears within you. The result is a life lived from the single altar of Presence, where you meet every moment as God manifested.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and declare, I AM; imagine yourself walking the road to Bethel in your inner landscape, removing every false god from your hand and ear, and building the altar within where God is now.