Jacob’s Dream in Genesis 28:10-22: from a Stone Pillow to a Stone Pillar
by Cleotha Robertson
The theophany in the dream of Jacob (Genesis 28:10-22) occurs against the backdrop of divine revelation in Genesis, and the Old Testament more generally. It reminds the reader that the phenomenon of dreams in the Old Testament is not to be understood as simply wish fulfillment or a personal example of goal-setting for future greatness and achievement. Rather, as in the extended story of Joseph (Gen 37-50) and in events of the life of Daniel, dreams in the Old Testament should be understood as the means of divine revelation, sent by the Lord who works out all things for His will and glory.
The dream of Jacob occurs in the context of his departure from his family. In Genesis 27 Jacob has tricked his father and stolen his brother Esau’s birthright. Because of Esau’s anger and the threat of harm, Jacob departs to his uncle’s home in Paddan-aram. In Genesis 28:1-9, one finds the details of this departure, including the specific instructions given to the departing Jacob. In these instructions, Jacob is commanded by Isaac not to marry a Canaanite woman (28:6); instead, Jacob is to seek a wife from Laban’s household, relatives on his mother’s side of the family.[i] The family branch in Aram is always described by the relationship to Rebekah, though they were Isaac’s kinsmen also.[ii] Laban specifically is mentioned as the brother of Rebekah (verse 2). Furthermore, in Genesis 28: 6-9, one sees the reactions of Esau to Isaac’s blessing, to Jacob, and to Jacob’s departure to Aram. Esau notes the command to his brother Jacob regarding marriage, and proceeds to marry Mahalath, the granddaughter of Abraham (in addition to the wives to whom he is already married) in order to please his parents. Against this backdrop, Jacob departs for relatives in Paddan-Aram.
From Beer Sheba, Jacob probably travels north along the ridge of the hills passing just west of Hebron, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.[iii] The distance to Bethel is fifty-five miles and he probably arrives at Bethel on the third night.[iv] As Jacob rests for the night, he dreams and receives a theophany. Jacob’s dream, described in Genesis 28:10-22, can be divided into two sections. The first part of the dream is narrated in verses 10-15; the second part of the dream, verses 16-22. It should be noted, Bethel has become the most celebrated place of worship in the patriarchal narratives.[v] This event so indelibly marked the infamous chicanery of Jacob, that it even superseded his well-earned reputation for deviousness (Hosea 12:4).[vi]
The first part of the dream (verses 10-15) describes the theophany. Verse 10 describes the movement of Jacob to Haran from Beer Sheba. Jacob arrives at a specific place and camps there for the night. He places a stone under his head as a pillow, goes to sleep, and dreams (v. 11). Verses 12-13 describe Jacob’s dream with three clauses containing the word “behold.”[vii] First, Jacob sees a stairway erected, joining the earth to the heavens. The next clause describes the angels ascending and descending upon the stairway. In the third clause, YHWH stands upon the top of the stairway, identifying Himself as “the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac (v. 13).”[viii] In this theophany, the Lord articulates promises to Jacob (vv. 13-15). First, Yahweh promises to give Jacob and his descendants the ground upon which he lays. The use of the Hebrew term for “ground” or “earth” is a metonymy for the whole land of Canaan.[ix] Second, Jacob’s descendants will be innumerable, like the “dust of the earth,” and will spread out “to the west, east, north and south.” Third, YHWH promises to never leave Jacob and to safeguard his travels “wherever he goes,” ensuring his protection and return to Canaan. The promise of God’s protective care recalls the same promise made to Isaac during his sojourn in Gerar (26:3, 24).[x] The Lord promises to be with Jacob throughout the fulfillment of his promises, which again emphasizes the divine protective care for Jacob.
In the second part of Jacob’s dream narrative (Gen 28:16-22), one sees the worship of Jacob at Bethel and beyond as a response to the theophany. In Genesis 28:16-19, the morning after the theophany, Jacob takes the stone from under his pillow and erects a cultic pillar in order to mark the location of the dream. (It should be noted that this practice, the construction of an altar, was done by Abraham and Isaac as well.[xi]) He then pours oil on the top of the sacred stone, thus consecrating it to the Lord. The anointing with oil was part of the religious practices of Israel and was a component of the grain offering, religious objects, religious personnel and kings.[xii] In fact, the production of cultic stones was a recurring practice of Jacob’s (31:45, 51; 35:14, 20); the masseba, or “sacred stone”, could be used as a boundary maker, a burial stone, or a shrine. In the instance of the dream, the stone was intended as a reminder of the stairway upon which the Lord stood.[xiii] Moreover, the pillar symbolized Jacob’s dedication to the Lord, expressed in his succeeding vow (31:13). The pillar may have also functioned as a witness to the vow that was made by Jacob.[xiv] In verse 19, Jacob then renames Luz as “Bethel,”[xv] which literally means “House of God” (35:6; 48:3).
The final part of the theophany is the vow that Jacob makes to God (28:20-22). Jacob is the only patriarch who makes a vow to the Lord.[xvi] In addition to exemplifying the distressed state in which Jacob finds himself, the petitions of the vow exhibit the degree to which Jacob is totally dependent upon Yahweh.[xvii] This vow contains three petitions for: God’s protective presence, God’s provisions, and safe return (vv. 20-21a). [xviii] The first petition for protection is the fulfillment of God’s revealed pronouncements in the dream theophany (v. 15). Divine care was a part of the Lord’s promise to Isaac (26:3, 24). The second petition for the provision of food and clothing, involves the normal needs for a traveling alien.[xix] These provisions are also the typical needs of Israel during its wilderness sojourn towards the Promised Land (Exod 3:22; Deut 8:4; 29:5; Neh 9:22).[xx] The third petition, the safe return to his father’s house, stipulates the avoidance of physical harm while away from home. The mention of Jacob’s “journey” is reminiscent of both the guiding angel who assisted Abraham’s servant on his way to Haran while looking for a wife for Isaac (24:27-29), and God’s care for the traveling nation from Egypt to Canaan.[xxi] This last petition is the logical fulfillment of the first two petitions.
Subsequently, verses 21b-22 state the three promises Jacob makes to God. The first promise is devotion to the Lord (21b). The promise, “the Lord will be my God,” seals the bond between Jacob and God, reminiscent of the divine pact with Abraham and the nation Israel (17:7-8; Exod 6:7).[xxii] Second, Jacob promises to dedicate Bethel to God and to establish a site of worship. For Jacob, the building of a sanctuary is the appropriate response to the visitation by God. Finally, Jacob commits one-tenth of his holdings to the Lord, which recalls Abraham’s offering to Melchizedek.[xxiii] Jacob’s promise, emphatically expressed (“I will surely give you a tenth”), reveals his eagerness for the Lord’s favor.[xxiv] This vow will be fulfilled when the Lord grants him riches and a wife in the land of temporary exile.
By the medium of a dream-theophany, God reveals Himself to Jacob while he travels Haran. Yahweh provides Jacob with divine friendship, the grace of forgiveness, and the goal of a divine purpose. The theophany, along with its promises, points to the grandeur of God’s revealed plan to Jacob. This promise involves a man in flight from the brother he has bilked and the father he has deceived. The dysfunctional family of the patriarch places in bold relief the everlasting grace of the foreordained plan of God.
Notes
[i] Kenneth A. Matthews. Genesis 11:27-50:26: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Volume 1B. New American Commentary (Nashville: Holman Reference, 1996), 442.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] John Walton. Genesis. Zondervan Illustrated bible Backgrounds Commentary: Volume 1, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 107.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Kenneth A. Matthews, 443.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] The NET Translator’s Note for verses 12 highlights that Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. the introduction of each clause by the use of the Hebrew term “hinneh.”
[viii]Kenneth A. Matthews, 450. The text at v. 13a permits two different interpretations of the Hebrew that describes the position of the in the Lord in the dream. Either the Lord stands about the ladder or the at the side of Jacob.
[ix] NET Translator’s Note for Genesis 28:13.
[x] See also Genesis 31; 3 ; 46:4 : and 48:21. Kenneth A. Matthews, 450.
[xi] Ibid. See Genesis 12:7-8, 13:18 and 26:25.
[xii] Ibid.
[xiii] This is from the Study Notes for Genesis 28:18 of the NET Bible.
[xiv] Kenneth A. Matthews, 454.
[xv] Ibid.
[xvi] Ibid.
[xvii] Victor Hamilton. The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18-50. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 248.
[xviii] Kenneth A. Matthews. Genesis 11:27-50:26: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Volume 1B. New American Commentary (Nashhville: Holman Reference, 1996), 442.
[xix] Ibid., 455.
[xx] Ibid.
[xxi] Ibid.
[xxii] Ibid., 454.
[xxiii] Ibid.
[xxiv] Ibid.
