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Genesis 17:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, Iam the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Genesis 28:3
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;

Genesis 35:11
And God said unto him, Iam God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

appeared.

Genesis 28:12-19
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it…

Genesis 35:6,7,9,11,12
So Jacob came to Luz, whichis in the land of Canaan, thatis, Bethel, he and all the people thatwere with him…

Hosea 12:4
Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found himin Bethel, and there he spake with us;

Luz.

Judges 1:23
And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city beforewas Luz.)

God Almighty appeared to me
The term "God Almighty" is translated from the Hebrew "El Shaddai," emphasizing God's power and sufficiency. This divine title is used throughout Genesis to denote God's covenantal relationship with the patriarchs. The appearance of God to Jacob signifies a theophany, a direct encounter with the divine, which is a pivotal moment in Jacob's life, reinforcing God's promises to him and his descendants.

at Luz in the land of Canaan
Luz is the ancient name for Bethel, a significant location in Jacob's life. It is where Jacob had his dream of the ladder reaching to heaven (Genesis 28:10-19) and where God reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant with him. The land of Canaan is the Promised Land, central to the narrative of the Israelites and God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

and there He blessed me
The blessing Jacob received at Bethel included the promise of land, descendants, and a special relationship with God. This blessing is part of the Abrahamic covenant, which is foundational to the narrative of the Israelites. It also foreshadows the blessings that Jacob will pass on to his sons, particularly Joseph, and through him, to Ephraim and Manasseh. This blessing is a precursor to the ultimate blessing fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is the seed through whom all nations will be blessed.

Jacob, now near the end of his life (Genesis 47:29–31), calls in Joseph (Genesis 48:1–2) and speaks directly to him. By sharing his personal encounter with God, Jacob is:

• Passing on a first-hand testimony, not mere tradition.

• Exercising his patriarchal authority to extend covenant promises to the next generation (Genesis 48:5–6).

• Inviting Joseph—and through him Ephraim and Manasseh—into the unfolding story that began with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3).

In this intimate father-to-son moment, Jacob frames everything that follows as a matter of divine certainty rather than human wishfulness (compare1 Kings 2:3).

The title “God Almighty” (“El Shaddai”) stresses God’s limitless power and covenant faithfulness (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11;Exodus 6:3). By invoking this name, Jacob reminds Joseph that:

• The same God who empowered Abraham to father Isaac and Isaac to father Jacob is still acting.

• Every promise about offspring, protection, and land rests on God’s sufficiency, not on Jacob’s fading strength (Romans 4:20–21).

• The blessing about to be transferred is anchored in God’s unchanging character (James 1:17).

Jacob recalls the literal, physical appearance of God at Luz—later renamed Bethel (Genesis 28:10-19; 35:6-7). That encounter included:

• A vivid revelation of a stairway reaching to heaven, assuring Jacob of ongoing angelic ministry and divine presence (John 1:51).

• A reaffirmation of the land promise while Jacob was still a wanderer (Genesis 28:13).

• A life-changing moment that turned a frightened fugitive into a worshiper who vowed loyalty to God (Genesis 28:20-22).

Mentioning “in the land of Canaan” emphasizes that the same soil on which God appeared will be the lasting inheritance of Jacob’s descendants (Hebrews 11:9-10).

The blessing at Bethel (Genesis 28:13-15; 35:9-15) contained three core elements:

1. Fruitfulness—“I will make you fruitful and multiply you” (Genesis 35:11).

2. A nation and a company of nations—fulfilled in Israel and, ultimately, the multitude of redeemed people (Revelation 7:9).

3. The land—“I will give this land to your descendants after you” (Genesis 35:12).

Jacob now prepares to extend that same blessing to Joseph’s sons (Genesis 48:15-16), confident that God’s promise is irrevocable (Romans 11:29). The reference back to Bethel shows that adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh isn’t a sentimental gesture; it is grounded in God’s earlier oath.

Genesis 48:3 records Jacob’s deliberate act of anchoring Joseph—and the generations to come—in the unbreakable covenant God personally confirmed to him at Bethel. By recalling the Almighty’s appearance and blessing, Jacob demonstrates that the inheritance of land, lineage, and divine favor flows directly from God’s own promise, ensuring that what began with Abraham continues unbroken through Joseph’s line and, ultimately, through all who trust the God of the patriarchs.

Luz.--This use of the old name shows how very slowly the new titles of places, derived from incidents in the history of a small tribe, took the place of their native and original appellations. In a similar manner in the recent exploration of Palestine, it has been found that the high-sounding titles given by the Seleucidae and Romans to towns there have never been adopted by the peasantry, who still call them by their old names.