Genesis 28:13
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Study Note
Study Note
'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 covenant God's self-identification at Bethel renews the Abrahamic promise (land, offspring, universal blessing) with the fugitive Jacob, confirming that covenant fidelity does not depend on the recipient's moral status. The vision of the ladder or stairway connecting earth and heaven, with angels ascending and descending, has been variously interpreted as a cosmic axis mundi, a temple image, or (in John 1:51) as a figure for the Son of Man as the place of divine-human encounter. The divine standing 'above it' or 'beside him' (alav is ambiguous) suggests personal proximity — the God of Jacob is not remote but present at the most liminal moment. The Bethel experience shaped Israel's theology of sacred place and the possibility of divine encounter outside designated sanctuaries.
Other Translations
And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
and lo, Jehovah is standing upon it, and He saith, `I <FI>am<Fi> Jehovah, God of Abraham thy father, and God of Isaac; the land on which thou art lying, to thee I give it, and to thy seed;
And he saw the Lord by his side, saying, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac: I will give to you and to your seed this land on which you are sleeping.
Cross References
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