Genesis chapter 28
Jacob flees Esau’s wrath, continued. Esau marries Ishmael’s daughter. Jacob’s dream.
JACOB FLEES ESAU’S WRATH, CONTINUED
VERSE 1. Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. This begins the racial purity that would be required of the Hebrew people.
VERSE 2. Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.
VERSE 3. May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,
May God Almighty bless you. There are three aspects to this blessing:
make you fruitful, and multiply you. The first aspect of the blessing is that Jacob will have many offspring.
In his blessedness, Jacob will have a vast lineage. It is a blessing of multiplication.
It begins to be fulfilled when Jacob travels to the east to search for a bride:
Genesis 29:1. Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.
This blessing is echoed in verse 14 below.
VERSE 4. and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham.”
give you the blessing of Abraham. The second aspect of the blessing is that the blessing promised to Abraham will be transferred to Jacob.
you may inherit the land. The third aspect of the blessing is that Jacob will be a prosperous land owner.
These blessings are echoed in verse 13 below.
VERSE 5. Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
ESAU MARRIES ISHMAEL’S DAUGHTER
VERSE 6. Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;”
VERSE 7. and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.
VERSE 8. Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn’t please Isaac, his father.
VERSE 9. So Esau went to Ishmael, and took, in addition to the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael. Mahalath is Esau’s first cousin.
Esau married his first cousin!
JACOB’S DREAM
VERSE 10. Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
VERSE 11. He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.
VERSE 12. He dreamed and saw a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
He dreamed and saw a stairway. People call this “Jacob’s Ladder.”
In ancient times, the LORD God sometimes made his guidance known to people in their dreams. Even today, this is still possible for the all-powerful LORD God. Read more »
VERSE 13. Behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land you lie on to you and to your offspring.
The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it. The LORD God’s promise to Abraham is being transferred to Jacob.
Jacob will become a prosperous land owner. This echoes Isaac’s blessing in verse 4 above.
VERSE 14. Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed.
Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth. The LORD God’s promise to Abraham is being transferred to Jacob.
In his blessedness, Jacob will have a vast lineage. It is a blessing of multiplication. This is an echo of Isaac’s blessing in verse 3 above.
VERSE 15. Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”
VERSE 16. Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I didn’t know it.”
VERSE 17. He was afraid, and said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”
VERSE 18. Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.
VERSE 19. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.
Bethel. The Hebrew word is בֵּית־אֵל. It means “house of God.”
VERSE 20. Jacob vowed a vow, 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 put on,
VERSE 21. so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and the LORD will be my God,
VERSE 22. then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give a tenth to you.”
I will surely give a tenth to you. Jacob pledges a tithe.
The tithe began with Abraham. He gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek:
Genesis 14:20. Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave him a tenth of all.
GENESIS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.