“Genesis 28:18-22”

Monday, February 03, 2020

“So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“Jacob...took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar...” (verse 18) “Hebrew matsevah derives from the stem n-ts-v, 'to stand.' It denotes a single, upright slab of stone. Believed to be the repository of a divinity or spirit, it was often used as a cultic object. For this reason, matsevot are strictly proscribed in the Torah as being idolatrous. There is also the legitimate matsevah, such as, for instance, one that simply memorializes the dead. In 35:20 Jacob erects one for Rachel, and in 2 Samuel 18:18 Absalom sets one up for himself because he had no children. The lawful type is also attested in Genesis 31:45-54, where it serves as a mute witness to a treaty between Jacob and Laban. A large stone was similarly used to commemorate the covenant between God and Israel made at Shechem. The wording used in Joshua 24:27 is highly instructive: 'See, this very stone shall be a witness against us, for it heard all the words that the Lord spoke to us.' This text provides the key to Jacob's action. Because the stone is under his head while he sleeps, it not only marks the spot but functions, as it were, as a witness to the dream and the accompanying divine promises.” (Nahum Sarna)

“And poured oil on its top.” (verse 18) “This ritual must have held great significance for it is recalled in 31:13... The meaning of the anointing is uncertain. It might be a means of consecration in much the same way that the wilderness Tabernacle and its appurtenances were thereby dedicated and sanctified. Far more plausible in the present instance is the suggestion that the anointing of the witness stone with oil was a symbolic act establishing a contractual bond between Jacob and God. There is widespread evidence from the ancient Near East for the use of oil in international treaty relationships and in effectuating business contracts. It seems to have been a token of peace, friendship, and assumed obligation. In Jacob's case, the anointing is connected with the making of a vow that binds him to a certain commitment.” (Nahum Sarna)

“He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz.” (verse 19) “In Joshua 16:1-2, we find that Luz and Beth-el were distinct places, though near one another; and with this agrees the present passage. For plainly, Jacob and his attendants did not go inside the city, but slept on the open ground; and as they would carry their provisions with them, they would need no supplies from its Canaanite inhabitants. Probably at the time of Joshua’s conquest Beth-el was rather a holy place than a town, and when Ephraim seized upon Luz and put the people to the sword (Judges 1:23-25), the victors transferred the name of Beth-el to it. Thus the spot where Jacob slept would not be the town of Beth-el, but some place a mile or two away from it.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)

“If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.” (verses 20-21) Jacob's vow to God seems to be very self-serving and conditioned upon the Lord's favorable treatment of him. It is almost as if he is putting God on trial before he will commit himself fully to Him. But it is more likely true that he is expressing his complete reliance upon the Lord for his nourishment, covering and security based upon his conviction that God's promises conveyed in his dream are entirely accepted as true and trustworthy. If the Lord makes good on His promises of providence and protection it would be proof that God had indeed accepted Jacob and not requirements for committing himself to his Creator.

“This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house...” (verse 22) “The text seems to say that Jacob anointed the stone 'as the house of God,' but this is merely metonymy for the 'place.' Note: 'God is in this place,' (Genesis 28:16), not 'in this stone.' He called the name 'of the place' Bethel (Genesis 28:19). 'How dreadful is this place,' not 'how dreadful is this stone' (Genesis 28:17). Such emphasis leaves no doubt that 'the place,' not the rock was considered holy by Jacob. The setting up of the pillar as a marker in order for him to be able to later identify 'the place' is the thing in view here.” (James Burton Coffman)

“Of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” (verse 22) Tithing has previously been established as a settled means of paying tribute to figures of high importance and esteem. Abraham paid a tent of the spoils of the war of the kings to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:20, and secular history attests to the prevalence of tithe paying in ancient Near Eastern culture. Jacob had left his father's house penniless, with only his staff in his hand (Genesis 32:10), and at Bethel he vows to give the Lord a tenth of his future possessions if He delivers him back to his home in safety and prosperity. But the text does not reveal how or to whom this offering would be made.

Please read Genesis 29:1-12 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

Share