Genesis 28

King James Version

Full text for Genesis Chapter 28

1¶ And 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 Padanaram, 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 Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

6¶ When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, 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 Padanaram;

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.

10¶ And Jacob went out from Beersheba, 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.

16¶ And 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Isaac blesses Jacob and sends him to Padanaram to find a wife, instructing him not to marry a Canaanite woman. As Jacob journeys, he dreams of a ladder to heaven with angels and the LORD, who reaffirms the Abrahamic covenant of land, numerous offspring, and divine presence. Upon waking, Jacob names the place Bethel, sets up a pillar, and vows to serve God and give a tenth if protected and returned safely.

Medium Summary

Genesis 28 opens with Isaac blessing Jacob, charging him not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, but instead to go to Padanaram to the house of Laban, his mother's brother. Isaac further bestows upon Jacob the blessing of Abraham, promising fruitfulness, a multitude of people, and inheritance of the land. Esau, observing his father's disapproval of Canaanite wives and Jacob's obedience, subsequently takes Mahalath, a daughter of Ishmael, as an additional wife. Meanwhile, Jacob departs from Beersheba towards Haran, and at a certain place, he rests for the night. There, he experiences a profound dream of a ladder extending from earth to heaven, upon which angels ascend and descend. The LORD stands above the ladder, identifying Himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac, and reiterates the covenant promises of land, innumerable seed, and blessing to all families through Jacob's lineage, assuring His presence and safe return. Waking, Jacob declares the place "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven," naming it Bethel. He then erects the stone he used as a pillow into a pillar, anointing it with oil, and vows to God that if He provides for and protects him, he will acknowledge the LORD as his God, establish the pillar as God's house, and give a tenth of all his possessions.

Long Summary

Genesis chapter 28 commences with Isaac summoning Jacob to bestow a blessing upon him, specifically charging him not to take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan. Instead, Isaac directs Jacob to journey to Padanaram, to the household of Bethuel, his mother's father, and to select a wife from the daughters of Laban, his mother's brother. In this blessing, Isaac invokes God Almighty to make Jacob fruitful, multiply him into a multitude of people, and grant him the blessing of Abraham, encompassing the inheritance of the land where he sojourned, which God had promised to Abraham. Following this, Isaac sends Jacob away, and Jacob departs for Padanaram. Esau, observing that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away for a wife, and noting his father's explicit instruction against Canaanite wives, perceived that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing to his father. In response to this realization and Jacob's obedience, Esau then went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter, as an additional wife to those he already possessed. As Jacob continued his journey from Beersheba towards Haran, he stopped at a certain place for the night as the sun had set. Taking stones for his pillows, he lay down to sleep. There, he experienced a significant dream: he beheld a ladder set upon the earth, its top reaching to heaven, with the angels of God ascending and descending upon it. Above the ladder stood the LORD, who declared Himself to be the God of Abraham and Isaac. The LORD then reaffirmed the covenant promises to Jacob, stating that the land upon which he lay would be given to him and his seed, and his seed would be as the dust of the earth, spreading in all directions. Furthermore, the LORD promised that in Jacob and his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed. The divine promise concluded with an assurance of God's constant presence, protection in all his journeys, and a guaranteed return to the land, vowing not to leave him until all spoken promises were fulfilled. Upon waking, Jacob was filled with awe, declaring, "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not." He expressed fear, recognizing the site as "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven." Rising early the next morning, Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil upon its top, consecrating the place. He named the place Bethel, though its original name was Luz. Finally, Jacob made a solemn vow, stating that if God would be with him, protect him on his journey, provide him with food and clothing, and bring him back safely to his father's house, then the LORD would be his God. He also vowed that the stone pillar would become God's house, and he would faithfully give a tenth of all that God would bestow upon him.

Core Concepts

  • Patriarchal BlessingIsaac bestows upon Jacob the Abrahamic blessing, including promises of numerous descendants, inheritance of the land, and the spread of blessing through his lineage, emphasizing divine continuity.
  • Covenant ReaffirmationGod appears to Jacob in a dream at Bethel, explicitly identifying Himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac, and personally reiterating the foundational covenant promises of land, seed, and universal blessing.
  • Jacob's Ladder/Bethel DreamJacob's vision of a ladder connecting heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending, symbolizes divine communication and the accessibility of God's presence, marking the place as sacred.
  • Divine Presence and ProtectionThe LORD assures Jacob, "I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest," signifying God's constant watchfulness and commitment to fulfilling His promises to Jacob.
  • Vow and TitheJacob's conditional vow at Bethel demonstrates his commitment to God in response to divine promise and provision, including the dedication of the pillar as "God's house" and the promise to give a tenth of his future prosperity.
  • Avoidance of Canaanite MarriagesIsaac's instruction to Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman highlights the importance of maintaining a distinct lineage and avoiding assimilation with the idolatrous practices of the local inhabitants.
  • Consecration of Sacred SpaceJacob's act of setting up a stone pillar and anointing it with oil transforms a common resting place into a consecrated site, Bethel ("house of God"), signifying a profound encounter with the divine.