Trinity/After Pentecost · The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
Genesis 28:10-17
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
October 11, 2026
Overview & Insights
“‘Surely the Lord is in this place… this is the gate of heaven.’” (Genesis 28:16–17)
In this report of Jacob’s dream Jacob rests for the night (vv. 10–11), God speaks to him in a dream (vv. 12–15), Jacob responds (vv. 16–17), he names that place (vv. 18–19), and he makes a vow (vv. 20–22).
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Commentary
Genesis 28 Commentary: Jacob Flees from Esau Enduring Word · David Guzik
Verse by verse on Jacob's dream at Bethel and the ladder joining heaven and earth.
Genesis 28:10-19a Center for Excellence in Preaching
Reformed commentary on the dream as a vision of divine presence with the fugitive Jacob.
Genesis 28:10 Commentaries BibleHub
Classic commentators assembled on Jacob's departure and the Bethel vision.
Background & Word Study
Genesis - Enter the Bible Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary background on Genesis and the ancestral narratives.
Genesis 28 | Sefaria Library Sefaria
Hebrew text with the Jewish commentary tradition (Rashi and others) on Jacob's dream.
Book of Genesis Summary (Overview Video, Part 2) BibleProject
Animated overview of Genesis 12-50, the ancestral story in which Jacob's Bethel vision falls.
Genesis 28:10 Interlinear BibleHub
Hebrew text with parsing and Strong's numbers for the Bethel narrative.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What is Jacob’s ladder?
Fleeing Esau, Jacob dreams of a ladder from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending and the Lord promising to be with him; he names the place Bethel, the house of God (Genesis 28:10–17).
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