28:10–15 Jacob begins his journey from Beersheba, in the south of the country, and heads off to Haran (v. 10), a journey of around 500 miles (800 km), paralleling the journey that Abraham’s servant had taken some sixty years earlier seeking a wife for Isaac. The parallels between the two quests invite comparisons that will be especially striking in the next chapter. Here the most obvious contrast is that Abraham’s servant had an entire entourage supporting him, including ten camels and lavish gifts to support his cause (24:10), while Jacob travels alone, with virtually nothing in his hands (32:10).

Ancient travelers would often seek refuge in a walled city overnight, where they might receive hospitality, although that had risks of its own (cf. Genesis 19). Sometimes choice or necessity might result in the traveler’s spending the night in the open country, as is the case for Jacob in the vicinity of what will later become Bethel. At this point it is simply a “certain place” (Hb. maqom; Gen. 28:11).367 The sun sinks relatively rapidly in those latitudes, and further travel after sundown would be impossible. This leaves Jacob to make the best of his uncomfortable surroundings, with nothing but a stone for a pillow (v. 11). There is no indication that Jacob anticipates or seeks this dream through some kind of religious ritual. On the contrary, the hinneh in verse 12 (“he dreamed, and behold”) is a typical expression of surprise.368

Certainly the content of the dream is surprising: Jacob sees a stone staircase (sullam) set up on the ground with its top (roʾsh) reaching the heavens (v. 12). The object is traditionally called a “ladder” but is far more likely “a stepped ramp, a series of rising stones”369 (cf. ESV mg., “flight of steps”). This rendering highlights the comparison and contrast between events at Babel (bab-ilu; “the gate of the gods”) and Bethel (“the house of God”). At Babel humans built a ziggurat, a step-pyramid temple, conceived as essentially a similar kind of stone stairway “with its top [roʾsh] in the heavens” (11:4). It was made of materials designed by human ingenuity—bricks and bitumen—with the goal of accomplishing fame and security for its builders.

In stark contrast, Jacob’s stairway is unsought, unexpected, and undeserved. He does not make it (or climb it, contra the popular children’s song). Like Abraham in Genesis 15, he is simply the passive recipient of divine revelation. At a time when Jacob surely imagines himself far away from God, being driven from his home on account of his sin, the staircase is alive with angels ascending and descending (28:12), representing God’s knowledge of affairs on earth and his constant provision for and protection of his people. The access to God—and the blessings that such access would entail—that the builders of Babel sought unsuccessfully is promised to Jacob as a free gift.

At the top of the staircase stands the Lord,370 who confirms the bestowal of the Abrahamic blessing upon him (28:13). This is now the third time that Jacob has heard the blessing pronounced: the first two times were by his father, Isaac, initially through deception (27:28–29) and then legitimately (28:3–4). However, it carries significant added weight to hear these words directly from the Lord, confirming beyond any possible doubt the divine bestowal of the blessing promised to him in utero (25:23).

What God promises Jacob is the fullness of the covenant made with Abraham, which was itself God’s answer to the events at Babel. It is no coincidence that Genesis 12, with its promise to Abraham of a name and blessing for the nations, follows right after Genesis 11 and the failure of the builders’ efforts to make a name for themselves and gain their own security. Here the Lord promises Jacob the land on all sides of Bethel, which is near one of the places where Abraham had camped and built an altar in his first tour of the Promised Land (28:13; cf. 12:8). Along with the land Jacob is promised offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth (28:14; cf. 13:16), who will spread out throughout the earth—another contrast to the inhabitants of Babel, who sought to remain concentrated at a single spot.371 Through Jacob’s offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed (28:14; cf. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18). The Lord also promises to be with Jacob, as he had promised Isaac (26:24)—and not just while he is within the boundaries of the Promised Land but “wherever” he goes (28:15). This promise includes bringing him safely back into the land, a prospect that must seem very distant to Jacob at this point.

Clearly, Jacob contributes nothing to this relationship; indeed, he has nothing to offer. God comes to bless Jacob at his lowest point in order that it might be seen clearly that all is of grace—unmerited, undeserved favor—and not of human effort or skill. Indeed, it is a double misnomer to call the stairway to heaven “Jacob’s ladder,” for Jacob has no part in building or traversing it. Rather it is God’s stairway, the sovereign means by which he reaffirms the constancy of his loving care for his chosen but sinful child.

28:16–19 On awakening from his dream, Jacob realizes the momentousness of what has occurred: the Lord is present in that place (v. 16). To stumble into the presence of a deity unawares is potentially dangerous, since the ground might be holy and to be treated with special reverence (cf. Ex. 3:5). To trespass on holy space, even inadvertently, could be fatal (Ex. 19:12–13), so to be there is “awesome” (Hb. noraʾ, “fear inspiring”; Gen. 28:17). The place where he has spent the night is the “house of God” (beth-ʾel); it, not Babel, is the true “gate of heaven” (v. 17).

Jacob’s response is not limited to surprise and fear. He responds also with worship, setting up a matsebah, a standing stone, as a permanent reminder and witness of God’s appearing to him, dedicating it by pouring oil upon it (v. 18). Matsebot were used by both Canaanites and Israelites for religious purposes, and Israel is commanded to destroy Canaanite matsebot in Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 16:22. However, they have a legitimate place in Israelite worship in memorializing places significant in redemptive history, as Exodus 24:4; Isaiah 19:19 make clear.

In this case the stone pillar (matsebah) is itself a miniature depiction of the vision, a symbol of the staircase that God had set up (mutstsab; Gen. 28:12). So Jacob pours oil “on its head” (ʿal roʾshah), recalling the source from which his blessings flowed—the “head” of the staircase in heaven (v. 12).372 He also gives the place its name, “Bethel,” which was used proleptically in Genesis 12:6. The narrator notes also the Canaanite name of Luz (28:19), which links it to its later history, recorded in Judges 1:23–26.

28:20–22 Jacob also makes a vow at Bethel that echoes exactly God’s promise to him in Genesis 28:15. If God will indeed be with him and keep him, supplying him with the necessities of life, food, and clothing and bringing him safely back to his father’s house in peace (beshalem)—the very opposite of the state in which he left it—then the Lord will be his God (v. 21). The location marked by the stone pillar will be regarded as a sanctuary, “God’s house” (a “house of God”),373 and he will offer a tithe (one tenth) of everything he receives in between as an acknowledgement that the Lord is the source of all his blessings, just as the dream has promised (v. 22).374 Indeed, when God finally fulfills all those promises many years later and brings Jacob back to the land safely (shalem; 33:18), Jacob returns to this place in order to worship (35:6–15). He builds an altar (35:7), on which he presumably offers sacrifices to fulfill his vow. He also restores the stone pillar and hears God renew the promise of blessing to him and his family (35:9–14).