What does the Lord promise Jacob during his journey, and how does Jacob respond at Bethel?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Lord promises Jacob land, many descendants, blessing to all the tribes of the earth, protection and return. Jacob sets up and oils the stone, names the place Bethel, and makes a vow about God’s care, his return and tithes.

Chapter breakdown

Isaac calls Jacob, blesses him and tells him not to take a wife from Chanaan. He must go to Mesopotamia of Syria, to the house of his mother’s father Bathuel, and take a wife from the daughters of his uncle Laban. Isaac asks God Almighty to bless Jacob, increase his family into a multitude of people and give Abraham’s blessings to him and his descendants. He asks that they possess the land where Jacob stays, which God promised to his grandfather. Isaac sends him away, and Jacob travels to Laban, the son of Bathuel the Syrian and brother of Rebecca, Jacob’s mother.

Esau sees that Isaac has blessed Jacob and sent him to Mesopotamia of Syria for a wife. He also sees the instruction not to marry a daughter of Chanaan and Jacob’s obedience to his parents in going to Syria. Finding that his father is displeased with the daughters of Chanaan, Esau goes to Ismael. In addition to his existing wives, he marries Maheleth, daughter of Ismael, Abraham’s son, and sister of Nabajoth.

Jacob leaves Bersabee and heads towards Haran. After sunset he rests at a certain place, takes stones lying there and puts them under his head, then sleeps there. In his sleep he sees a ladder standing on the earth with its top touching heaven. God’s angels ascend and descend by it.

The Lord leans upon the ladder and identifies himself as the Lord God of Abraham and the God of Isaac. He promises Jacob and his descendants the land where Jacob is sleeping. His descendants will be like the dust of the earth and spread west, east, north and south. In Jacob and his descendants all the tribes of the earth will be blessed. The Lord promises to keep him wherever he goes, bring him back to this land and not leave him until he has accomplished everything he has said.

Jacob wakes and says the Lord is in this place, though he did not know it. Trembling, he calls the place terrible and identifies it as the house of God and the gate of heaven. In the morning he takes the stone that was under his head, sets it up as a marker and pours oil on its top. He calls the city Bethel; it was previously called Luza. Challoner’s note explains that Bethel means the house of God.

Jacob makes a vow: if God is with him, keeps him on his journey, gives him bread to eat and clothes to wear, and he returns prosperously to his father’s house, the Lord will be his God. The stone he has set up as a marker will be called the house of God. He promises to offer God tithes, or a tenth, of everything God gives him.

The story inside

Jacob’s journey begins with Isaac’s instructions about a wife and blessing for his descendants and their land. The account also records Esau’s response to Isaac’s displeasure with Chanaanite wives. On the journey Jacob sleeps at an unnamed place and sees the ladder. The Lord’s words connect the land under him with descendants spreading in every direction and include a personal promise of protection and return. Jacob’s waking response names the place as God’s house and heaven’s gate. He marks it with the stone and oil, calls it Bethel and makes a vow. The promise and vow should remain distinct: God states what he will do, while Jacob states the conditions and commitments of his own vow. The chapter does not report their later fulfilment.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Isaac’s instructions retain the family relationships. Jacob is to go to his mother’s father’s house and marry a daughter of his uncle Laban. Esau adds a wife from Ismael’s family without replacing his earlier wives. The account records these different actions without supplying either brother’s unstated thoughts.
2
The Lord’s promise includes both a wider future and Jacob’s own journey. Descendants, land and blessing to all tribes stand alongside protection wherever Jacob goes and a return to this land. The promise of not leaving him has the stated fulfilment clause; it should be read with that clause intact.
3
Jacob responds with a marker and a specific vow. The same stone used beneath his head is set up and oiled, and the city receives the name Bethel, explained by Challoner as God’s house. His vow names food, clothing, care on the way and a prosperous return before promising that the Lord will be his God and receive tithes.

Test your recall

How does the dream lead to Jacob’s naming the place and making a vow?

Show answer

The Lord promises land, descendants, blessing, protection and return. Jacob wakes, recognises the Lord’s presence, sets up and oils the stone and names the city Bethel. His vow names God’s presence, protection, food, clothing and his prosperous return, then his commitments to the Lord and to tithes.

Quotes from Scripture

Exact Scripture quotations from the Douay–Rheims Bible, revised by Bishop Richard Challoner (1749–1752), the same edition used for these chapters. Source: Project Gutenberg no. 1581.

And I will be thy keeper whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land: neither will I leave thee, till I shall have accomplished all that I have said.

Genesis 28:15 · Douay–Rheims / Challonerpg1581.txt · lines 3155–3157

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 3100–3120
Genesis Chapter 28 Jacob’s journey to Mesopotamia: his vision and vow. 28:1. And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, saying: Take not a wife of the stock of Chanaan: 28:2. But go, and take a journey to Mesopotamia of Syria, to the house of Bathuel, thy mother’s father, and take thee a wife thence of the daughters of Laban, thy uncle. 28:3. And God almighty bless thee, and make thee to increase and multiply thee: that thou mayst be a multitude of people. 28:4. And give the blessings of Araham to thee, and to thy seed after thee: that thou mayst possess the land of thy sojournment, which he promised to thy grandfather. 28:5. And when Isaac had sent him away, he took his journey and went to Mesopotamia of Syria, to Laban, the son of Bathuel, the Syrian, brother to Rebecca, his mother.
Lines 3121–3134
28:6. And Esau seeing that his father had blessed Jacob, and had sent him into Mesopotamia of Syria, to marry a wife thence; and that after the blessing he had charged him, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Chanaan: 28:7. And that Jacob obeying his parents, was gone into Syria: 28:8. Experiencing also, that his father was not well pleased with the daughters of Chanaan: 28:9. He went to Ismael, and took to wife, besides them he had before, Maheleth, the daughter of Ismael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nabajoth.
Lines 3135–3144
28:10. But Jacob being departed from Bersabee, went on to Haran. 28:11. And when he was come to a certain place, and would rest in it after sunset, he took of the stones that lay there, and putting under his head, slept in the same place. 28:12. And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven: the angels also of God ascending and descending by it.
Lines 3145–3157
28:13. And the Lord leaning upon the ladder saying to him: I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: The land, wherein thou sleepest, I will give to thee and to thy seed. 28:14. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth: thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and IN THEE and thy seed, all the tribes of the earth SHALL BE BLESSED. 28:15. And I will be thy keeper whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land: neither will I leave thee, till I shall have accomplished all that I have said.
Lines 3158–3172
28:16. And when Jacob awaked out of sleep, he said: Indeed the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. 28:17. And trembling, he said: How terrible is this place? this is no other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven. 28:18. And Jacob arising in the morning, took the stone which he had laid under his head, and set it up for a title, pouring oil upon the top of it. 28:19. And he called the name of the city Bethel, which before was called Luza. Bethel.... This name signifies the house of God.
Lines 3173–3185
28:20. And he made a vow, saying: If God shall be with me, and shall keep me in the way, by which I walk, and shall give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 28:21. And I shall return prosperously to my father’s house: the Lord shall be my God: 28:22. And this stone, which I have set up for a title, shall be called the house of God: and of all things that thou shalt give to me, I will offer tithes to thee.