Genesis 35:20 Meaning: The Pillar That Remains
Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.
And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.
and Jacob setteth up a standing pillar over her grave; which is the standing pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.
And Jacob erected a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to [this] day.
Meaning in one sentence
Jacob set up a pillar on Rachel's grave which remained 'to this day.' Discover the meaning of this memorial and its enduring significance for grief
Context
Rachel had just died giving birth to Benjamin, Jacob's twelfth son. The family was traveling from Bethel toward Ephrath, later called Bethlehem, and she was buried along the road. The journey that began with a vow at Bethel now ends with a grave.
Jacob had already set up a pillar at Bethel to mark God's promise to him. Now he sets up another pillar, this time to mark a loss. The phrase "to this day" appears often in Genesis, pointing to a lasting tradition. Here it tells us the location of Rachel's grave was known for generations. It became a landmark, even mentioned centuries later in the story of Samuel.
The verse is brief, but it holds weight. In the middle of a chapter full of new beginnings, a new son, a new name for Jacob, a renewed covenant, there is a pause for sorrow. A stone set in the ground says: She was here. She mattered.
Key Words
The word for pillar here is matzebah (and matzevet). It means a standing stone, something set upright to mark a place. Earlier in the chapter, Jacob set up a matzebah at Bethel to mark God's presence. Here he uses the same kind of stone for a grave. A memorial for joy; a memorial for sorrow.
The verb set up comes from natsav, meaning to stand firm. Jacob made sure this stone would not tip over. Weather, animals, forgetfulness, he was guarding against all of them with one solid marker.
The phrase to this day (ad hayom) carries a quiet confidence. The writer is looking back from a later time, probably Moses, as tradition holds, and saying, "You can still find it." This was not a temporary marker. It was a stone that outlasted the generation that placed it, a witness to love for anyone who passed by.
How Christians Read This Verse
Many Christian commentators focus on the pillar as an expression of faithful memory. Matthew Henry observed that Jacob placed a pillar "in remembrance of his sorrows," just as he had done for his joys at Bethel. Wesley echoed that thought: it is right to keep both joy and sorrow before us.
Other readers note the pillar's practical function. Adam Clarke suggested this may have been the origin of funeral monuments, a simple stone to mark a loved one's burial place. The Cambridge Bible points out that Rachel's death marks the end of the patriarch's personal story, as Jacob's children are now complete.
Traditions differ on whether the pillar itself has survived. Some take "to this day" literally and point to the current tomb near Bethlehem. Others, like Gill and Clarke, note that the present structure is much later. Both views agree that the site has been remembered, which is the verse's main claim.
A common misunderstanding
Some assume “to this day” means the exact pillar Jacob erected still stands. In fact, the phrase occurs often in Genesis to indicate a lasting tradition or a known location, not a preserved artifact. The current tomb of Rachel is a later structure, as early travelers noted. What endures is the memory, the place remained a landmark, a place where grief was given a marker that people still spoke of.
Living This Out
Most of us do not build stone pillars when we lose someone. But we do mark the people we have loved. We place flowers, we visit a spot that mattered, we say their name out loud when the room is quiet.
Jacob did not hurry past his grief. He paused, set up a stone, and let it stay. That stone said something to everyone who passed: someone worthy of remembrance died here.
This week, is there a person you have not honored? Not with a grand gesture, but with a simple act, a shared memory, a moment of thanks, a stone in your own heart that says their life matters. You do not need a monument. You only need to stop and remember.
Main takeaway: Grief deserves a marker, and a faithful life remembers those it has lost, even long after the sorrow fades.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jacob loved Rachel very much. When she died, he put up a special stone to show where she was buried. Remembering people we love is important, even after they are gone.
For ages 9, 12
When Rachel died, Jacob placed a stone pillar on her grave so everyone would know where she was buried. That spot was remembered for hundreds of years, people even mentioned it in the Bible later. It shows that we can honor people we love by doing something simple that lasts, like telling their story or keeping a place that reminds us of them.
Questions People Ask
Where is Rachel's tomb located today?
The traditional site of Rachel's tomb is near Bethlehem, on the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The current structure is a later building, but the location has been venerated for centuries by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Does the Bible forbid setting up pillars?
The Bible does not forbid memorial pillars. In Deuteronomy, God's people were told not to set up pillars for worship, because that was associated with pagan altars. Jacob's pillar was a family memorial, not an object of worship. It marked a grave, not a shrine.
Why did Jacob name the child Benjamin instead of Ben-Oni?
Rachel, dying in labor, named the boy Ben-Oni, meaning 'son of my sorrow.' Jacob, on hearing of his wife's death, renamed him Benjamin, meaning 'son of the right hand', a more hopeful name that honored the child's future, not the sorrow of his birth.
What does 'to this day' mean in the Old Testament?
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