Genesis 28:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."

NIV: When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it."

NASB: Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'The Lord is certainly in this place, and I did not know it!'

CSB: When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."

NLT: Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!'

KJV: And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

NKJV: Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

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.

The previous chapter concluded with Rebekah urging Jacob to run for his life to her brother's household in Mesopotamia to escape the wrath of Esau. Now Isaac, too, sends Jacob to Laban, except to find a non-Canaanite wife. Hearing this, Esau marries one of the daughters of Ishmael. On the road to Mesopotamia, the Lord appears to Jacob in a dream. God personally delivers the covenant promises of Abraham and assurances to be with Jacob. In awe and fear, Jacob renames the place Bethel, ''house of God,'' and vows to worship the Lord as his God. In the next chapter, Jacob will get a taste of his own deceptive medicine, as he seeks a wife.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 7/2/2024 9:19:33 PM