17 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."
17 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.
17 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."
17 He was terrified. He whispered in awe, "Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God's House. This is the Gate of Heaven."
17 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!"
17 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!"
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel:
19 He called the name of that place Bethel,
19 He christened the place Bethel (God's House). The name of the town had been Luz until then.
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
19 He named that place Bethel (which means "house of God"), although it was previously called Luz.
(Read Genesis 28:16-19)
God manifested himself and his favour, to Jacob, when he was asleep. The Spirit, like the wind, blows when and where it listeth, and God's grace, like the dew, tarrieth not for the sons of men. Jacob sought to improve the visit God had made him. Wherever we are, in the city or in the desert, in the house or in the field, in the shop or in the street, we may keep up our intercourse with Heaven, if it is not our own fault. But the more we see of God, the more cause we see for holy trembling before him.
7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel:
7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel,
7 He built an altar there and named it El-Bethel (God-of-Bethel) because that's where God revealed himself to him when he was running from his brother.
7 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.
7 Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means "God of Bethel"), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.
(Read Genesis 35:6-15)
The comfort the saints have in holy ordinances, is not so much from Beth-el, the house of God, as from El-beth-el, the God of the house. The ordinances are empty things, if we do not meet with God in them. There Jacob buried Deborah, Rebekah's nurse. She died much lamented. Old servants in a family, that have in their time been faithful and useful, ought to be respected. God appeared to Jacob. He renewed the covenant with him. I am God Almighty, God all-sufficient, able to make good the promise in due time, and to support thee and provide for thee in the mean time. Two things are promised; that he should be the father of a great nation, and that he should be the master of a good land. These two promises had a spiritual signification, which Jacob had some notion of, though not so clear and distinct as we now have. Christ is the promised Seed, and heaven is the promised land; the former is the foundation, and the latter the top-stone, of all God's favours.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 28:17
Commentary on Genesis 28:16-19
(Read Genesis 28:16-19)
God manifested himself and his favour, to Jacob, when he was asleep. The Spirit, like the wind, blows when and where it listeth, and God's grace, like the dew, tarrieth not for the sons of men. Jacob sought to improve the visit God had made him. Wherever we are, in the city or in the desert, in the house or in the field, in the shop or in the street, we may keep up our intercourse with Heaven, if it is not our own fault. But the more we see of God, the more cause we see for holy trembling before him.