28:1 Isaac See note on 17:19.

a wife from the daughters of Canaan Like Abraham, Isaac insists that Jacob marry within the family (see 24:3–7).

28:2 Arise Isaac is unaware of the real reason for Jacob’s departure (see 27:42–45).

Paddan-Aram See note on 25:20.

28:3 an assembly of peoples Isaac’s goodbye echoes the language of the covenant blessings (12:1–3; 15:1–6).

28:9 Mahalath This wife of Esau is apparently called Basemath in the list of Esau’s wives in 36:2–3. Both here and in 36:3 the wife is identified as the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth. Both names may refer to the same woman, but the various passages naming Esau’s wives are not identical. In 26:34, for example, Basemath is called the daughter of Elon the Hittite, but in 36:2, Adah is identified as the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

28:10 Jacob The patriarchal narratives now shift their attention to Jacob—the one through whom the story of God’s covenant will continue.

28:11 sun had set People in the ancient Near East did not normally travel at night.

28:12 he dreamed Dreams and visions are a common mode of divine communication throughout the Bible (see 20:3; 31:11,24; 37:5–10; Matt 1:20; 2:19–22).

a stairway This word, which occurs only here in the ot, derives from either the Hebrew verb salal (meaning “to heap up”) or the Akkadian word simmiltu, which is used for a stairway of steps. The description that its top reached to heaven echoes the description of the Tower of Babel, which was a ziggurat (see note on Gen 11:4).

angels of God were going up That divine beings used the ladder shows that the staircase marked an entryway to the divine realm (see v. 17). The imagery also suggests that angels regularly visit earth to do God’s work.

Angels in the Bible Table

28:13 was standing An anthropomorphic description implying that Jacob sees Yahweh in the form of a man in his dream.

beside him The Hebrew text here can be translated “above it,” “beside him,” or “beside it.” If it is translated as “beside him” or “beside it” then Yahweh is on the ground standing next to Jacob as he gazed at the cosmic stairway; if translated “above it,” then Yahweh is visible at the top of the stairway.

Covenants in the Old Testament Table

I will give to you and to your descendants God reiterates the words of the covenant with Abraham involving the promise of the land (12:1–3; 13:14–17; 15:7) to Jacob, as He had to Isaac (26:3).

28:14 like the dust of the earth God repeats the remaining covenant promises to Jacob. They were originally given to Abraham (12:1–3; 15:1–6) and passed on to Isaac (26:4).

28:15 I am with you A promise of divine protection and blessing.

I will bring you to this land Both a promise and a prophecy. Jacob will venture outside the promised land with God’s permission (46:3–4). At this point, Jacob is being exiled from the land of promise to Haran. But God essentially reminds him that he is entitled to the very ground from which he is being driven.

I will not leave you Jacob’s actions have been factored into a providential plan (25:19–28). Jacob will have to make amends for his sins (32:1–21; 33), but Yahweh will still fulfill His will through Jacob’s life.

28:16 Surely Yahweh is indeed in this place Unlike Abraham’s and Isaac’s divine encounters within the land of promise, Jacob’s encounter was at a location not yet associated with divine appearances. His astonishment highlights the belief in cosmic geography—that certain places were associated with divine appearances.

28:17 the house of God The Hebrew phrase used here, beth elohim, is typically used of a temple. Temples were both divine abodes and places where divine activity, as it pertained to humanity, could be witnessed or experienced.

the gate of heaven The stairway led to God’s abode, the heavens, where divine administration of the affairs of heaven and earth were conducted.

28:18 as a stone pillar This refers to a sacred standing stone. The ot contains numerous references to their use as religious objects, most often in the context of idolatry. When erected for the worship of false gods—rivals to Yahweh—these stones were to be torn down (e.g., Exod 23:24; Deut 7:5; 16:21–22). Here, Jacob erects one in honor of Yahweh. Other contexts in Israelite religion where they were permissible include memorials for the dead (Gen 35:20), treaties (31:45–54), and other important events (Josh 24:27).

poured oil The anointing of the pillar with oil likely indicates a holy status.

28:19 Bethel The earlier used Hebrew phrase beth elohim is here shortened to beth el, meaning “house of God.” See note on v. 17.

Luz Bethel and Luz are distinguished in Josh 16:2. Though the two are identified with each other here and elsewhere (Gen 35:6; Josh 18:13; Judg 1:23), the term Bethel seems to have been originally applied to a religious area outside the city.

28:22 I will certainly give a tenth to you It is unclear whether this 10th is a one-time obligation (see 14:20) or an annual one.