Geneva Bible Study Notes :: Footnotes for Genesis 28

Gen 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and (a) blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

(a) This second blessing was to confirm Jacob's faith, lest he should think that his father had given it without God's leading.

Gen 28:4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a (b) stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

(b) The godly fathers were continually reminded that they were but strangers in this world: so that they would lift up their eyes to the heavens where they have a certain dwelling.

Gen 28:9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of (c) Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

(c) Thinking by this to have reconciled himself to his father, but all in vain: for he does not take away the cause of the evil.

Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a (d) ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

(d) Christ is the ladder by which God and man are joined together, and by whom the angels minister to us: all graces are given to us by him, and we ascend to heaven by him.

Gen 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 (e) will I give it, and to thy seed;

(e) He felt the force of this promise only by faith: for all his life he was a stranger in this land.

Gen 28:17 And he was (f) afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven.

(f) He was touched with a godly fear and reverence.

Gen 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and (g) set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

(g) To be a reminder of the vision shown to him.

Gen 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If (h) God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

(h) He does not bind God under this condition, but acknowledges his infirmity, and promises to be thankful.