Genesis 33:20
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-israel.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And there he put up an altar, naming it El, the God of Israel.
Webster's Revision
And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.
World English Bible
He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.
English Revised Version (ERV)
And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.
Clarke's Genesis 33:20 Bible Commentary
And he erected there an altar - It appears that Jacob had a very correct notion of the providence and mercy of God; hence he says, Genesis 33:5 : The children which God hath Graciously given thy servant; and in Genesis 33:11 he attributes all his substance to the bounty of his Maker: Take, I pray thee, my blessing - because God hath dealt Graciously with me, and because I have enough. Hence he viewed God as the God of all grace, and to him he erects an altar, dedicating it to God, the God of Israel, referring particularly to the change of his own name, and the mercies which he then received; and hence perhaps it would be best to translate the words, The strong God (is) the God of Israel; as by the power of his grace and goodness he had rescued, defended, blessed, and supported him from his youth up until now. The erecting altars with particular names appears in other places; so, Exodus 17:15, Moses calls his altar Jehovah-nissi, "the Lord is my banner."
1. When a man's way's please God, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. When Jacob had got reconciled to God, God reconciled his brother to him. The hearts of all men are in the hands of God, and he turns them howsoever he will.
2. Since the time in which Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the covenant. We see in him much dependence on God, accompanied with a spirit of deep humility and gratitude. God's grace alone can change the heart of man, and it is by that grace only that we get a sense of our obligations; this lays us in the dust, and the more we receive the lower we shall lie.
3. "The first thing," says good Bishop Wilson, "that pious men do, is to provide for the honor and worship of God." Jacob buys a piece of ground, and erects an altar on it in the land of a heathen, that he might acknowledge God among his enemies, and turn them to the true faith; and there is every reason to believe that this expedient would have been successful, had it not been for the base conduct of his sons. How true is the saying, One sinner spoileth much good! Reader, beware, lest thy conduct should become a stumbling block to any.
Wesley's Genesis 33:20 Bible Commentary
33:20 He erected an altar - In thankfulness to God for the good hand of his providence over him. That he might keep up religion, and the worship of God in his family. He dedicated this altar to the honour of El - elohe - israel, God - the God of Israel: to the honour of God in general, the only living and true God, the Best of beings, the First of causes: and to the honour of the God of Israel, as a God in covenant with him. God had lately called him by the name of Israel; and now he calls God the God of Israel; though he be called a prince with God, God shall still be a prince with him, his Lord and his God.