SO ISAAC CALLED for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham.” 5Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” 7and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
10Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
18Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God 22and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Original Meaning
JACOB HAS STOLEN the blessing from Esau and is about to depart for the ancestral home in Paddan Aram. Before he goes, Isaac places the covenant blessing on him along with instructions on whom he is to marry. After Jacob leaves, the Lord himself appears to Jacob at Bethel and speaks to him the familiar words of the covenant blessing.
Jacob’s Departure (28:1–9)
JUST AS ABRAHAM insisted that Isaac marry someone from outside the land, Isaac expresses the same desire for Jacob. In addition to echoing the past generation, this serves as tacit condemnation of Esau’s marriages (26:34–35). But circumstances differ in that rather than keeping Jacob in the land at all costs (as Abraham did for Isaac), Isaac is sending Jacob from the land. The jeopardy being addressed by Abraham was the potential for leaving the land and never returning. Now, however, with Sarah and Abraham’s graves in the land, there is less potential for that to take place. The land has become home. The jeopardy that Isaac and Jacob face has to do with the survival of the family. Jacob is therefore sent from the land to save his life.
Jacob is already seventy-seven years old. The marriage instructions are similar to those given by Abraham to his servant almost one hundred years earlier when Isaac was ready to marry.1 As in that earlier situation, the most basic concern is ethnic, not spiritual. If he had to marry a monotheistic Yahwist, he would die a single man—there are none. He must marry someone outside the land to reduce the risk of assimilation. He marries someone in the family to solidify the family identity.
In addition to the instructions, Jacob is sent away with the covenant blessing (28:3–4). Nowhere does the text intimate that Isaac has somehow recognized that his favoritism of Esau has been misplaced and that Jacob alone will play a role in God’s covenant plan. We are given no indication that Isaac would not have said the same to Esau. Jacob is going away, and this is part of the process of parting. This is the only place in Genesis where a patriarch confers the covenant blessing on his son. We note, however, that only blessings are spoken, not promises. These are Isaac’s wishes for his son; it is left to God to make promises to Jacob (28:13–15).
Esau’s response to this whole scenario is to try to gain approval by marrying girls from the family—in this case, Ishmael’s family. In so doing he only ends up identifying with the line that has been sent away, perhaps prefiguring to some degree his own eventual status.
Jacob’s Dream and Vow (28:10–22)
ONE OF THE most familiar stories of Jacob, maybe even in the Bible, is the account of Jacob’s dream at Bethel. The 550-mile trip from Beersheba to Haran would have taken Jacob over a month. He travels north along the ridge road that goes through Hebron, Jerusalem, Bethel, and Shechem, then joins the main highway in the Jordan Valley and heads northeast toward Damascus. It probably takes several days to get as far as Bethel, sixty miles from Beersheba.
His dream presents a ladder or stairway2 that reaches to heaven. What Jacob is dreaming comes from the cultural world of the ancient Near East. In Mesopotamia the comparable word to the one used here describes the stairway used by a messenger of the gods moving from one realm to another.3 When Namtar delivers a message, for example, he takes the stairway from the gate of the gods to the earth or to the netherworld.4 It is this same stairway that is architecturally depicted in the famous ziggurats that adjoined temples in Mesopotamian cities, designed to offer a way for the gods to descend to the temple to be worshiped.5
In Genesis 28 the messengers of God are likewise using this stairway to travel between realms. This is not a parade or procession as often depicted in art. It is a sacred portal between realms. Angels (messengers) descended to embark on their errands throughout the earth and ascended when returning with reports. At the same time note carefully that Yahweh is not seen descending by the stairway; he is standing beside it.6 Thus the dream is thoroughly embedded in the imagery of the worldview that it features but is distinct in how God relates to it.
Of course, the important part of all of this is not the setting of the dream but the content of the message conveyed by it. This is Jacob’s first theophany, and it parallels the “Yahweh theophany” that Abraham received in Genesis 15 (see the treatment of Gen. 17, pp. 460–61). As indicated there, Yahweh theophanies tend to be land-oriented. Obviously the descendants element is not ignored (28:14), but the main thrust of the message is that Yahweh will bring Jacob back to the land. Note too that Jacob is virtually the same age as Abraham was when God asked him to leave his home and travel to a new land (12:1–4).
When Jacob awakes, he has two responses. (1) He recognizes the nature of the place, which involves three steps. (a) He identifies the sacredness of the spot. Portals were associated with sacred space. It has already been noted that the ziggurats, representing portals, were constructed next to temples, which demarcated sacred space. Since Jacob has seen a portal here, he identifies the space as sacred space, a house of God. This house of God is at the earth end of the portal, whereas the other end of the portal is the gate of heaven. In Mesopotamian literature, the stairway led to the gate of the gods, and Jacob is thinking in those same terms.
(b) Jacob sets up the stone as a pillar. Sacred pillars and standing stones are familiar in the religious environment of the ancient world. Archaeologists have found them in a variety of cultic settings dating from the fourth millennium to the first. They can be either natural or carved, inscribed or plain. The Canaanites used them (e.g., at the high place at Gezer), and they were found at the Israelite cultic installation at Arad. Anointing the pillar constitutes its dedication. Some of the standing stones that have been found include basins at their base for libations.7 These stones are sometimes understood as the dwelling places of deity (houses of god).8
(c) Jacob names the place Bethel, meaning “house of God,” which formalizes his new information about the place. The text offers no suggestion that there is a city at the spot at the time of Jacob’s visit. It is difficult to comment on this from an archaeological perspective since there is still considerable dispute on the identification of Bethel. Most commonly it is identified with Beitin. There was a major fortified city on this site during the Middle Bronze II Age (beginning around 1800), which was destroyed in the mid-sixteenth century. Remnants of a wall suggest that at least some level of fortified town also had existed there during Middle Bronze I.
(2) The second response is a personal one from Jacob that comes in terms of a vow. Vows are promises made (almost always to God) with conditions attached. Typically, an individual made a request to deity for protection or provision of some sort and in return promised a gift. In most cases, the gift was a sacrifice, though other gifts to a sanctuary or priest could be made. Here the conditions include provision and protection from God that will result in Jacob’s return as Yahweh promised in the dream theophany. The tangible element of Jacob’s gift is a tithe of all he receives from the hand of God.
In the ancient world tithing was often a means of taxation. Tithes were paid to the temple as well as to the king. Since income and personal wealth were often not in money, all goods were included in the calculations of the tithe, as indicated here by Jacob in the phrase “all that you give me.” Jacob’s tithe is clearly voluntary rather than imposed; thus, it is not to be associated with taxation of any sort. There is no temple or priesthood at Bethel, so to whom will Jacob give his tithe? Jacob most likely anticipates that any wealth coming to him will be in the form of flocks and herds. In such a case the tithe will be represented in sacrifices at Bethel.9 Genesis 35 does not mention sacrifices being made, but Jacob does build an altar, thereby making it all the more likely that he fulfills this part of his vow by sacrifice.
But there was also a more intangible element to Jacob’s promises: “The LORD [Yahweh] will be my God.” It is not accidental that in his situation Jacob uses the more generic ʾ elohim (v. 20). But in verse 21 he specifically names Yahweh as his God. In other words, if Providence smiles on him and, as he has promised, returns Jacob to this land, he will recognize that Yahweh is behind that Providence and is guiding his destiny. Since Genesis 35 records Jacob’s fulfillment of his vow, he carries out this part by setting aside other gods (35:2).
Bridging Contexts
COVENANT JEOPARDY. We have spoken of the jeopardy in the Jacob cycle as comprised of family conflict and questionable character. These are the issues that need to be overcome. But the narrative is not done with the previous jeopardy that focused on land and family. Both of those will reappear as the issues of conflict and character continue to be resolved in the background. The following chapters will focus on the continuation of family, but this chapter introduces a new line of jeopardy regarding the land: The covenant heir is leaving it. Nonetheless, we have a double repetition of the covenant (once from Isaac, once from Yahweh), which gives us good reason to expect that despite the jeopardy, the situation is well in hand.
Jacob’s faith. Prior to Genesis 28, we have only seen Jacob in the negative light of his character. No illumination is offered concerning his spiritual condition, his relationship to God, or his destiny in the covenant. We have no cause to think of him as a godly individual. In this chapter, then, we cannot come with a presupposed picture of Jacob as a man of faith with insight into the character of God, living in piety and submission. We must remember that the Yahwistic faith among the patriarchs is still relatively young, and even Isaac has not been portrayed in terms that clarify the strength of his convictions.
Consequently, we do not have the liberty to read Jacob’s vow against the background of demonstrated piety and commitment. If we read it in light of what we have seen of Jacob thus far, it looks suspiciously like another bargain. Jacob is in a “wait-and-see” mode and wants to have his benefits up front before he delivers on anything (“cash on the barrel”). This is not like a vow in which a request is made and a vow attached so that recognition of God’s role can be indicated. God has made a statement of his intentions, but Jacob still shows himself skeptical. He may have been awestruck by the dream (28:17), but he still in effect demands that Yahweh prove himself before he can expect any response from Jacob.
If this is the case, the jeopardy of Jacob’s character continues. In contrast to Abraham’s being tested by God, Jacob has taken the role of doing the testing. In contrast to God’s placing conditions on Abraham (leave your country, etc.) so that the promises can be realized, Jacob puts conditions on God before God can become the “beneficiary” of the promises Jacob offers. In his vow, he presumes on the grace of God. Everything is backward here, and it is an intolerable situation that will have to be fixed before God can proceed with Jacob. Jacob is still more scoundrel than saint. He treats God as a passenger along for the ride, whereas God insists (and rightly so) on being in the driver’s seat.
Notwithstanding this assessment, we also see Jacob as a work in process—another of God’s reclamation projects. Jacob has done nothing to deserve God’s attention, yet God reaches out to him at a time when he is probably feeling nothing but despair and vulnerability. Yahweh encourages Jacob by his presence and comforts him with his promise. It is important to see that God does not wait until people “arrive” at spiritual maturity before making overtures to them.
Visions and dreams. In the ancient world dreams were accepted as a means of divine communication. In the Old Testament, visions are generally for prophets, dreams are for false prophets (Deut. 13:2–5; Jer. 23:25; 29:8) and the uninitiated.10 In Genesis, God communicates to Abimelech (20:3), Laban (31:24), Pharaoh (41:1), and Pharaoh’s servants (40:5) by dreams. He also uses dreams in the life of young Joseph (37:5), but only when he is a naïve teenager. Besides the dream in this chapter, Jacob reports having another dream while in Haran (31:10). Given this nuance for dreams, the text is putting Jacob in the position of an outsider with regard to the faith, even though he is destined to assume a prominent role in the history of the covenant.
Contemporary Significance
PRESUMING ON GRACE. Imagine a second-grade teacher commending one of her pupils for a good job on a one-paragraph essay and indicating that the pupil had the aptitude to be a good writer, only to have the student respond by dictating to the teacher all the ways she should teach so as to retain the privilege of training someone with such potential. How presumptuous! One might expect a teacher to be a bit outraged, on the inside at least, when faced with such arrogance and conceit. Yet a good teacher would indulge it and even excuse it in one so young.
God is a good teacher, full of patience and grace despite our arrogance and conceit. Dare we interpret small signs of his pleasure with our miniscule endeavors and achievements as indications that he needs us? Dare we dictate to God the terms of our commitment or suggest that our service will only be rendered when he proves himself worthy? Dare we presume on his grace? That is what Jacob is doing when he makes his vow. The following fairy tale illustrates the hazard of presuming on someone’s grace.
A poor fisherman once lived in a ramshackle hut by the docks with his wife, a cantankerous woman with pretensions to greatness had she not been held back by the social station of her husband’s humble occupation and paltry income. One day while fishing, the man caught a fish of unusual size and coloring. He thought that he might be able to get two meager meals out of it for himself and his wife, so he was happy. How surprised he was when the fish spoke to him as it lay in the bottom of the boat. “Throw me back,” it pleaded, “for I am a magic fish. If you spare my life, I will grant you any wish.”
The man was of a charitable nature and agreed to the fish’s suggestion. But being a contented man, he could not think of a wish. Finally, he suggested that perhaps the fish could give him a new hut with no cracks between the boards so that he and his wife would not be so cold in winter months when the chill sea breeze rattled their bones. The fish said his new hut would be waiting for him when he arrived home. Moreover, if he thought of any other wish, he should come to the dock and call to the fish, and his wish would be granted.
When the man got home, his wife was curious about what circumstances had suddenly transformed their dilapidated shack into this fine sturdy one. The man told the story. But as he recounted the details, the wife’s face grew redder and redder until it looked as if it was about to burst. “A pitiful excuse for a husband you are if you cannot take any more concern for your poor wife’s welfare than to make her live in a fisherman’s hut, however sturdy it might be. If you cared about me at all, you might at least have asked for a cozy little house with a green front door and a fireplace to warm ourselves by.” The man felt chastened at his thoughtlessness and agreed to go back to the fish the next day to see if he would provide the cozy cottage his wife described.
When he told the fish of his wife’s request, the fish responded with a flip of his tale that it was done. He thanked the man again for saving his life and wished him well in his new little cottage. The man returned home glad that the matter was settled. But on arriving at home, he found that all was not well. His wife was pacing around in front of the fireplace but dissatisfied. Now she wanted a mansion. So the next day found the man back on the dock talking to the magic fish. With apologies he explained the situation, but the fish showed no irritation as he granted this wish as easily as he had the others.
But as might be expected, soon even the mansion was unacceptable. The wife wanted a castle, complete with a ballroom. The man shuffled slowly to the docks the next day, his mind reeling with humiliation at what he was to ask. The fish appeared, and if a fish’s face could show pity, that is what you would have seen. The fisherman sadly and reluctantly conveyed his wife’s latest demand, and the fish only replied, “Then a castle is what you shall have.”
Their first ball was that night, and all the finest lords and ladies attended. The orchestra played and the people danced and socialized with one another. From each knot of guests could be heard conversations of power and status, success and wealth. But the next morning the wife spoke again to her husband. “Our castle is magnificent and the ball was grand, but we are still a fisherman and his wife and are not accepted by the fine folk of society. Tell the fish to make us charming and appealing in the eyes of our society.”
The man delayed going to the docks as long as he dared but knew he could not face his wife without speaking to the fish. At his call the fish emerged and asked what was to be done. It took some time and persuasion for the fish to convince the man to blurt out the latest request: “My wife wants you to give us the social station becoming to our home.” The fish grinned, if fish can grin, flipped its tail, and declared it was done.
When the fisherman returned home, he was surprised to find his wife sitting outside their original dilapidated shack. She had been crying, but when she looked into her husband’s eyes, it was clear that she was a wiser woman. The fish had indeed granted their wish—their social station was becoming to their home. Having come to respect herself and her husband for who they were, the woman was never again discontent but enjoyed the life of a fisherman’s wife.11
In this illustration, the fisherman had done a favor for the fish, which served as the premise for the requests, though certainly the requests in time far exceeded the favor. In our lives, we may imagine we have done God a favor and deserve his attention and blessing, but no one can make that a premise for requests for blessing. The reason is that God has done far more for us in sending his Son to die for us. Whatever we do for God is small repayment compared to that. God has unlimited grace; yet, in our attitudes we can presume upon his grace and tire him with our self-serving requests. That is the element well-illustrated in this tale.
Too often our requests of God focus on our material gain: recovery or health, success in a venture, pleasant circumstances, and the like. Perhaps God would be pleased if more of our requests focused on spiritual gain: stronger faith, purification of thoughts, straightening out of attitudes, patience in hardship, love for those we find difficult to love, sensitivity to his leading, and increased commitment to his service. These are the sort of requests that never presume upon his grace. They will achieve his purpose of helping us come to an understanding of our true nature and our dependence on him.
Note too that though the woman’s station changed, her character did not. In the end, it was her unaltered character that caused her lack of acceptance by the townspeople and brought her back to where she started. Like Jacob and the fisherman’s wife, we too can get bogged down by our character flaws. Like the fisherman’s wife, those flaws may hamper any progress we may potentially make—though perhaps, like Jacob, we may, with God’s help, overcome them.