Crossing the Jordan, "Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan." Genesis 33:18, R.V. Thus the patriarch's prayer at Bethel, that God would bring him again in peace to his own land, had been granted. For a time he dwelt in the vale of Shechem. It was here that Abraham, more than a hundred years before, had made his first encampment and erected his first altar in the Land of Promise. Here Jacob "bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel" (verses 19, 20)--God, the God of Israel." Like Abraham, Jacob set up beside his tent an altar unto the Lord, calling the members of his household to the morning and the evening sacrifice. It was here also that he dug the well to which, seventeen centuries later, came Jacob's Son and Saviour, and beside which, resting during the noontide heat, He told His wondering hearers of that "well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14.

Dette kapitel er bygget op over 1 Mos 34, 35 og 37
Jakob drog over Jordan og kom "uskadt til Sikems by i Kanaans land". 1. Mos.. 33, 18. Patriarkens bøn ved Betel: at Gud måtte føre ham uskadt tilbage til sit eget land, var nu gået i opfyldelse. En tid boede han i Sikems dal. Det var her, Abraham over hundrede år tidligere slog lejr for første gang og byggede sit første alter i det forjættede land. Her købte Jakob "det stykke jord, hvor han havde rejst sit telt, af Sikems fader Hamors sønner for 100 kesita og byggede der et alter, som han kaldte: Gud, Israels Gud". (19. og 20. vers.) Ligesom Abraham byggede Jakob et alter ved siden af sit telt og samlede sine husfolk til morgen og aftenoffer. Det var også her, han gravede den brønd, hvortil Jakobs søn og frelser kom sytten århundreder senere, og hvor denne under et hvil i middagsheden fortalte sine undrende tilhørere om et "kildespring til evigt liv". Joh. 4, 14.