Christmas Eve
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New King James Version
Genesis 28:17
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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."
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.
He was afraid and said, "This place frightens me! It is surely the house of God and the gate of heaven."
He was afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!"
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] no other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven.
He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."
So he was afraid and said, "How fearful and awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gateway to heaven."
And he seide dredynge, Hou worschipful is this place! Here is noon other thing no but the hows of God, and the yate of heuene.
and he feareth, and saith, `How fearful [is] this place; this is nothing but a house of God, and this a gate of the heavens.'
And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!"
Then Jacob became frightened and said, "This is a fearsome place! It must be the house of God and the ladder to heaven."
Then he became afraid and said, "This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!"
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
And fear came on him, and he said, This is a holy place; this is nothing less than the house of God and the doorway of heaven.
And he was a frayde, and saide: howe dreadefull is this place? it is none other but euen the house of God, & it is the gate of heauen.
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
Jacob was afraid and said, "This is a very great place. This is the house of God. This is the gate to heaven."
And he was afraid, and said: 'How full of awe is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place? this is none other, but the house of God, and this is the gate of heauen.
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
He was afraid and said, "This place is so different! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
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."
And he feared and said, How fearful is this place! None other this, than the house of God! Nor this than the gate of the heavens
And he was afraid, & said, How fearefull is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heauen.
And Jacob was exceedingly fearful, and he said, How sacred is this place today! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
He was afraid and said, "What a terrifying place this is! It must be the house of God; it must be the gate that opens into heaven."
And trembling, he said: How terrible is this place? this is no other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven.
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."
And he was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”
He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."
Then he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is nothing else than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"
And he was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! This is nothing except the house of God, and this is the door to Heaven.
And he was afraied, and sayde: How fearfull is this place? here is nothinge els but an house of God, & a gate vnto heaue.
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!"
But he was also afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!"
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."
And he was afraid and said, "How fearsome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
he was: Exodus 3:6, Judges 13:22, Matthew 17:6, Luke 2:9, Luke 8:35, Revelation 1:17
the house: Genesis 28:22, Genesis 35:1-13, 2 Chronicles 5:14, Ecclesiastes 5:1, 1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 10:21, 1 Peter 4:17
Reciprocal: Genesis 16:13 - called Exodus 3:5 - put off Leviticus 19:30 - reverence Judges 13:6 - terrible 1 Chronicles 22:1 - This is the house 1 Corinthians 3:17 - destroy 2 Peter 1:18 - the holy
Cross-References
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.
And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."
Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!"
so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
And behold, [fn] an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And he was afraid,.... Not with a servile but filial fear; not with a fear of the wrath and displeasure of God, but with a fear of his grace and goodness; not with a fear of distrust of it, of which he had just had such a comfortable assurance; but with an awe of the greatness and glory of God, being conscious of his own unworthiness to receive such favours from him;
and said, how dreadful [is] this place! not terrible and horrible, being not like Mount Sinai, but like Sion; not as the suburbs of hell, but as the gate of heaven majestic and venerable, because of the glory of God that appeared in it, whose name is holy and reverend and because of the holy angels here present: and so the church, of which this was an emblem, is a solemn assembly, awful and venerable; a city of solemnities, because of the worship of God in it, and his presence there; who is to be feared in the assembly of his saints, and to be had in reverence of all that are about him; and where persons should behave in a serious and solemn manner. The Targum of Jonathan is,
"how tremendous and praiseworthy is this place! this is not a common place:''
this [is] none other but the house of God; wherefore he afterwards called it Bethel, which signifies the house of God; and so the church of God is often called, Psalms 23:6; which is of God's building, where he dwells, and his family is, of which he is the master and governor; which he beautifies and adorns, fills, repairs, and defends:
and this [is] the gate of heaven: Mr. Mede renders it "the court of heaven", because of the angels; since in gates justice was administered by kings, attended with their retinue; but royal courts were not kept there, only courts of judicature: this place seems to be so called, because the heavens were opened and the glory of God was seen, attended by his angels, who were passing and repassing, as people through the streets of a city; and was an emblem of the church of Christ, who is figured by the ladder set on earth, whose top reached to heaven, the door, the gate, the way of ascent to it; here he is preached in the word as the way of salvation, the way to heaven and eternal happiness; here he is held forth in the ordinances; here he grants his presence to his people, and indulges them with communion with him, which makes it like and next to heaven unto them: and, generally speaking, though not always, God brings his people to heaven this way, through a Gospel church state, and by means of the word and ordinances; and here angels also attend, 1 Corinthians 11:10.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Jacobâs Journey to Haran
3. ק×× qaÌhaÌl, âcongregation.â
9. ×××ת maÌchaÌlat, Machalath, âsickness, or a harp.â
19. ××Ö¼× luÌz, Luz, âalmond.â
The blessing of his sons was the last passage in the active life of Isaac, after which he retires from the scene. Jacob now becomes the leading figure in the sacred history. His spiritual character has yet come out to view. But even now we can discern the general distinction in the lives of the three patriarchs. Abrahamâs is a life of authority and decision; Isaacâs, of submission and acquiescence; and Jacobâs, of trial and struggle.
Genesis 28:1-5
Isaac has now become alive to the real destiny of Jacob. He therefore calls for him to bless him, and give him a command. The command is to take a wife, not from Kenaan, but from the kindred of his parents. The blessing comes from âGod Almightyâ (Genesis 17:1). It is that belonging to the chosen seed, âthe blessing of Abraham.â It embraces a numerous offspring, the land of promise, and all else that is included in the blessing of Abraham. âA congregation of peoples.â This is the word âcongregationâ (ק×× qaÌhaÌl) which is afterward applied to the assembled people of God, and to which the Greek εÌκκληÏιÌα ekkleÌsia, âecclesia,â corresponds. Jacob complies with his motherâs advice and his fatherâs command, and, at the same time, reaps the bitter fruit of his fraud against his brother in the hardship and treachery of an exile of twenty years. The aged Isaac is not without his share in the unpleasant consequences of endeavoring to go against the will of God.
Genesis 28:6-9
Esau is induced, by the charge of his parents to Jacob, the compliance of the latter with their wishes, and by their obvious dislike to the daughters of Kenaan, to take Mahalath, a daughter of Ishmael, in addition to his former wives. âWent unto Ishmael;â that is, to the family or tribe of Ishmael, as Ishmael himself was now thirteen years dead. Esauâs hunting and roving career had brought him into contact with this family, and we shall presently find him settled in a neighboring territory.
Genesis 28:10-22
Jacobâs dream and vow. Setting out on the way to Haran, he was overtaken by night, and slept in the field. He was far from any dwelling, or he did not wish to enter the house of a stranger. He dreams. A ladder or stair is seen reaching from earth to heaven, on which angels ascend and descend. This is a medium of communication between heaven and earth, by which messengers pass to and fro on errands of mercy. Heaven and earth have been separated by sin. But this ladder has re-established the contact. It is therefore a beautiful emblem of what mediates and reconciles John 1:51. It here serves to bring Jacob into communication with God, and teaches him the emphatic lesson that he is accepted through a mediator. âThe Lord stood above it,â and Jacob, the object of his mercy, beneath. First. He reveals himself to the sleeper as âthe Lordâ Genesis 2:4, âthe God of Abraham thy father, and of Isaac.â It is remarkable that Abraham is styled his father, that is, his actual grandfather, and covenant father. Second. He renews the promise of the land, of the seed, and of the blessing in that seed for the whole race of man. Westward, eastward, northward, and southward are they to break forth. This expression points to the world-wide universality of the kingdom of the seed of Abraham, when it shall become the fifth monarchy, that shall subdue all that went before, and endure forever. This transcends the destiny of the natural seed of Abraham. Third. He then promises to Jacob personally to be with him, protect him, and bring him back in safety. This is the third announcement of the seed that blesses to the third in the line of descent Genesis 12:2-3; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4.
Genesis 28:16-19
Jacob awakes, and exclaims, âSurely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.â He knew his omnipresence; but he did not expect a special manifestation of the Lord in this place, far from the sanctuaries of his father. He is filled with solemn awe, when he finds himself in the house of God and at the gate of heaven. The pillar is the monument of the event. The pouring of oil upon it is an act of consecration to God who has there appeared to him Numbers 7:1. He calls the name of the place Bethel, âthe house of God.â This is not the first time it received the name. Abraham also worshipped God here, and met with the name already existing (see on Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3; Genesis 25:30.)
Genesis 28:20-22
Jacobâs vow. A vow is a solemn engagement to perform a certain duty, the obligation of which is felt at the time to be especially binding. It partakes, therefore, of the nature of a promise or a covenant. It involves in its obligation, however, only one party, and is the spontaneous act of that party. Here, then, Jacob appears to take a step in advance of his predecessors. Hitherto, God had taken the initiative in every promise, and the everlasting covenant rests solely on his eternal purpose. Abraham had responded to the call of God, believed in the Lord, walked before him, entered into communion with him, made intercession with him, and given up his only son to him at his demand. In all this there is an acceptance on the part of the creature of the supremacy of the merciful Creator. But now the spirit of adoption prompts Jacob to a spontaneous movement toward God. This is no ordinary vow, referring to some special or occasional resolve.
It is the grand and solemn expression of the soulâs free, full, and perpetual acceptance of the Lord to be its own God. This is the most frank and open utterance of newborn spiritual liberty from the heart of man that has yet appeared in the divine record. âIf God will be with me.â This is not the condition on which Jacob will accept God in a mercenary spirit. It is merely the echo and the thankful acknowledgment of the divine assurance, âI am with thee,â which was given immediately before. It is the response of the son to the assurance of the father: âWilt thou indeed be with me? Thou shalt be my God.â âThis stone shall be Godâs house,â a monument of the presence of God among his people, and a symbol of the indwelling of his Spirit in their hearts. As it comes in here it signalizes the grateful and loving welcome and entertainment which God receives from his saints. âA tenth will I surely give unto thee.â The honored guest is treated as one of the family. Ten is the whole: a tenth is a share of the whole. The Lord of all receives one share as an acknowledgment of his sovereign right to all. Here it is represented as the full share given to the king who condescends to dwell with his subjects. Thus, Jacob opens his heart, his home, and his treasure to God. These are the simple elements of a theocracy, a national establishment of the true religion. The spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, has begun to reign in Jacob. As the Father is prominently manifested in regenerate Abraham, and the Son in Isaac, so also the Spirit in Jacob.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 28:17. How dreadful is this place! — The appearance of the ladder, the angels, and the Divine glory at the top of the ladder, must have left deep, solemn, and even awful impressions on the mind of Jacob; and hence the exclamation in the text, How dreadful is this place!
This is none other but the house of God — The Chaldee gives this place a curious turn: "This is not a common place, but a place in which God delights; and opposite to this place is the gate of heaven." Onkelos seems to suppose that the gate or entrance into heaven was actually above this spot, and that when the angels of God descended to earth, they came through that opening into this place, and returned by the same way. And it really appears that Jacob himself had a similar notion.
