Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 33:20 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 20. 20And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Jacob erects an altar and calls it El-elohe-Israel. The act links worship with the new name Israel and acknowledges Israel's God after safe arrival and purchased settlement.
Read It With
- Genesis 33:1–20
Read verses 18–20 with 32:28–30 and 35:1–15. Jacob received the name Israel at Peniel, arrives near Shechem, builds this altar, and later returns to Bethel for renewed naming and worship. Verse 20 does not settle the altar name's grammar by itself.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The altar name ends the unit by joining Jacob's new Israel identity with worship of God before the Shechem crisis begins.
Read Genesis 33:18–20 together
Why these verses belong together: Safe arrival or Shalem, camping, field purchase, and altar naming establish Jacob's Canaan settlement before Genesis 34.
Verse 18. 18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city.
Verse 19. 19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.
Verse 20. 20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.
Follow the Context
- Jacob sees Esau and four hundred men, arranges the children with their mothers, goes ahead, and bows seven times as he approaches his brother (33:1–3).
- Esau runs, embraces, falls on Jacob's neck, kisses him, and the brothers weep (33:4).
- Esau asks about the women and children; Jacob calls them God's gracious gift, and the household groups approach and bow (33:5–7).
- Esau asks about the animal camp. Jacob says it was sent to gain favor; Esau initially refuses, but Jacob connects Esau's favorable face with seeing God's face, calls the gift his blessing, and urges Esau to accept it (33:8–11).
- Esau offers to travel with Jacob. Jacob cites the children and nursing livestock, promises a slow journey toward Seir, declines Esau's offer to leave men with him, and the brothers separate (33:12–16).
- Jacob travels instead to Succoth, builds a house and livestock shelters, then comes safely to Shechem in Canaan, camps before the city, and buys the field for an unknown-value sum (33:17–19).
- Jacob erects an altar and calls it El-elohe-Israel, affirming the God of newly named Israel while the exact grammar of the altar name remains debated (33:20).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“erected there an altar”
In plain language: Jacob establishes a place of sacrifice or worship on the purchased field.
Worship follows his arrival and land purchase near Shechem.
Why it matters: The unit ends with acknowledgement of God, not with Esau or property as the final focus.
How certain? very strong“El-elohe-Israel”
In plain language: God, the God of Israel, or a related statement whose precise grammar is debated.
The altar joins Jacob's newly received Israel name with the God he worships.
Why it matters: The theological identification is strong even though English syntax varies.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
El-elohe-Israel does not mean Jacob is God or that Israel possesses God.
The altar does not authorize worship of the altar, land, or Jacob.
The name does not prove one grammatical translation beyond dispute.
Building the altar does not make the violence of Genesis 34 holy or inevitable.
What Remains True
Safe arrival and stable provision should lead to worship of God rather than self-congratulation or territorial entitlement.
How It Can Shape Life
- Mark significant transitions by acknowledging God's faithfulness while keeping worship separate from claims of human superiority or ownership.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 33:20's contribution to Genesis 33:1–20. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 33:1–20 — Jacob and Esau ReconcileSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
Where care is needed
Possible renderings include 'God, the God of Israel,' 'the God of Israel is God,' and 'the God of Israel is mighty'; the exact grammar is not certain.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, unit boundary, brother-story echoes, Peniel connection, Shechem transition, later family reunion, and canonical place context.
Exact location: Genesis 33:1–20 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 25:19–34; 27:1–45; 32:1–32; 34:1–31; 35:27–29; and Joshua 24
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Hebrew wording, syntax, lexical repetition, scribal dots, social speech, place names, economic unit, and altar-name grammar.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 33:1–20; forms and morphology for behold, bow, run, embrace, kiss, weep, favor, graciously give, camp, present, blessing, face, accept, tender, nursing, slowly, Succoth, Shalem, qesitah, and El-elohe-Israel
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Narrative viewpoint, household order, grace word, camp, acceptance, face-of-God allusion, blessing, vulnerable travel, route contrast, Succoth, Shalem, qesitah, and altar-name alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 33 and translator notes, especially notes 1–22 on 33:1–11 and notes 23–40 on 33:12–20
Open NET Genesis 33 ↗modern open whole book commentary
Genesis
T. Desmond Alexander
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Final-form literary movement, promise fulfillment, reconciliation, settlement, worship, and transition into Genesis 34.
Exact location: Genesis commentary, Jacob Returns to Canaan, Genesis 32:1–33:20, including the reunion, gift, separate routes, Shechem settlement, land purchase, and altar
Open source ↗