Neville Goddard on Genesis 35:6-7 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Genesis 35 in context

Scripture Focus

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 35:6-7

Biblical Context

Jacob arrives at Luz, later Bethel, with his company, builds an altar, and names the place Elbethel because God appeared to him there.

Neville's Inner Vision

Jacob’s journey is a lesson in consciousness. Luz becomes Bethel the moment the mind acknowledges the I AM as the ever-present house of God within. The altar he raises is not a stone but a deliberate act of assumption: by naming the place Elbethel, he declares, I am in the presence of God, and God is present in me. The occurrence happens not because God moved toward Jacob, but because Jacob shifted his awareness toward the divine within. The story teaches that the Presence is not distant; it is the very fabric of awareness in which all scenes unfold. When you revise your sense of self from fear or flight to worship, you activate the inner sanctuary where God already dwells. If you insist that you are separate from the divine, you will keep encountering outer confirmations of that belief. But if you accept that you are currently in Bethel, the outer world aligns with the truth your worship declares. The temple is within, and Elbethel speaks in your own I AM, affirming you are home in God.

Practice This Now

Practice: sit quietly, declare I am in Bethel now, and imagine building the inner altar; revise any sense of distance by affirming I have always dwelt in Elbethel, and feel the presence as real.