Genesis 28:18

18 And Jacob riseth early in the morning, and taketh the stone which he hath made his pillows, and maketh it a standing pillar, and poureth oil upon its top,

Genesis 28:18 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 28:18

And Jacob rose up early in the morning
In order to proceed on his journey, being comfortably refreshed both in body and mind: but first he took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for]
a pillar;
not for a statue or an idol to be worshipped, but for a memorial of the mercy and goodness of God unto him, see ( Joshua 4:3-9 ) ; indeed, among the Heathens, stones, even rude and unpolished ones, were worshipped as gods; and this was the ancient custom among the Greeks, and which, as Pausanias F12 says, universally obtained among them: and poured oil upon the top of it;
which he had brought with him for necessary uses in his journey, or fetched from the neighbouring city; the former is most likely: and this he did, that he might know it again when he returned, as Aben Ezra remarks, and not for the consecration of it for religious use; though it is thought, by some learned men F13, that the Phoenicians worshipped this stone which Jacob anointed; and that from this anointed stone at Bethel came the Boetylia, which were anointed stones consecrated to Saturn and Jupiter, and others, and were worshipped as gods; the original of which Sanchoniatho F14 ascribes to Uranus, who, he says, devised the Boetylia, forming animated stones, which Bochart renders anointed stones; and so Apuleius F15, Minutius Felix F16, Arnobius F17, and others, speak of anointed stones, worshipped as deities; and hence it may be through the early and ancient abuse of such pillars it was, that they were forbidden by the law of Moses, and such as the Heathens had erected were to be pulled down, ( Leviticus 26:1 ) ( Deuteronomy 7:5 ) ( 12:3 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F12 Achaiaca sive, l. 7. p. 441.
F13 Bochart. Canaan. l. 2. c. 2. col. 707, 708. Marsham. Chronicon, p. 56. & alii.
F14 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 1. p. 37.
F15 Florida, c. 1.
F16 Octav. p. 2.
F17 Adv. Gentes, l. 1. p. 2.

Genesis 28:18 In-Context

16 And Jacob awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, `Surely Jehovah is in this place, and I knew not;'
17 and he feareth, and saith, `How fearful [is] this place; this is nothing but a house of God, and this a gate of the heavens.'
18 And Jacob riseth early in the morning, and taketh the stone which he hath made his pillows, and maketh it a standing pillar, and poureth oil upon its top,
19 and he calleth the name of that place Bethel, [house of God,] and yet, Luz [is] the name of the city at the first.
20 And Jacob voweth a vow, saying, `Seeing God is with me, and hath kept me in this way which I am going, and hath given to me bread to eat, and a garment to put on --
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.