Today’s first reading is the account of “Jacob’s Ladder” told in Genesis 28. It is important to know that Jacob has just cheated his older brother Esau out of his rightful inheritance and paternal blessing. Now Jacob is traveling to Haran – a distance of 700 miles from his home – putting some distance between himself and the wrath of his older brother.

Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran. When he came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set, he stopped there for the night. Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep at that spot. Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground, with its top reaching to the heavens; and God’s messengers were going up and down on it.

And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying: “I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying I will give to you and your descendants. These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth, and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south. In you and your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing. Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.”

 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, “Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!” In solemn wonder he cried out: “How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!”

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it. He called the site Bethel, whereas the former name of the town had been Luz.

Jacob then made this vow: “If God remains with me, to protect me on this journey I am making and to give me enough bread to eat and clothing to wear, and I come back safe to my father’s house, the LORD shall be my God. This stone that I have set up as a memorial stone shall be God’s abode.” (Genesis 28:10-22a)

Jacob’s dream at Bethel is one of the most theologically significant and symbolically rich episodes in the patriarchal narratives. It is a story of Jacob’s encounter with God in a dream featuring a ladder (or stairway) reaching to heaven, angels ascending and descending, and God reiterating the Abrahamic covenant. This event marks Jacob’s first personal encounter with the God of his ancestors and represents a turning point in his spiritual journey.

At this point Jacob is on the run and morally compromised (having just deceived his father), God reaches out in grace, initiating a covenant that Jacob had not yet earned. The dream is God’s formal initiation of a covenantal relationship with Jacob. The promises made here directly echo God’s words to Abraham (Gen 12:1–3) and Isaac (Gen 26:3–5).

The “stairway” (sullam in Hebrew) is a unique term in the Hebrew Bible. It is a term that refers to a stepped structure, a ziggurat-like structure, common in Mesopotamian religious architecture, but also used as a symbolic link between heaven and earth. Robert Alter (The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary) notes the sullam as likely evoking an ancient Mesopotamian ziggurat, linking this vision to the Tower of Babel narrative (Genesis 11), but in reverse—instead of humans ascending to heaven, angels descend at God’s initiative. Unlike the Babel tower, Jacob’s stairway is not a product of human delusions of grandeur. It is a way by which God will make himself known to Jacob. Messengers, not pride, go up and down this structure. This divine downward movement signifies grace rather than human ambition with angels as messengers and mediators of divine action. Jacob wakes in fear and awe, recognizing the holiness of the place. His naming it Bethel (“House of God”) and setting up a stone pillar reflect an early Israelite practice of marking sacred space.

Surprisingly, God does not say one word to rebuke Jacob for his behavior toward his father and brother. Far from condemning Jacob, He bestows on Jacob unconditional promises. In this respect, Jacob joins Isaac and Abraham in that all three are relatively free from censure by God for their scandalous behavior. This absence of rebuke contrasts vividly with the primeval stories where Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah’s contemporaries, and the tower builders enjoy no such exemption. On the contrary, the hand of divine judgment falls on them heavily. 

Victor Hamiliton offers: “Yahweh reveals himself to Jacob as the God of his grandfather and the God of his father. He is the God of the first generation. He is the God of the second generation. Will he be the God of the third generation? The phrase the God of Isaac would be particularly poignant to Jacob’s ears. For Jacob now lies before the one who says in essence: I am the God of the one whom you deceived and of whom you took advantage. Jacob could supplant Esau. He could deceive Isaac. But what will he do with Yahweh? Can Jacob ʿāqaḇ (supplant, cheat) Yahweh?”

We may not dream of stairways to heaven, but the pericope reminds us that this life is always about the Divine initiative, sacred space can be anywhere, even in self-exile God is present, inviting us to spiritual transformation, and reminding us of the covenant promises.