Genesis — Chapter 28

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1And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.

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

4And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

5And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

6When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;

7And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram;

8And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;

9Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

10And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.

11And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12And 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.

13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

18And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

19And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

20And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

21So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

22And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

1And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother`s father. And take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother`s brother.

3And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples.

4And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee. That thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham.

5And Isaac sent away Jacob. And he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob`s and Esau`s mother.

6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence. And that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

7And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram.

8And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father.

9And Esau went unto Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham`s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

10And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.

11And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. And he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12And 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.

13And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.

14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee, whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place. And I knew it not.

17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

18And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

19And he called the name of that place Beth-el. But the name of the city was Luz at the first.

20And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

21so that I come again to my father`s house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God,

22then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God`s house. And of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

1So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman!

2Leave immediately for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

3May the Sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation.

4May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham so that you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.”

5So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. As he blessed him, Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.”

7Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram.

8Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father Isaac.

9So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.

10Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran.

11He reached a certain place where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. He took one of the stones and placed it near his head. Then he fell asleep in that place

12and had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it

13and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on.

14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. And so all the families of the earth may receive blessings through you and through your descendants.

15I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”

16Then Jacob woke up and thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!”

17He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

18Early in the morning Jacob took the stone he had placed near his head and set it up as a sacred stone. Then he poured oil on top of it.

19He called that place Bethel, although the former name of the town was Luz.

20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear,

21and I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will become my God.

22Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me.”

1Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

3May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,

4and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your offspring with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham.”

5Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah’s brother, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan,”

7and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.

8Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn’t please Isaac, his father.

9Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

10Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

11He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your offspring.

14Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring will all the families of the earth be blessed.

15Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”

16Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.”

17He was afraid, and said, “How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”

18Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.

19He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

20Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on,

21so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,

22then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give a tenth to you.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Jacob flees to Haran and dreams of a ladder reaching heaven; God appears and reaffirms the Abrahamic covenant to him at Bethel.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 28 records Jacob's departure from home (fleeing Esau's wrath) and his encounter with God at Bethel — "Jacob's Ladder." This is Jacob's first personal encounter with God. Until now, God was "the God of Abraham" and "the God of Isaac." At Bethel, God becomes Jacob's God too. The deceiver, the supplanter, the fugitive — meets the God of grace who makes unconditional promises to undeserving people. Jacob leaves home a schemer; he will return (ch.32) transformed.
Isaac's Blessing and Commission (vv.1-5): Isaac blesses Jacob intentionally this time (v.1). Commands: don't marry a Canaanite (v.1); go to Padan-aram, marry from Laban's daughters (v.2). Blesses with "the blessing of Abraham" — fruitfulness, land, inheritance (vv.3-4). Jacob departs (v.5).
Esau's Response (vv.6-9): Esau sees that Canaanite wives displease Isaac (vv.6-8). He marries Ishmael's daughter — trying to please but still missing the point (v.9).
Jacob's Dream at Bethel (vv.10-15): Jacob sleeps with a stone pillow (v.11). He dreams: a ladder (stairway) from earth to heaven, angels ascending and descending (v.12). The LORD stands above it and speaks (v.13). The Abrahamic promises given to Jacob: land, descendants like dust, blessing to all families, God's presence and protection (vv.13-15). "I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of" (v.15).
Jacob's Response (vv.16-22): "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not" (v.16). "This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (v.17). He sets up the stone as a pillar, pours oil on it (v.18). Names the place Bethel — "house of God" (v.19). Makes a conditional vow: IF God does these things, THEN the LORD shall be my God (vv.20-21). Promises a tithe (v.22).

Map & Geography

  • Beer-sheba (v.10) — Jacob departs from his family home heading north.
  • Bethel / Luz (vv.11-19) — approximately 60 miles north of Beer-sheba in the central hill country. Jacob names it "Bethel" meaning "house of God" after his dream of the ladder/stairway reaching heaven.
  • Haran / Paddan-aram (v.10) — Jacob's destination: the family homeland in northwest Mesopotamia (modern Harran, Turkey, near the Syrian border).
  • The journey from Beer-sheba to Haran traces the entire length of Canaan and beyond — roughly 500 miles.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the blessing, the dream, the ladder's significance, Christ as the true ladder, and Jacob's vow.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Jacob's Ladder" on v.12 (MTP Vol. 11, No. 644) "A ladder from earth to heaven — connecting the two. Angels ascending and descending — traffic between God and man. Jesus said: 'I am that ladder' (John 1:51). He is the connection between heaven and earth, between God and man. Through Him, heaven comes down and earth goes up. Through Him, God reaches man and man reaches God. There is no other ladder — no other way from earth to heaven." Sermon: "God in This Place" on v.16 (MTP Vol. 20, No. 1204) "The LORD is in this place — and I KNEW IT NOT. God was there all along — Jacob just didn't know it. How often is God present in our circumstances and we are unaware? In your trial, in your loneliness, in your ordinary day — God is there. You may not feel Him, see Him, or sense Him — but He is there. 'Surely the LORD is in this place.'"

Reflection

  • 1. "A ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven" (v.12). Jesus is your ladder — the connection between you and God. Through Him, heaven is accessible. Are you using this access?
  • 2. "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not" (v.16). God is present in places you don't expect — in your trial, your ordinary day, your loneliness. Where might God be present that you haven't recognized?
  • 3. "I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken" (v.15). God made this promise to a deceiver on the run. Grace meets you at your worst. God doesn't wait for you to be worthy — He comes to you as you are.
  • 4. Jacob's vow was conditional: "IF God... THEN I will..." (vv.20-21). Is your commitment to God conditional or unconditional? Are you bargaining with God or surrendering to Him?
  • 5. God gave Jacob the Abrahamic promises (vv.13-14) — not because Jacob deserved them but because of grace. Your spiritual inheritance is not based on your merit but on God's promise. Rest in that.