Genesis 28:12-15

12 ¹He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, ²the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13 And behold, ³the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, ⁴the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it ⁵to you and to ⁶your descendants.

14 "Your descendants will also be like ⁷the dust of the earth, and you will spread out ⁸to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and ⁹in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15 "Behold, ¹⁰I am with you and ¹¹will keep you wherever * you go, and ¹²will bring you back to this land; for ¹³I will not leave you until * I have done what I have promised you."

Genesis 28:12-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 28

In this chapter an account is given of the charge Isaac gave to Jacob not to marry a Canaanitess, but to go to Padanaram, and take a wife from his mother's family, and of his blessing him before he sent him away, Ge 28:1-5; of the notice that Esau took of this blessing and charge, which led him to take a wife of the family of Ishmael, Ge 28:6-9; of the dream of the ladder, which Jacob had in his way to Haran, Ge 28:10-12; of the blessing which God conferred upon him there, Ge 28:13-15; of the awfulness of the place upon his awaking, and of his erecting a pillar in it, and giving a name to it, Ge 28:16-19; and of the vow he made to God, should he be supplied with the necessaries of life, and be kept in safety by him, Ge 28:20-22.

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 41:1; Numbers 12:6
• 2. John 1:51
• 3. Genesis 35:1; Amos 7:7
• 4. Genesis 26:3, 24
• 5. Genesis 13:15, 17; Genesis 26:3
• 6. Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:18
• 7. Genesis 13:16; Genesis 22:17
• 8. Genesis 13:14, 15
• 9. Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4
• 10. Genesis 26:3, 24; Genesis 31:3
• 11. Numbers 6:24; Ps 121:5, 7, 8
• 12. Genesis 48:21; Deuteronomy 30:3
• 13. Numbers 23:19; Deuteronomy 7:9; Deuteronomy 31:6, 8

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "beside him"
• [b]. Lit "seed"
• [c]. Lit "seed"
• [d]. Lit "break through"
• [e]. Lit "seed"
• [f]. Lit "spoken to"