Genesis 28: “The Ladder Set Up on the Earth, with Its Top Reaching to Heaven”
1. Isaac’s Blessing and Command
“Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, ‘You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.’” (Gen 28:1–2)
Jacob departs not as fugitive only but as heir apparent. The blessing now given openly (unlike chapter 27) shows reconciliation and divine confirmation.
Isaac’s command to avoid Canaanite marriage repeats Abraham’s concern for spiritual purity (cf. Gen 24:3).
St Bede the Venerable writes:
“The patriarch sends his son away to seek a bride among his kin, for the soul must seek faith among the faithful, not union with unbelief.” (Commentary on Genesis, 28)
Marriage here symbolises fidelity to covenant — a foreshadowing of the Church’s call to spiritual chastity.
2. The Renewed Blessing
“May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples; may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your descendants with you.” (vv. 3–4)
Isaac now knowingly transmits the covenant.
The phrase “God Almighty” (El Shaddai) recalls God’s appearance to Abraham (Gen 17:1).
St Augustine comments:
“The father now blesses knowingly what before he blessed unknowing. For grace often perfects in light what it began in darkness.” (City of God XVI.38)
Thus, the blessing deceived into being in chapter 27 becomes ratified by grace in chapter 28 — providence healing what sin distorted.
3. Esau’s Response
“When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob… Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael… to be his wife.” (vv. 6–9)
Esau’s gesture is outwardly conciliatory but spiritually superficial — he seeks approval, not repentance.
The pattern of self-will continues: his marriages remain driven by human reasoning, not divine faith.
St Ambrose remarks:
“Esau imitates obedience without conversion. He changes his alliances, not his heart.” (On Jacob and the Happy Life 4)
Religious externals cannot replace true contrition.
4. Jacob’s Journey
“Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set.” (vv. 10–11)
Here the narrative shifts from family politics to personal encounter.
The “setting sun” is both literal and symbolic — light fading as Jacob’s hope darkens.
He is alone, exiled, with only a stone for his pillow.
St John Chrysostom reflects:
“When the world forsook him, God drew near. For the Lord waits until man is left with nothing that He may be his all.” (Homilies on Genesis LV.1)
The journey from Beersheba to Haran is also a spiritual journey from deceit to dependence.
5. The Stone Pillow
“Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.” (v. 11)
The Fathers saw symbolism in this detail.
The hard stone symbolises both suffering and the foundation of faith.
St Ambrose writes:
“He rests his head upon stone, for the mind of faith rests upon Christ the Rock. Though hard to the proud, He is rest to the humble.” (On Jacob and the Happy Life 5)
Thus, Jacob lies down a deceiver, but his head rests on prophecy — the Rock of salvation.
6. The Dream and the Ladder
“And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” (v. 12)
This is among the most majestic visions in Genesis.
The Fathers unanimously identify the ladder with Christ Himself, the one Mediator uniting heaven and earth.
St Augustine teaches:
“That ladder is our Lord Jesus Christ; through His humanity He touches earth, through His divinity He reaches heaven. Upon Him angels ascend and descend — for through Him grace descends and prayer ascends.” (City of God XVI.38)
The angels ascending signify human supplication; descending, divine aid.
All communication between God and man passes through Christ.
St John Chrysostom adds:
“He who dreamed of the ladder beheld the mystery of the Incarnation. For in Christ heaven stoops to earth, and earth is raised to heaven.” (Homilies on Genesis LV.2)
7. The Lord’s Promise from the Top
“And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants… Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land.’” (vv. 13–15)
This is Jacob’s personal covenant moment — grace given directly, not through father or mother.
The same promises made to Abraham and Isaac are renewed: land, descendants, blessing.
But here God adds a new intimacy: “I am with you.”
St Bede observes:
“To Abraham He said, ‘Go’; to Isaac, ‘Dwell’; to Jacob, ‘I am with you.’ Thus grace grows from command to companionship.” (Commentary on Genesis, 28)
The promise of presence replaces fear: the lonely wanderer becomes the companion of God.
8. Jacob’s Awakening
“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ 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.’” (vv. 16–17)
Jacob awakes to awe.
He recognises the ordinary place as holy — the desert becomes sanctuary.
St Augustine says:
“Wherever a soul finds God, there is Bethel — the House of God. For the true temple is not made by hands but by hearts filled with faith.” (Enarrations on the Psalms 131.2)
“The gate of heaven” prefigures the Church, through which the faithful pass from earth to glory.
St Bede adds:
“The ladder is Christ, the house is His Church, and the gate is faith; no one ascends unless he believes.” (Commentary on Genesis, 28)
9. The Anointing of the Stone
“Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone which he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.” (v. 18)
Here Jacob performs a sacred act: he consecrates the stone as a sign of God’s presence.
This is the first anointing in Scripture — a primitive foreshadowing of altar, priesthood, and sacrament.
St Ambrose writes:
“Jacob pours oil on stone, for the anointing of Christ was prefigured. The Rock which followed them was Christ, and on Him the Spirit rests.” (On the Mysteries 8)
This gesture becomes the seed of temple worship: oil, stone, and vow anticipating the anointed Christ and the consecrated altar.
10. The Naming of Bethel
“He called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first.” (v. 19)
“Bethel” means House of God.
What was once ordinary (Luz) becomes sacred through revelation — just as baptism turns the human soul into a dwelling of God.
St Bede interprets:
“The renaming of Luz shows conversion: the soul once carnal becomes the dwelling of God through grace.” (Commentary on Genesis, 28)
11. Jacob’s Vow
“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go… then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that You give me I will give the tenth to You.’” (vv. 20–22)
Jacob’s vow may sound conditional (“If God will be with me…”), yet it expresses his awakening faith.
He begins to move from inherited religion to personal covenant.
St Augustine explains:
“He who fled as deceiver now vows as believer. Grace has found him, not in the temple but in exile.” (City of God XVI.38)
The offering of a tithe symbolises gratitude and stewardship — the heart’s response to grace received.
St Bede adds:
“Jacob promises the tenth as a sign that all belongs to God. For he who keeps the tithe confesses that all is gift.” (Commentary on Genesis, 28)
12. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Isaac’s blessing | Covenant now confirmed openly |
| Jacob’s exile | Sin’s consequence, yet providence’s path |
| The stone | Christ the Rock of faith and rest |
| The ladder | Christ the Mediator uniting heaven and earth |
| The Lord’s promise | God’s personal presence and protection |
| Bethel | The Church, gate of heaven |
| The vow | Conversion from inherited to personal faith |
St Augustine summarises:
“The deceiver becomes the dreamer, the fugitive the friend of God. He who fled from his brother now beholds heaven opened.” (City of God XVI.38)
13. Moral and Spiritual Application
Seek holiness in solitude. God often reveals Himself when we are stripped of comfort and status.
Rest on the Rock. Christ alone supports the weary soul; hardness becomes rest in Him.
See the ladder in prayer. Every Mass, every Rosary, every act of faith is a rung connecting earth and heaven.
Sanctify your place. Turn your daily setting — home, workplace, quiet corner — into Bethel by prayer.
Make your vow. Faith must move from theory to commitment: obedience, gratitude, and generosity.
14. Christ the True Ladder and the New Bethel
Jesus Himself reveals the fulfilment of this vision:
“You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)
St Bede explains:
“In Christ the ladder is fulfilled: by His humanity we ascend, by His divinity He descends.” (Commentary on John, 1)
Thus, Jacob’s vision becomes the Gospel itself — the Incarnation as the meeting of heaven and earth.
Bethel prefigures the Church; the pillar, the altar; the oil, the Holy Spirit; the tithe, the Eucharistic offering.
St Ambrose writes:
“The ladder stands upon earth where the Cross was planted, and its summit reaches heaven where Christ reigns.” (On Isaac 11)
15. Closing Prayer
God of Jacob, Lord of the Ladder and the Covenant,
You revealed Yourself to Your servant in his loneliness,
showing that heaven is open to the humble.
Teach us to rest on the Rock, to walk in Your presence,
and to see Your angels in our daily obedience.
Make our hearts Bethel, Your dwelling-place on earth,
and grant that, climbing by faith and charity,
we may at last reach the top of the ladder —
the vision of Your glory in Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 