68 | Genesis 28:13
on the earth , with its top reach ing to heaven , and the an gels of God were as cend ing and descending on it . b
13 There above it a stood the Lord , c and he said : “ I am the Lord , the God of your fa ther Abra ham and the God of Isaac . d I will give you and your de scen dants the land e on which you are lying . 14 Your de scen dants will be like the dust of the earth , and you f will spread out to the west and to the east , to the north and to the south . g All peo ples on earth will be blessed through you and your off spring . b h 15 I am with you i and will watch over you j wher ever you go , and I will bring you back to this land . I will not leave you k un til I have done what I have prom ised you .” l
16 When Ja cob awoke from his sleep , he thought , “ Surely the Lord is in this place , and I was not aware of it .” 17 He was afraid and said , “ How awe some is this place ! m This is none other than the house of God ; this is the gate of heaven .”
18 Early the next morn ing Ja cob took the stone he had placed un der his head and set it up as a pil lar n and poured oil on top of it . o 19 He called that place Bethel , c though the city used to be called Luz . p
20 Then Ja cob made a vow , q say ing , “ If God will be with me and will watch over me r on this jour ney I am tak ing and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I re turn safely s to my fa ther ’ s house hold , then the Lord d will be my God t 22 and e this stone that I have set up as a pil lar will be God ’ s house , u and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth . v ”
Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram Then Ja cob con tin ued on his jour ney and came to the land of the east ern peo ples . w
29 2 There he saw a well in the open coun try , with three flocks of sheep ly ing near it be cause the flocks were wa tered from that well . The stone over the mouth of the well was large . 3 When all the flocks were gath ered there , the shep herds would roll the stone away from the well ’ s mouth and wa ter the sheep . Then they would re turn the stone to its place over the mouth of the well . 4 Ja cob asked the shep herds , “ My broth ers , where are you from ?” “ We ’ re from Har ran , x ” they replied . 5 He said to them , “ Do you know La ban , Na hor ’ s grand son ?” “ Yes , we know him ,” they an swered . 6 Then Ja cob asked them , “ Is he well ?” “ Yes , he is ,” they said , “ and here comes his daugh ter Ra chel with the sheep .”
28:12 b Jn 1:51
28:13 c Ge 12:7 ; 35:7 , 9 ; 48:3 d Ge 26:24 e Ge 13:15 ; 35:12
28:14 f Ge 26:4 g Ge 13:14 h Ge 12:3 ;
18:18 ; 22:18 ; Gal 3:8
28:15 i Ge 26:3 ; 48:21 j Nu 6:24 ; Ps 121:5 , 7-8
k Dt 31:6 , 8 l Nu 23:19
28:17 m Ex 3:5 ; Jos 5:15
28:18 n Ge 35:14 o Lev 8:11
28:19 p Jdg 1:23 , 26
28:20 q Ge 31:13 ; Jdg 11:30 ; 2Sa 15:8 r ver 15
28:21 s Jdg 11:31 t Dt 26:17
28:22 u Ge 35:7 , 14 v Ge 14:20 ; Lev 27:30
29:1 w Jdg 6:3 , 33 29:4 x Ge 28:10
a 13 Or There beside him |
b 14 Or will use your name and the name of your offspring in blessings ( see 48:20 ) |
c 19 Bethel means house of God . |
d 20,21 Or Since God . . . father ’ s household , the Lord |
e 21,22 Or household , and |
the Lord will be my God , 22 then |
|
|
28:13 – 15 Jacob ’ s father has blessed him , and now God gives Jacob similar assurances that his descendants will take possession of the land of Canaan and that all peoples on earth will be blessed through Jacob and his offspring . This not only echoes how Isaac blessed Jacob prior to his departure for Paddan Aram ( vv . 3 – 4 ), but the wording closely resembles God ’ s promises to Abraham ( 12:2 – 3,7 ; 13:14 – 17 ; 17:7 – 8 ; 18:18 ; 22:17 – 18 ) and Isaac ( 26:3 – 4 ). God reassures Jacob that he will accompany him on his journey . 28:13 above it . See NIV text note . When speaking to Jacob , God is standing either ( 1 ) in heaven at the top of the stairway or ( 2 ) on the earth beside Jacob , looking down on him as he lies on the ground . 28:16 – 17 For Jacob , his experience is more than a dream . He is filled with a sense of awe as he contemplates the significance of what has happened . His vision convinces him that this location is part of “ the house of God ” ( v . 17 ), the entrance to heaven itself . This adds considerably to the significance of the promise of land in v . 13 . God promises Jacob and his descendants land that includes “ the gate of heaven ” ( v . 17 ). 28:18 pillar . . . poured oil on top of it . The method Jacob uses to mark his experience . This is apparently a Canaanite practice that Deut 16:22 later prohibits . Interestingly , while Jacob continues the custom during his stay in Paddan Aram ( 31:45,51 – 52 ) and after he returns to Canaan ( 35:14,20 ), following his next encounter with God at Peniel ( 32:22 – 32 ) he constructs altars ( 33:20 ; 35:1 – 7 ), as Abraham ( 12:7 – 8 ; 13:4,18 ; 22:9 ) and Isaac ( 26:25 ) did , one of these being located at Bethel . The shift to making altars may indicate that Jacob has undergone a deep spiritual experience . 28:19 Bethel . . . Luz . Jacob ’ s vision of God probably took place outside the city of Luz ( Josh 16:2 ). Although he names the location Bethel , the nearby city of Luz retained its name until the Israelites settled there after their exodus from Egypt ( Josh 18:13 ; Judg 1:23,26 ). 28:20 – 21 If . . . then . Jacob ’ s vow possibly suggests that he is still less than fully committed to serving the Lord . He rests his future commitment to God on God ’ s bringing him back safely to his father ’ s household . His words suggest that he lacks a truly personal faith in God . This ambivalence may suggest why Jacob ’ s next encounter with God at Peniel ( 32:22 – 32 ) is especially significant . 28:22 Having named the location Bethel ( see NIV text note on v . 19 ), Jacob appears to suggest that on his return he will use the stone he has consecrated to construct a temple . While Jacob does not build a permanent temple at Bethel , he builds an altar ( 35:1 – 7 ), which he may have viewed as forming part of a temporary sanctuary . I will give you a tenth . The gift of a tithe to God became a regular feature of Israelite worship ( Lev 27:30,32 ; Num 18:26 ; Deut 14:22 – 23 ). Previously , Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek to recognize God ’ s role in helping him rescue Lot ( 14:20 ).
29:1 – 14 Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram . Jacob ’ s meeting with Rachel at a well recalls the earlier account of Abraham ’ s servant meeting Rebekah at a well ( 24:10 – 20 ). On this occasion , the roles are reversed : Jacob waters the flock that Rachel brings to the well . As previously , when Laban hears what has happened , he hurries to meet the new arrival . 29:1 land of the eastern peoples . This is an unusual expression to designate Northwest Mesopotamia . However , Abraham ’ s family was originally from Ur in southeastern Mesopotamia ( see 11:28 and note ). Terah and his sons migrated to Harran ( 11:31 ). Other families may also have moved in the same direction , settling in the region of Harran . This might explain the designation “ eastern peoples .” 29:6 sheep . The Hebrew term ṣōʾn means flock . Jacob ’ s family in Paddan Aram keep sheep and goats , like Abraham and Isaac . The family ’ s dependency upon these animals may explain why Laban named his daughter Rachel ( meaning “ ewe ”). Normally men would shepherd the animals . Possibly Laban ’ s sons are still too young to undertake this duty ( cf . 30:35 ; 31:1 ).