Genesis 28:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.

NIV: Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran.

NASB: Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.

CSB: Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.

NLT: Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran.

KJV: And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

NKJV: Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.

Isaac had settled his household in Beersheba in the land of Canaan promised by God to Abraham. Jacob had grown up there. Now he leaves, heading toward Haran, where Abraham first heard promises from God (Genesis 12:1-3). Haran is the town where Laban, Rebekah's brother, lives. Jacob had two reasons for leaving. First and foremost, his older twin brother, Esau, had resolved to kill Jacob for tricking their father and stealing a blessing intended for Esau (Genesis 27:41). Second, Jacob had been instructed by his father to return to their ancestral homeland in order to find a suitable wife.

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 4/29/2024 7:28:52 AM