What does Genesis 28:16 mean?
The Lord has appeared to Jacob in a dream, giving to him the promises of Abraham as well as a vow to be with Jacob wherever he goes and to bring him back to the land of promise (Genesis 28:10–15).Jacob now wakes up. How will he respond to this visit from the Lord? Emotionally, he feels awe and fear. He also finds ways to worship God as he makes a powerful connection between the place he slept for the night and God's holiness.
Here Jacob says in surprise that he didn't realize the Lord was in this place. Modern Christians don't tend to associate God's holiness with physical locations. We think of God as being everywhere. Ancient people, especially, believed that certain spots were set aside by God as places to connect with Him. God honored that idea, later instructing Israel how to treat places that contained His presence as special and holy.
Genesis 28:10–22 describes the Lord's appearance in a dream, given to Jacob while on the road to Haran in Mesopotamia, the region where Rebekah's brother Laban lives. Forced by nightfall to sleep on the ground with a rock for a pillow, Jacob dreams of a ladder, connecting earth to heaven, and full of angels going in both directions. Atop the ladder, the Lord stands and gives to Jacob the very promises He gave to Abraham. He also promises to be with Jacob on his journey from and back to the land of promise. Jacob wakes up and worships the Lord, vowing to make the Lord his God.
Isaac sends Jacob away from his household to find a wife in Mesopotamia, in Paddan-aram, where Rebekah's brother lives. First, though, he gives to Jacob the full blessing of the promises of Abraham. Esau marries one of the daughters of Ishmael to try to please Isaac. The Lord appears to Jacob in a dream, giving to him the promises of Abraham personally, along with the assurance that He will be with Jacob to Mesopotamia and back again. Jacob vows that if the Lord does this, he will make the Lord his God and will worship Him and tithe to Him.
