Jacob · The place he did not know · Elias Thorn
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Jacob · The place he did not know

Genesis 28:10–22

28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

28:11 And 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.

28:12 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.

28:13 And, 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;

28:14 And 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.

28:15 And, 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.

28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

28:17 And 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.

28:18 And 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.

28:19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

28:20 And 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,

28:21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

28:22 And 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.

Reading notes

Jacob recognizes the holiness of the place after the dream; he had not perceived it beforehand. The promise of presence comes while he is travelling, and the stone used as a pillow becomes a memorial in the morning.

Jacob’s answering vow begins with “if” and names protection, food, clothing, and a safe return home. Promise and response are given in different voices. The scene can be read as the beginning of a relationship still to be lived.

King James Version (1611), historical English translation, in the public-domain electronic text. This is an independent English edition of the same passage, not a back-translation of the Russian text; wording and textual readings can differ. Sullam is traditionally a ladder; a stairway is also possible. “Above it” in verse 13 can also be understood as “beside him.”

Open source ↗ (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10)

Hebrew text (https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0128.htm)