Jacob was in exile, in the process of fleeing from his vengeful brother. After 3 days into his 517 mile journey to Syria, he stops at a seemingly insignificant place to rest for the night. The dream he had that night was an unforgettable revelation from God, an amazing description of the coming Messiah. There are many details in this account that apply to us, both as Christian believers and as non-believers.

1. An expositional study taught by
Harry Morgan

2. For those of you online, post your comments or questions
in the “comment section” on your screen. As time affords,
they may be read to the class.

3. 1. Who is the main character of Genesis 28?

4. • Jacob is directly referred to in 20 of the 22
verses in this chapter.
• His name appears 350 times in the Bible.
• His other name, Israel, appears 150 times in
the Bible.
• The “Generation (Toledot) of Jacob” is the
focus of Genesis 26-37.
1. Who is the main character of Genesis 28?

5. • In Abraham Divine sovereignty & the life of faith;
• In Isaac Divine sonship & the life of submission;
• In Jacob Divine grace & the life of conflict.
• In Abraham, election;
• In Isaac, the new birth;
• In Jacob, the manifestation of the two natures.
Pink, A. W. (2005). Gleanings in Genesis (p. 247).

6. 2. What is the main theme of Genesis 28?
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none
is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he
shall be saved out of it.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace and
not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
What is the context?

7. What did Jacob do?
What happened to him?
An Outline of Genesis 28
Ø The Action of Yahweh (28:1–13)
Ø The Reaction of Jacob (28:14–22)
Briscoe, D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1987). Genesis (Vol. 1,
pp. 226–227). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

8. 3. What is the main theme of Genesis 28?
1. This is Jacob’s first real spiritual experience, and
God now becomes the God of Jacob as well.
2. The Abrahamic Covenant was reconfirmed only
through Jacob. So Esau was rejected, and Jacob
was elected.
3. The basic motifs of the covenant are repeated:
the Land, the seed, and the spiritual blessings.
Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (2008). Ariel’s Bible commentary: the book of Genesis (1st
ed., p. 439). San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries.

9. 4. God’s basic provisions for Jacob are as
follows:
• The Land is promised to both Jacob and Jacob’s
seed (13, 15);
• The Seed is to be multiplied (14a); and
• The Blessing will someday extend to the Gentiles
through this Seed (14b).
Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (2008). Ariel’s Bible commentary: the book of Genesis (1st
ed., p. 439). San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries.
3. What is the main theme of Genesis 28?

10. 4. What thoughts are associated by the
conjunction “and”?
Genesis 28:1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed
him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not
take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
Then Isaac called…
blessed…
charged…
said…

11. 5. When do the events in chapter 28 occur?
Then Isaac called…
• Esau’s declaration of revenge (27:40, 41)
• Rebekah lamented of life due to her
daughters-in-law (27:46)

12. Genesis 28:1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed
him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not
take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
Then Isaac called…
blessed…
charged…
said…
when Rebekah lamented
empowered to obey
commanded (ṣāwâ)
declared in detail
6. Explain the significance of the 4 verbs
used of Isaac toward Jacob.

13. 7. What directives did Isaac give Jacob?
Genesis 28:1-2 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed
him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not
take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go
to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your
mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there
of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.
“You shall not take a wife”
“Arise, go”
“take yourself a wife”
– negative: prohibition
– timing: dual imperatives, immediacy of the
departure
– positive: marry a daughter of
your maternal grandfather

14. Deuteronomy 7:3-4 Nor shall you make marriages
with them. You shall not give your daughter to their
son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they
will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve
other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused
against you and destroy you suddenly.
8. Why the prohibition?
(2 Corinthians 6:14)

15. Genesis 28:2 Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house
of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a
wife from there of the daughters of Laban your
mother’s brother.
9. Where is Paddan-aram in relation to
Gerar?
Genesis 26:17 Then
Isaac departed from
there and pitched
his tent in the Valley
of Gerar and dwelt
there.
(Padan Aram)
approximately 516.98 miles

16. 10. What events are previously recorded
to take place at Haran in Genesis?
What significance would these events
have to Jacob?

17. 11. Why did Isaac send Jacob to Paddan-
aram?
Genesis 28:2 Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house
of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a
wife from there of the daughters of Laban your
mother’s brother.

18. 12. What blessing did Isaac give Jacob
before they parted?
Genesis 28:3-4 “May God Almighty bless you, and
make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be
an assembly of peoples; 4 And give you the blessing
of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you,
that you may inherit the land in which you are a
stranger, which God gave to Abraham.”
1
2 3
4

19. 13. What was the basis of Isaac’s blessing
on Jacob?
Genesis 28:3-4 “May God Almighty bless you, and
make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be
an assembly of peoples; 4 And give you the blessing
of Abraham…
= a statement of praise;
a divine empowerment
or gifting given to fulfill a
divine purpose or
responsibility
(berā·ḵāh)‫בּ‬ְ‫ר‬ָ‫כ‬ָ‫ה‬“Blessing”
El Shaddai
The all-sufficient God

20. 14. What was Isaac’s objective in
pronouncing this blessing?
Genesis 28:4 And give you the blessing of Abraham,
to you and your descendants with you, that you may
inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which
God gave to Abraham.”
= a statement of praise;
a divine empowerment
or gifting given to fulfill a
divine purpose or
responsibility
‫בּ‬ְ‫ר‬ָ‫כ‬ָ‫ה‬ (berā·ḵāh)“Blessing”

21. 15. Who was Jacob to find in Paddan-
aram?
‫ל‬ָ‫ב‬ָ‫ן‬
“Laban”
(lā·ḇān) = white

22. 16. What relation was Laban to Jacob?
Laban = Jacob’s uncle
Rachel = his cousin

23. 17. How did Esau react to his father’s
blessing of Jacob and Jacob’s
obedience?
Genesis 28:6-8 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed
Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take
himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him
he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a
wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7 and that Jacob
had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone
to Padan Aram. 8 Also Esau saw that the daughters of
Canaan did not please his father Isaac.

24. Jacob traveled 50 miles of a 517-mile journey.

25. 18. How did Esau attempt to rectify his
relationship with his father Isaac?

26. 19. Who was Mahalath?
“Mahalath” ‫מ‬ָ‫ח‬ֲ‫ל‬ַ‫ת‬ (mā·ḥǎlǎṯ) = dance or writhe,
sickness or sad song
Also called “Basemath”
(Gen. 36:3) = sweet-smelling

27. ‫מ‬ָ‫ק‬‫וֹ‬‫ם‬ mā·qôm)
20. Where do the events of this chapter
occur?
11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night,
because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of
that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that
place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder…
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the
LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was
afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none
other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven!”
“the” certain “place” (

28. 21. Why is this significant?
“The framework of the journey (vv. 10-11) is not very
important except that the event happens ’between
places,’ where nothing unusual was expected. Jacob’s
encounter with God happened between safe, identifiable
places, but here, everything is uncertain. Suffice to say at
this point, that his ‘non-place’ is transformed by a
visitation from God into a crucially important place. The
transformation takes place during sleep, when Jacob has
lost control of his destiny…in the process, this ‘non-
person’ (i.e. exiled, threatened) is transformed by the
coming of God to a person crucial for the promise.”
Brueggermann, Walter (2010) Genesis Interpretation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press. p. 242.

29. 22. What is the location of the “certain
place” mentioned in verse 11?
Genesis 28:19 And he called
the name of that place Bethel;
but the name of that city had
been Luz previously.
Jacob had traveled 3 days.

30. 22. What is the location of the “certain
place”?

31. 23. What would have been the
significance of Bethel to Jacob?

32. 24. Why does Jacob sleep outdoors,
when there is a major Canaanite city
there? (Genesis 19)
• Cp. Joshua 2:1 “So they went and came to the
house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged there.”
• Abram “pitched his tent, having Bethel on the
west, and Hai on the east” (12:8).
• Heb 11:9,10 cites as evidence of Abraham’s pilgrim
status that he was “dwelling in tabernacles [tents]
with Isaac and Jacob.”
• Jacob is not a city boy.
Application: “Evil communications corrupt good
manners,” 1 Cor 15:33.

33. 25. What did Jacob use for a pillow?
The Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny,
and often referred to in England as the Coronation Stone.
It is also known as Jacob's Pillow Stone. The Stone of
Scone was last used in 1953 for the coronation of
the coronation of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

34. 26. What did Jacob use for a pillow?
A headstone
is not a place to lay
your head.

35. 27. What function did “the stone” serve
Jacob if not for a pillow?
“The Hebrew literally reads, ‘at his head,’ not ‘under his
head.’ It means the stone was placed at his head, as was
the case with Saul’s spear in I Samuel 26:7, where the
same terminology is used.”
Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (2008). Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis
(1st ed., p. 436). San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries.

36. 28. What has God done while men slept?
Adam – God created Eve (Gen. 2:21)
Abram – God unilaterally ratified His covenant (Gen.
15:12)
Jacob – God reconfirmed the Abrahamic covenant
(Gen. 28:13-15)
Jacob, the “grasper”, deceiver, who typically
manipulated, was, being asleep, completely controlled
by God. It is God who sought after Jacob, not Jacob
seeking for God!

37. 29. What happens when we sleep?
• Improves brain function
• Elevates mood
• Benefits heart
• Increases energy
• Stabilizes blood sugar
• Reinforces immune system
• Regulates hormones (i.e., leptin & ghrelin) that
control appetite and control weight
• Dream

38. 30. Why do we dream?
• The unconscious is made conscious.
Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams,
wrote that dreams are "...disguised fulfillments of
repressed wishes."

39. 30. Why do we dream?
• Activation-Synthesis model
J. Allan Hobson and Robert McClarley (1977)
proposed that dreaming is "…our most creative
conscious state, one in which the chaotic,
spontaneous recombination of cognitive
elements produces novel configurations of
information: new ideas. While many or even
most of these ideas may be nonsensical, if even
a few of its fanciful products are truly useful,
our dream time will not have been wasted."

40. 31. What was the context of Jacob’s
dream?
Genesis 28:11–12 So he came to a certain
place and stayed there all night, because
the sun had set. And he took one of the
stones of that place and put it at his head,
and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12
Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was
set up on the earth, and its top reached to
heaven; and there the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it.

41. 31. What was the context of Jacob’s dream?

42. 32. When do we dream?

43. 33. What’s going on when we dream?
NREM REM
= least active = most active

44. 34. What’s going on when we dream?

45. • Warn a person not to do something (Gen. 20:3, 31:24,
Matt. 27:19).
• Convey what will happen either in the near or distant
future (Gen. 37:5,9; 40:8-19; 41:1-7,15-32; Dan. 2,7).
• Convey a spiritual truth (Gen. 28:12).
• Confirm a promise (Gen. 28:13-14).
• Offer encouragement (Gen. 28:15).
• Inform someone or a group to do something (Gen.
31:11-13; Matt. 1:20-23; 2:12-13,19,22).
• Convey to an enemy their destruction (Judg. 7:13-15).
• Offer a person a gift from God (1 Kgs. 3:5).
• Warn a person they will receive punishment for their
sins (Dan. 4).
35. What are the purposes of dreams?

46. 36. Who had dreams in the Bible?
• Abimelech. Gen. 20:3–7.
• Jacob. Gen. 28:12. Gen. 31:10.
• Laban. Gen. 31:24.
• Joseph. Gen. 37:5–9.
• Pharaoh’s butler and baker. Gen. 40:5–19.
• Pharaoh. Gen. 41:1–7.
• Midianite. Jud. 7:13–15.
• Solomon. 1 Kin. 3:5–15.
• Nebuchadnezzar. Dan. 2:1, 31. Dan. 4:5, 8.
• Daniel. Dan. 7.
• Joseph. Mat. 1:20, 21. Mat. 2:13, 19, 20.
• Wise men. Mat. 2:11, 12.
• Pilate’s wife. Mat. 27:19

47. 37. Does God still communicate through
dreams?
Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will
pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions.
Acts 2:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says
God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young
men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.

49. 38. What is the significance of the
threefold repetition of “behold”?

50. 39. What did the “ladder” look like?
‫ס‬ֻ‫לּ‬ָ‫ם‬( sǔl·lām) = ascending structure, i.e., a stair-
way or ladder as a connector between two levels of a
structure; a stepped ramp
“ladder”
“The root word means ‘lift up,’ so if your imagination can stand
it, ‘escalator’ would be the most appropriate English word, and
that describes the scene perfectly!”
Mills, M. S. (1998). Genesis: A Study Guide to the Book of Genesis. Dallas: 3E Ministries.

51. 40. What does the “ladder” represent?
‫מ‬ִ‫ג‬ְ‫דּ‬ָ‫ל‬
Man’s attempt to save himself.
‫ס‬ֻ‫לּ‬ָ‫ם‬
Tower of Bab-el (gate of the gods)

52. 40. What does the ladder represent?

53. “It is Christ alone who joins heaven to earth. He alone
is Mediator. He it is through whom the fullness of all
heavenly gifts flows down to us and through whom we
on our part may ascend to God. Therefore, if we say
that the ladder is a symbol of Christ, the interpretation
is not forced. The metaphor of a ladder is most suited
to a Mediator through whom the service of angels,
righteousness, truth, and holy grace descend to us
step by step. We on our part, who are firmly fixed not
only upon the earth but in the abyss of the curse,
climb up to God through Him.”
Calvin, J. (2001). Genesis (p. 249). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
40. What does the ladder represent?

54. 40. What does the ladder represent?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him,
“I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is
one God and one Mediator
between God and men, the
Man Christ Jesus,

55. Hebrews 1:14
Are they (angels) not
all ministering spirits
sent forth to minister
for those who will
inherit salvation?
41. What is the function of the angels of
God on the ladder?

56. John 1:51 And He said to him, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall
see heaven open, and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son
of Man.”
42. Why were angels “ascending and
descending” in Jacob’s dream?

57. J
E
S
U
S
angels angels
42. Why were angels “ascending and
descending” in Jacob’s dream?

58. The Ministry of Angels to our Lord
AT HIS BIRTH

59. The Ministry of Angels to our Lord
DURING & AFTER HIS TEMPTATIONS

60. AT HIS RESURRECTION
The Ministry of Angels to our Lord

61. The Ministry of Angels to our Lord
BEFORE HIS ASCENTION

62. The Ministry of Angels to our Lord
AT HIS SECOND COMING

63. 43. Who was above the ladder in Jacob’s
dream?

64. 1
The “Blessing” must come from
44. Why do you suppose God introduced
Himself to Jacob the way he did?

65. 21
3
‫א‬ֱ5‫ה‬ִ‫י‬‫ם‬( ʾělō·hîm)
I am LORD
God
‫י‬‫ה‬‫ו‬‫ה‬( yhwh)
44. Why do you suppose God introduced
Himself to Jacob the way he did?

66. Remember Isaac’s blessing on Jacob
Genesis 28:3-4 “May God Almighty bless you, and
make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be
an assembly of peoples; 4 And give you the blessing
of Abraham…
El Shaddai
The all-sufficient God

67. 45. What threefold promise did the Lord
offer Jacob?
1
2
3
“earth” ‫א‬ֲ‫ד‬ָ‫מ‬ָ‫ה‬( ʾǎḏā·māh) = earth, land; mankind,
human-kind
‫א‬ֶ‫ר‬ֶ‫ץ‬( ʾě·rěṣ)
(ʾě·rěṣ)
( ʾǎḏā·māh)‫א‬ֲ‫ד‬ָ‫מ‬ָ‫ה‬

68. 46. How does the Lord’s covenant
promise made to Abraham compare
to the one made to Jacob?

69. 46. How does the Lord’s covenant
promise made to Abraham compare
to the one made to Jacob?

70. 47. What are the 5 main points the Lord
wants Jacob to get from his dream?
1 2
3
4 5

71. 48. What were Jacob’s responses to the
dream?
Babel was the Hebrew name for
Babylon which means "gate of
the gods." However, it was similar
to the Hebrew word balal which
meant to confound or confuse.

72. 48. What were Jacob’s responses to the
dream?

74. 49. How does Jacob’s statement in verse
16 indicate his spiritual condition?

75. 50. Why was Jacob afraid?

76. 51. Why does Jacob pour oil on the stone?

77. 51. Why does Jacob pour oil on the stone?

78. 52. Why did Jacob rename the city?
Luz = almond grove
Bethel = house of God
Emphasis on the Physical
Emphasis on the Spiritual

79. 53. What was Jacob’s vow to God?

80. 54. What is your impression of Jacob’s
vow? Was he sincere or cynical?

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