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Jacob's Ladder - Bible Story

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Jacob's Ladder - Bible Story

Bible Story of Jacob's Ladder (or Jacob's Dream)

This Bible story begins as Jacob is sent away from the Promised Land of Canaan by his mother, Rebekah, when she learns of Esau's intent to kill his brother.  Esau is resentful of Jacob's blessing from their father, Isaac, and plans to murder him as vengeance.  In addition to avoiding Esau's wrath, Jacob is sent away to find a wife in the land of Haran to propagate the lineage of Abraham. 

As Jacob flees from Esau on his way to Haran, he comes to a "certain place" and lays down to rest for the evening as the sun is setting.  He then dreams of a magnificent ladder that is set up on earth and reaches heaven on top. Jacob witnesses angels traveling up and down the ladder making their way to earth and back to heaven. He then sees the Lord standing above, who says to Jacob, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and your offspring." God tells Jacob that his offspring shall spread across the world and that "in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed." God informs Jacob he will stay with him wherever he goes and will eventually bring him back to the land where he is having the dream.  Jacobs awakes and proclaims, "How awesome is this land! this is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven."  Jacob would rename that land "Bethel," meaning the house of God.

Read the Bible Story of Jacob and Esau

Bible Meaning of Jacob's Ladder

The significance of the ladder and dream has been argued. Still, most accounts recognize that it distinguished Jacob with the responsibilities and heritage of the ethnic people chosen by God, as known in Abrahamic religions.  The ladder signifies the divine connection between God and the earthly realm, specifically Jacob's family. The dream's significance was to remind Jacob he had received God's graces and encourage him to fulfill the destiny of his people.  Jacob makes a vow afterward, 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 clothing to wear so that I come again to my father's house in peace, the Lord shall be my God." (Genesis 28:20-21)

Discover the full scripture text of Jacob's Ladder, along with related articles, podcasts, and sermons below!

Genesis 28

1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.
2 Go 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.
3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.
4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
5 Then 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.
6 Now 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,”
7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.
8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;
9 so 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.
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran.
11 When 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.
12 He 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.
13 There 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.
14 Your 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.
15 I 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.”
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
18 Early 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.
19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
20 Then 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
21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God
22 and 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.”

Genesis 28 Commentaries

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