Jacob's Ladder

Text and Narrative

The account appears in Genesis 28:10-22. Jacob had taken the blessing intended for his brother Esau. Afterward, both to escape his brother's anger and, as his father Isaac had instructed, to find a wife in the household of his uncle Laban, he left Beersheba and set out for Haran (Genesis 27:41–28:5). When the sun set during his journey, he lay down to sleep at a certain place, using a stone for a pillow.

In his dream a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven. The messengers of God, that is, angels, were ascending and descending on it, and the LORD stood above it and spoke. The LORD identified himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac. He then renewed to Jacob the promise of land and descendants, including the promise that "in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." He also promised that he would "keep thee in all places whither thou goest" and would not leave him (Genesis 28:15).

When Jacob awoke, he was afraid and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not." He called the place "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:16-17). He set up as a pillar the stone he had used for his pillow, poured oil on it, and changed the name of the place from Luz to Bethel. He then made a vow that if God would be with him and bring him back in peace to his father's house, the LORD would be his God. He also promised to give a tenth of all that he received (Genesis 28:20-22).

Background and Terminology

The Hebrew word sullam, translated "ladder," occurs only in this passage in the Old Testament, so its precise meaning is uncertain. For this reason, some scholars think it was closer to a stone stairway or ramp than to a modern ladder. Some of these scholars compare it to the stepped temple towers (ziggurats) of ancient Mesopotamia.

The name "Bethel" means "house (beth) of God (El)." The site is generally placed in the region north of Jerusalem, although scholars differ on its exact location.

Significance in the Wider Bible

Jacob later went up to Bethel again at God's command and built an altar there (Genesis 35:1-7). After the division of the kingdom, Jeroboam set up a golden calf there (1 Kings 12:28-29), and Bethel became a place condemned by prophets such as Amos.

In the New Testament, Jesus told Nathanael, "Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). These words recall Jacob's dream. Here Son of Man is a title Jesus used for himself. Many Christian interpreters read this verse as Jesus' declaration that he himself is the way connecting heaven and earth and the mediator who stands between God and humanity.

Interpretations and Issues

• Christ-centered interpretation: The Reformed tradition, including Calvin, reads the ladder, on the basis of John 1:51, as a type foreshadowing Christ.
• Spiritual ascent interpretation: The ancient and medieval church had a tradition of interpreting the ladder as the path by which faith ascends to God step by step. A representative example is The Ladder of Divine Ascent by John Climacus, a seventh-century monk of Mount Sinai, which is widely read in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
• Grace-centered interpretation: Protestant preaching often cautions against reading the ladder as a path that people climb by their own effort. This interpretation emphasizes that God took the initiative, coming to Jacob as he fled and giving him the promise.
• Jewish commentary: The medieval rabbi Rashi noted the order in which the angels "ascended and descended." He accordingly explained that the angels who had accompanied Jacob in the land of Israel ascended, and the angels who would accompany him outside the land descended.
• Relation to tithing: Genesis 28:22, together with the example of Abraham (Genesis 14:20), is often cited as an instance of tithing before the Law. Those who regard tithing as a principle still binding today cite this verse in support. Others point out that it was a personal, conditional vow (see tithing debate).
• Elements not found in the text: The text does not say that Jacob climbed the ladder. The image of climbing the ladder in the African American spiritual "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" is a later development. The story that Scotland's Stone of Destiny was Jacob's stone pillow likewise belongs to legend.

In the Korean Church

The hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee" is an English hymn based on this story, and its Korean lyrics also include the scene of Jacob's "stone pillow." "Bethel" is a common name for churches and prayer retreat centers. Genesis 28:17 is sometimes cited when a church building is called "the house of God." Sermons frequently address the promise that God is present even in lonely and seemingly hopeless circumstances (Genesis 28:15), and the passage is also used to teach about vows and tithing.