Genesis 28:21

21 and [if] I return in peace to the house of my father, then Yahweh will become my God.

Genesis 28:21 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 28:21

So that I come again to my father's house in peace
In safety from Esau, and all other enemies, as God promised him he should: then the Lord shall be my God;
not as if he should not be his God if he did not do all this for him; which would savour not only of a mercenary spirit, but of great impiety; neither of which were to be found in Jacob: but the meaning is, that he should not only continue to own him as his God, and to worship him, but having fresh obligations upon him, should be stirred up more eagerly and devoutly to serve him in a very singular way and manner, and particularly by doing what is expressed in ( Genesis 28:22 ) . Some think he has respect to the Messiah, owning him to be the true God with the Father and the blessed Spirit, who had appeared to Abraham, and was the fear of Isaac, and whom Jacob now owned as his God: this receives some confirmation from the Targum of Jonathan, which begins the paragraph thus,

``if the Word of the Lord will be my help then the Lord shall be my God.''

Genesis 28:21 In-Context

19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; however, the name of the city [was] formerly Luz.

20 And Jacob made a vow saying, "If God will be with me and protect me on this way that I am going, and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear,

21 and [if] I return in peace to the house of my father, then Yahweh will become my God.

22 And this stone that I have set up [as] a pillar shall be the house of God, and [of] all that you give to me I will certainly give a tenth to you."