New King James Version
Genesis 28:17
17And 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!”
Genesis 28:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)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."
- New Living Translation (NLT)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!”
Context of Genesis 28:17
15Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” 16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 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!” 18Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
Read all of Genesis 28Genesis 28:17 word by word
וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he was afraidיָרֵאyârê' · to fear: revereH3372
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- this placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
- none other but the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
Cross-references for Genesis 28:17
- Exodus 3:6Moreover 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.
- Judges 13:22And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”
- Matthew 17:6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
- Luke 2:9And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
- Luke 8:35Then 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.
- Revelation 1:17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
- Genesis 28:22And 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.”
- Genesis 35:1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”
- 2 Chronicles 5:14so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
- Ecclesiastes 5:1Walk 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.
- 1 Timothy 3:15but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
- Hebrews 10:21and having a High Priest over the house of God,
- 1 Peter 4:17For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Commentaries on Genesis 28:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17How 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…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-22Verses 1-22 - Jacob‘s Journey to Haran 3. קהל qâhāl “congregation.” 9. מחלת māchălat Machalath, “sickness, or a harp.” 19. לוּז lûz Luz, “almond.” 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-19Verses 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-22The second part of the passage describes Jacob's response to God's revelation. He felt reverence and awe in God's presence. His acts of devotion became models for Israel's worship. When God graciously visits his people and promises to be with them and make them a blessing to the world, his people respond in faith with reverence, worship, offerings, and vows. They preserve their faith in memory for future worshipers.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-191. Isaac called Jacob and blessed him--He entered fully into Rebekah's feelings, and the burden of his parting counsel to his son was to avoid a marriage alliance with any but the Mesopotamian branch of the family. At the same time he gave him a solemn blessing--pronounced before unwittingly, now designedly, and with a cordial spirit. It is more explicitly and fully given, and Jacob was thus acknowledged "the heir of the promise."Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 28:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries