(18) Jacob . . . took the stone . . . and set it up for a pillar.—In so doing, Jacob’s object was to mark the spot where so important a communication had been made to him. But besides its use as a memorial, it would enable him to identify the place upon his return, and pay there his vows. And as oil was the symbol of the dedication of a thing to holy uses, he pours oil upon the top of it. read more
Dreams Genesis 28:0 This dream deals with the supernatural, though in one sense all life is supernatural. And what happened to Jacob occurs again and again in your life and mine. I. Jacob has deceived his father and defrauded his brother: he has fled his home. As he journeyed forward he came to the lonely and rugged hill of Bethel. The darkness overtakes him as he ascends, creeps like a shadowy ghost over him, and then covers with its deep shadow the whole of the mountain from base to summit;... read more
6JACOB’S FLIGHT AND DREAMGenesis 27:41 - Genesis 28:1-22"So foolish was I and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee."- Psalms 73:22IT is so commonly observed as to be scarcely worth again remarking, that persons who employ a great deal of craft in the management of their affairs are invariably entrapped in their own net. Life is so complicated, and every matter of conduct has so many issues, that no human brain can possibly foresee every contingency.... read more
CHAPTER 28 Jacob’s Departure to Padan-Aram and His Vision 1. Isaac sends Jacob away and gives his blessing (Genesis 28:1-5 ) 2. Esau’s action (Genesis 28:6-9 ) 3. Jacob’s vision and vow (Genesis 28:10-22 ) We enter with this upon the interesting wanderings of the third patriarch, Jacob. God was pleased to reveal Himself to the three illustrious men, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as He did not before. In Exodus 3:4-15 Jehovah reveals Himself to Moses and Jehovah calls Himself “the God of... read more
28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a {d} 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.(d) Christ is the ladder by which God and man are joined together, and by whom the angels minister to us: all graces are given to us by him, and we ascend to heaven by him. read more
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 {e} will I give it, and to thy seed;(e) He felt the force of this promise only by faith: for all his life he was a stranger in this land. read more
28:17 And he was {f} afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven.(f) He was touched with a godly fear and reverence. read more
28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and {g} set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.(g) To be a reminder of the vision shown to him. read more
JACOB SENT TO PADAN-ARAM Though scripture tells us that Isaac loved Esau, he had not done as Abraham had in making sure that Isaac's wife was of his own kindred. Rebekah's words to him now evidently awaken him out of such laxity, and he called Jacob and charged him that he must not take a wife of the Canaanites, but must rather go to Padan-aram and take a wife from the kindred of his grandfather, in fact one of the daughters of Jacob's uncle Laban (v.2). Today a marriage of cousins is not... read more
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Genesis 28:17
(17) How dreadful.—The manifestation of God must always inspire awe and dread, but not fear: for where He reveals Himself, there is “the gate of heaven”—the appointed entrance for prayer now, and for admission to the glorified life hereafter. read more