And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
18. for a pillar ] Heb. mabah. This word is used in the O.T. for the sacred upright stone which stood by the altar, and was one of the usual features of worship and sacrifice at a “high place” ( bmah). Its use is condemned in Deu 16:22. But in Hos 3:4 it is associated with other forms of Israelite worship.
Here the erection and consecration of a stone as the memorial of the Divine manifestation, correspond with the religious use of such upright stones for purposes of ceremonial and symbolical offerings. Cf. Gen 31:45; Exo 24:4; Jos 4:3; Jos 24:26-27; 1Sa 7:12.
At the excavations in Gezer, eleven mabahs were found standing close to the altar of the Canaanite “high place,” cf. Driver’s Schweich Lectures.
poured oil ] Oil was used as the symbol of an offering made to the Divine Being, whose presence or abode is connected with the consecrated stone. For the use of oil in consecration, cf. Exo 30:25-30; Lev 8:10; Num 7:1. There are many instances in ancient literature of sacred stones which were anointed with oil ( ). Compare Tylor’s Primitive Culture 3 , ii. 160 167.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 28:18-19
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
And he called the name of that place Bethel
Memorials of blessing
I. First of all, we are told that Jacob erected a material monument, and planted it as a fixed landmark on the spot. Concerning which, remark these three things: he did it immediately, he did it symbolically, he did it religiously. There is instruction in each.
1. He rose up early in the morning. He took the moment when the memory of his bright vision was the clearest, and the emotion it aroused was at its height. He caught the fitful experience when it had most force, as if he knew it might grow less before long. When Divine grace invites, and kindles, and stands ready to help, no time must be lost.
2. Remark, again, Jacob took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar. That is to say, he made his affliction the monument of His mercy. Plenty of stones besides that there were lying about in that bleak plain. But he chose that one, so as to identify the history, when he saw the spot. Herein was the very spirit of splendid symbolism. Nothing could be finer. No emblem could be more pathetically accurate, as a picture of the utter desolation which he, as a homeless fugitive, had felt the evening before, than the fragment of rock he had been obliged to lay his head upon to sleep. Now to make that, the reminder of his friendlessness, the monument also of his disclosure of Divine adoption, was matchless in ingenuity. When he should see that pillar in the future, he would say, Behold the outcast, and the prince! behold mans necessity, and Gods opportunity I behold earthly weakness, and heavenly help I see where I was, and where I am!
3. But observe, once more, Jacob, having set up his pillar, poured oil upon the top of it. You are quite familiar with Old Testament uses of oil in religious service. These were established by direct order. The command given early to Moses was, Thou shalt take the anointing off, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof, and it shall be holy. This direction was extended so as to cover the altar and the laver, and even the priests, Aaron and his sons. The spirit of inspiration laid hold of what was an earlier custom, and so consecrated it. If Jacob had said, concerning this great incident of his life, It is the turning-point in my history, and I will not forget it, he would have done no unimportant thing by itself. But by anointing the pillar he made it a definitely religious memorial. It recognized not only his extraordinary blessing, but recorded for ever the fact that God had bestowed it upon him. It was an act of devotion. There was worship in it. There was self-consecration in it.
II. The lessons thus far learned, however, will become clearer and more impressive when we pass on to consider the second form of perpetuation this patriarch adopted. He proceeded to invoke the help of his fellow-men. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was called Luz at the first. Conclusion:
1. Count up your mercies for rehearsal and record.
2. Confess Christ openly before men.
3. Set up memorials of blessing.
4. Expect to understand your own biography by and by. When Jacob next visited Bethel, he could read the meaning of the Divine promise. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Bethel
I. BETHEL TELLS OF AN EXILE AWAY FROM HIS FATHERS HOUSE.
II. BETHEL TELLS OF A GLORIOUS VISION.
III. BETHEL TELLS OF A HOLY VOW.
IV. BETHEL TELLS OF A SACRED MEMORIAL. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
The memorial impulse in religion
I. THE TIME, PLACE, AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF A MANS DISCOVERY OF GOD IN HIS LIFE ARE THE MOST MEMORABLE IN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
II. WITH SUCH A DISCOVERY, THERE ALWAYS RISES AN IMPULSE TO SET UP SOME LANDMARK FOR MEMORY.
III. THE BEST MEMORIALS ARE THOSE WHICH RISE UP IN A MANS HABITS AND CHARACTER. (The Preachers Monthly.)
Jacob at Bethel
I. We must observe, first, that in the action of the patriarch there was COMMEMORATION. It was clearly his design in erecting this pillar to commemorate the events which had recently transpired in his history, and, as far as possible, to give permanence to their remembrance. Before the invention, or the general use, of the art of writing, the commemoration of remarkable events by monumental pillars appeared the most apt and the most effectual that could be designed; and this mode, therefore, of giving permanence to great events, is a custom also very generally practised among the nations of antiquity. Although now we erect no monumental pillars, and although now we chisel not on those pillars any hieroglyphical symbols, yet we ought to cherish in our hearts the sacred recollection of the goodness we have received. That our past career has in every ease been a career of mercy, and that we have all received the bounty of our common Father, is a fact which it is impossible not to admit; and of which in our remembrance no time and no change should exhaust the tenderness and the mercy; but it should continue supreme and paramount, until we are permitted to unite in the higher commemorations of that world where mercy will be consummated in salvation. But let us advert more distinctly to the nature of those mercies which it was the object of the patriarch to commemorate, and which permits a direct application to ourselves.
1. You will observe, in the first instance, that here was clearly a commemoration of providential favour.
2. Here was also the commemoration of spiritual blessings.
II. We now require your attention to observe, secondly, that in the action of the patriarch there was DEDICATION. It will be observed he took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it –the oil being the sign, not merely that he dedicated the pillar for the purpose of commemoration, but that he also dedicated himself to the service and glory of that God from whom his marries had been received. This act of the patriarch, my brethren, very clearly and beautifully sets forth the duty of the children of men in the review and retrospect of mercies which they have received from God–even the duty of dedicating themselves wholly to His praise and to His glory. Let me request you now, under this part of the subject, with greater distinctnesss, to observe in what this dedication consists, and under what circumstances this dedication is especially appropriate.
1. Observe in what this dedication consists. It must be regarded, of course, as founded upon a recognition by men of the right of God, the Author of all their mercies, to the entire possession of whatever they possess, and of whatever they are; and comprehends within it certain resolutions which are intended to constitute a permanent state of heart and life. For, example, it comprehends a resolution that there shall be firm and unbending adherence to the truths which God has revealed; and whatever principles He is found to have announced for your cordial acceptance and belief, will be cordially embraced and adhered to. Again, it involves a resolution that there shall be anxious and diligent cultivation of the holiness which God has commanded; and whatever are the requirements of His law for governing the deportment and the affections of men, so as to conform them to His own image–these will be sincerely and cheerfully obeyed. Again, it comprehends the resolution that there shall be public and solemn union with the people whom He has redeemed; and whatever external ordinances and public professions have been appointed by Divine authority, as the pledge and the sign of that union, will be at once and readily performed; so that it may be seen by those around that the decision pronounced by Ruth has been taken in the highest and most spiritual sense with regard to those who constitute the Church of the living God: Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodges, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. And then it involves a resolution that there shall be zealous and persevering activity for the cause which God has established; and whatever objects God has determined upon and announced for the purpose of extending His authority and restoring His glory in this apostate and long-disordered world–these will be studiously and diligently pursued. There will be the rendering of time, there will be the rendering of talent, and the rendering (which is often the hardest of all) of property, for the purpose of carrying on those designs of mercy, which are not to terminate till the whole world shall be brought back to its allegiance to the Almighty. These, my brethren, is man called upon to give, and in the spirit in which the disciples remembered the saying and applied it to the Redeemer: The zeal of the Lords house hath eaten me up.
2. There is a second inquiry, which must be regarded as intimately connected with this, namely, under what circumstances this dedication is peculiarly appropriate. The spirit of dedication, as the result of the mercies with which God has been pleased to surround us, must properly be considered as furnishing and constituting what ought to be the habitual condition of man. There is not a pulse that beats, nor is there a throb that palpitates in the hand or in the heart, but what ought to remind every one amongst us that we should write upon ourselves Corban–a gift upon the altar of God. There are circumstances which sometimes peculiarly occur in the course of life, when it seems especially appropriate that the dedication should be undertaken, or, if already undertaken, that it should be renovated and renewed. We may, for example, mention seasons when new and extraordinary mercies have been received from God. We may mention, again, the seasons when new and extraordinary manifestations have occurred in the course of human existence. Here, for example, are the seasons when we constitute and enter into new domestic or social connections; the seasons when we commemorate the days of our birth, or the seasons when we mark the lapse of time by passing from one closing year to the commencement of another.
III. In the action of the patriarch there was ANTICIPATION. The whole of the passage which is before us distinctly announces that, in connection with the retrospect of the past, there was, in the memorial of the patriarch, the anticipation of the future. Nor can we look upon the monumental pillar which he had erected, without finding that it was not merely a commemoration, but a prophecy; and that from the past he hurried his thoughts onward and still onward into the dark and almost impalpable future, showing him the destinies of his temporal prosperity in distant ages, especially exhibiting to him the day of Him whom Abraham rejoiced to see and was glad; and raising his thoughts above the scenes of this sublunary state to the enjoyment of that better country, that is, a heavenly, into which he knew his spiritual seed would be exalted, through the boundless mercy of God. And, my brethren, those of us who have performed the act of dedication to our God, and are desirous of preserving the spirit of dedication as long as life shall last, are called on to connect our commemoration and our dedication with a spirit of anticipation, from which we shall find our highest and purest emotions to be derived. Observe that our expectation must involve future good in time. Having rendered yourselves to the service of that Jehovah who has conjured us by His past mercies, we have nothing before us, my brethren, in the prospect of the future, but calmness and peace. It is so in Providence. Affliction, poverty, bereavement, disease, the rich mans scorn, the proud mans contumely, the worst storms and buffetings of outrageous fortune–these, separately or accumulated, form no drawback or hindrance to the enjoyment of the blessings we have announced. No, my brethren, these very things themselves, in consequence of our covenant connection with our God, are transformed, possess a new aspect; not rising before us like demons and fiends of terror, but like ministering angels, only to bring us nearer and nearer to our God, and to bring us nearer and nearer to His reward. Nor is there one who, in reviewing past mercies, which his God has rendered him, and who has been able to dedicate himself to the service of that God in return, who cannot rest in the prospect of the future, on that one stupendous, glorious announcement of the apostle, All things shall work together for good to them that love God. And then, in the sphere of grace, what can we anticipate with regard to the future in the present life, but those enjoyments which make rich, and can add no sorrow? We anticipate that we shall be kept; that we shall receive larger communications of knowledge, of holiness, of love, and of zeal; that we shall receive additional and nearer visions of Jehovah in spiritual intercourse and fellowship with Him; and that we shall be made more and more like unto Him who was given that He might be the First-born among many brethren; becoming etherealized in our own nature, and made thus to partake of the beginning of heaven below. Nor can we anticipate but that when the end of our pilgrimage is come, we shall go and stand by the side of the rolling stream of Jordan; not terrified nor shrinking back, as we behold it bear upon its flood the wrecks of departed beauty and departed power; for we shall find the ark of the covenant there, and the glory of the Shekinah there; and no sooner shall the foot touch the stream than the waters, as by magic power, shall cleave asunder, and will permit us to pass dry-shod through the deep, exclaiming, in triumphant language, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And so, to use the language of Bunyan, we may anticipate that all the trumpets shall sound for us from the other side. And my brethren, the future good which we may anticipate in time, must be also connected with the fact that we must anticipate future good throughout immortality. My brethren, there is not a blessing in Providence or in grace received by one who, as the result of an enlightened retrospective, has dedicated himself to the service of God, but what must be considered as a pledge and foretaste, a decisive promise of higher and more holy and extactic blessings which are reserved beyond the grave. And now, my brethren, in closing this address, let me present two calls to those who, perhaps, constitute a large proportion of this assembly. The first call is one to immediate repentance. In connection with our call to immediate repentance, we must also present a call to immediate dedication and devotedness to God, by which alone repentance can be testified and can be confirmed. (J. Parsons, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. And Jacob-took the stone – and set it up for a pillar] He placed the stone in an erect posture, that it might stand as a monument of the extraordinary vision which he had in this place; and he poured oil upon it, thereby consecrating it to God, so that it might be considered an altar on which libations might be poured, and sacrifices offered unto God. See Ge 35:14.
The Brahmins anoint their stone images with oil before bathing; and some anoint them with sweet-scented oil. This is a practice which arises more from the customs of the Hindoos than from their idolatry. Anointing persons as an act of homage has been transferred to their idols.
There is a foolish tradition that the stone set up by Jacob was afterwards brought to Jerusalem, from which, after a long lapse of time, it was brought to Spain, from Spain to Ireland, from Ireland to Scotland, and on it the kings of Scotland sat to be crowned; and concerning which the following leonine verses were made: –
Ni fallat fatum, – Scoti quocunque locatum
Invenient lapidem, – regnare tenentur ibidem.
Or fate is blind – or Scots shall find
Where’er this stone – the royal throne.
Camden’s Perthshire.
Edward I. had it brought to Westminster; and there this stone, called Jacob’s pillar, and Jacob’s pillow, is now placed under the chair on which the king sits when crowned! It would be as ridiculous to attempt to disprove the truth of this tradition, as to prove that the stone under the old chair in Westminster was the identical stone which served the patriarch for a bolster.
And poured oil upon the top of it.] Stones, images, and altars, dedicated to Divine worship, were always anointed with oil. This appears to have been considered as a consecration of them to the object of the worship, and a means of inducing the god or goddess to take up their residence there, and answer the petitions of their votaries. Anointing stones, images, c., is used in idolatrous countries to the present day, and the whole idol is generally smeared over with oil. Sometimes, besides the anointing, a crown or garland was placed on the stone or altar to honour the divinity, who was supposed, in consequence of the anointing, to have set up his residence in that place. It appears to have been on this ground that the seats of polished stone, on which the kings sat in the front of their palaces to administer justice, were anointed, merely to invite the deity to reside there, that true judgment might be given, and a righteous sentence always be pronounced. Of this we have an instance in HOMER, Odyss. lib. v., ver. 406-410: –
‘ , ‘ ‘ ‘ ,
,
,
, .
The old man early rose, walk’d forth, and sate
On polish’d stone before his palace gate
With unguent smooth the lucid marble shone,
Where ancient Neleus sate, a rustic throne.
POPE.
This gives a part of the sense of the passage; but the last line, on which much stress should be laid, is very inadequately rendered by the English poet. It should be translated, –
Where Neleus sat, equal in counsel to the gods;
because inspired by their wisdom, and which inspiration he and his successor took pains to secure by consecrating with the anointing oil the seat of judgment on which they were accustomed to sit. Some of the ancient commentators on Homer mistook the meaning of this place by not understanding the nature of the custom; and these Cowper unfortunately follows, translating “resplendent as with oil;” which as destroys the whole sense, and obliterates the allusion. This sort of anointing was a common custom in all antiquity, and was probably derived from this circumstance. Arnobius tells us that it was customary with himself while a heathen, “when he saw a smooth polished stone that had been smeared with oils, to kiss and adore it, as if possessing a Divine virtue.”
Si quando conspexeram lubricatum lapidem, et ex olivi unguine sordidatum (ordinatum?) tanquam inesset vis prasens, adulabar, affabar.
And Theodoret, in his eighty-fourth question on Genesis, asserts that many pious women in his time were accustomed to anoint the coffins of the martyrs, &c. And in Catholic countries when a church is consecrated they anoint the door-posts, pillars, altars, &c. So under the law there was a holy anointing oil to sanctify the tabernacle, laver, and all other things used in GOD’S service, Ex 40:9, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
As a monument of Gods great kindness and gracious manifestation of himself to him, which might bring this mercy to his remembrance in his return, Gen 31:13. This was an ancient practice among the patriarchs, Gen 35:14; but afterwards, upon the growing abuse of it among the heathens, it was forbidden by God, Lev 26:1; Deu 7:5; 12:3. The
oil he brought with him either for food or medicine, or for the anointing of himself, as need required;
and poured it upon the top of the stone, as a token of his consecration thereof to this use to be a memorial of Gods favour to him. Oil was used in sacrifices, and in the consecration of persons and places, Exo 30:25,26; 40:9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18, 19. Jacob set up a stone,etc.The mere setting up of the stone might have been as a futurememorial to mark the spot; and this practice is still common in theEast, in memory of a religious vow or engagement. But the pouring oilupon it was a consecration. Accordingly he gave it a new name,Beth-el, “the house of God” (Ho12:4); and it will not appear a thing forced or unnatural to calla stone a house, when one considers the common practice in warmcountries of sitting in the open air by or on a stone, as are thoseof this place, “broad sheets of bare rock, some of them standinglike the cromlechs of Druidical monuments” [STANLEY].
Ge28:20-22. JACOB’S VOW.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jacob rose up early in the morning,…. In order to proceed on his journey, being comfortably refreshed both in body and mind: but first he
took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar; not for a statue or an idol to be worshipped, but for a memorial of the mercy and goodness of God unto him, see Jos 4:3; indeed, among the Heathens, stones, even rude and unpolished ones, were worshipped as gods; and this was the ancient custom among the Greeks, and which, as Pausanias l says, universally obtained among them:
and poured oil upon the top of it; which he had brought with him for necessary uses in his journey, or fetched from the neighbouring city; the former is most likely: and this he did, that he might know it again when he returned, as Aben Ezra remarks, and not for the consecration of it for religious use; though it is thought, by some learned men m, that the Phoenicians worshipped this stone which Jacob anointed; and that from this anointed stone at Bethel came the Boetylia, which were anointed stones consecrated to Saturn and Jupiter, and others, and were worshipped as gods; the original of which Sanchoniatho n ascribes to Uranus, who, he says, devised the Boetylia, forming animated stones, which Bochart renders anointed stones; and so Apuleius o, Minutius Felix p, Arnobius q, and others, speak of anointed stones, worshipped as deities; and hence it may be through the early and ancient abuse of such pillars it was, that they were forbidden by the law of Moses, and such as the Heathens had erected were to be pulled down, Le 26:1.
l Achaiaca sive, l. 7. p. 441. m Bochart. Canaan. l. 2. c. 2. col. 707, 708. Marsham. Chronicon, p. 56. & alii. n Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 1. p. 37. o Florida, c. 1. p Octav. p. 2. q Adv. Gentes, l. 1. p. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In the morning Jacob set up the stone at his head, as a monument ( ) to commemorate the revelation he had received from God; and poured oil upon the top, to consecrate it as a memorial of the mercy that had been shown him there ( visionis insigne , Calvin), not as an idol or an object or divine worship (vid., Exo 30:26.). – He then gave the place the name of Bethel, i.e., House of God, whereas ( ) the town had been called Luz before. This antithesis shows that Jacob gave the name, not to the place where the pillar was set up, but to the town, in the neighbourhood of which he had received the divine revelation. He renewed it on his return from Mesopotamia (Gen 35:15). This is confirmed by Gen 48:3, where Jacob, like the historian in Gen 35:6-7, speaks of Luz as the place of this revelation. There is nothing at variance with this in Jos 16:2; Jos 18:13; for it is not Bethel as a city, but the mountains of Bethel, that are there distinguished from Luz (see my Commentary on Jos 16:2).
(Note: The fact mentioned here has often been cited as the origin of the anointed stones ( ) of the heathen, and this heathen custom has been regarded as a degeneration of the patriarchal. But apart from this essential difference, that the Baetulian worship was chiefly connected with meteoric stones (cf. F. von Dalberg, b. d. Meteor-cultus d. Alten), which were supposed to have come down from some god, and were looked upon as deified, this opinion is at variance with the circumstance, that Jacob himself, in consecrating the stone by pouring oil upon it, only followed a custom already established, and still more with the fact, that the name , , notwithstanding its sounding like Bethel, can hardly have arisen from the name Beth-El, Gr. , since the for would be perfectly inexplicable. Dietrich derives from , to render inoperative, and interprets it amulet.)
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
18. And Jacob rose up early. Moses relates that the holy father was not satisfied with merely giving thanks at the time, but would also transmit a memorial of his gratitude to posterity. Therefore he raised a monument, and gave a name to the place, which implied that he thought such a signal benefit of God worthy to be celebrated in all ages. For this reason, the Scripture not only commands the faithful to sing the praises of God among their brethren; but also enjoins them to train their children to religious duties, and to propagate the worship of God among their descendants.
And set it up for a pillar. Moses does not mean that the stone was made an idol, but that it should be a special memorial. God indeed uses this word מצבה ( matsbah,) when he forbids statues to be erected to himself, (Lev 26:1,) because almost all statues were objects of veneration, as if they were likenesses of God. But the design of Jacob was different; namely, that he might leave a testimony of the vision which had appeared unto him, not that he might represent God by that symbol or figure. Therefore the stone was not there placed by him, for the purpose of depressing the minds of men into any gross superstition, but rather of raising them upward. He used oil as a sign of consecration, and not without reason; for as, in the world, everything is profane which is destitute of the Spirit of God, so there is no pure religion except that which the heavenly unction sanctifies. And to this point the solemn right of consecration, which God commanded in his law, tends, in order that the faithful may learn to bring in nothing of their own, lest they should pollute the temple and worship of God. And though, in the times of Jacob, no teaching had yet been committed to writing; it is, nevertheless, certain that he had been imbued with that principle of piety which God from the beginning had infused into the hearts of the devout: wherefore, it is not to be ascribed to superstition that he poured oil upon the stone; but he rather testified, as I have said, that no worship can be acceptable to God, or pure, without the sanctification of the Spirit. Other commentators argue, with more subtlety, that the stone was a symbol of Christ, on whom all the graces of the Spirit were poured out, that all might draw out of his fullness; but I do not know that any such thing entered the mind of Moses or of Jacob. I am satisfied with what I have before stated, that a stone was erected to be a witness or a memorial (so to speak) of a vision, the benefit of which reaches to all ages. It may be asked, Whence did the holy man obtain oil in the desert? They who answer that it had been brought from a neighboring city are, in my opinion, greatly deceived; for this place was then void of inhabitants, as I shall soon show. I therefore rather conjecture, that on account of the necessity of the times, seeing that suitable accommodations could not always be had, he had taken some portion of food for his journey along with him; and as we know that great use was made of oil in those parts, it is no wonder if he carried a flagon of oil with his bread.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
5. The Memorial, Gen. 28:18.
The Stone Head-Place Made a Pillar. Jacob knew Gods 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 a monument of the event. The pouring of oil upon it is an act of consecration to God who has there appeared to him, cf. Num. 7:1 (Murphy, MG, 387). Whether Jacob fell asleep again at the conclusion of the dream-vision, we do not know. In any case, he arose early in the morning, took the stone which he had used as a head place and set it up, it would seem, in a manner designed to make it stand out and hence to mark the precise spot where the dream had occurred: hence a statue or monument, not as an object of worship, a sort of fetish, but as a memorial of the vision (PCG, 350). (Cf. Gen. 31:45, Gen. 35:14; Jos. 4:9; Jos. 4:20; Jos. 24:26; 1Sa. 7:12).
The Oil of Consecration was an integral part of this ritual. The worship of sacred stones (Baetylia), afterward prevalent among the Greeks, Romans, Hindoos, Arabs, and Germans, though by some regarded as one of the primeval forms of worship among the Hebrews, was expressly interdicted by the law of Moses (cf. Exo. 23:24; Exo. 34:13; Lev. 26:1; Deu. 12:3; Deu. 16:22). It was probably a heathen imitation of the rite here recorded, though by some authorities the Baetylian worship is said to have been connected chiefly with meteoric stones which were supposed to have descended from some divinity, as, e.g., the stone in Delphi sacred to Apollo; that in Emesa, on the Orontes, consecrated to the sun; the angular rock at Pessinus in Phrygia worshipped as hallowed by Cybele; the black stone in the Kaaba at Mecca believed to have been brought from heaven by the angel Gabriel. That the present narrative was a late invention called into existence by a desire on the part of the priests and prophets of Yahweh to proclaim the high antiquity of the sanctuary at Bethel, and to make the sacred stone harmless, is pure assumption. The circumstance that the usage here mentioned is nowhere else in Scripture countenanced (except in ch. Gen. 35:14, with reference to the same pillar) forms a sufficient pledge of the high antiquity of the narrative (PCG, 351). Although this act of Jacob is the first instance of stone consecration on record, it was evidently a familiar and established practice in the time of the patriarchs. But the unction of stones was ere long abused and perverted even by the Hebrews themselves to idolatry . . . . This superstition of consecrated stones was both very ancient and very extensive, from the Graeco-Phoenician Bantulia, or Boetylia, the monolithic temples of Egypt and Hindostan, the lithoi liparoi of the Greeks, the lapides informes of the Romans, the pyramids and obelisks of others, the cairns and cromlechs of Northern Europe, and the caaba of Arabia. That black stone of Mecca is described as an irregular oval, about seven inches in diameter, with an undulated surface, composed of about a dozen smaller stones of different sizes and shapes, well joined together with a small quality of cement, and perfectly smooth (CECG, 200). Let it be emphasized here that there is no indication that Jacob regarded this stone pillar as a fetish: the idea of a fetish stone simply does not enter into this case. . . . Koenig has successfully refuted such claims by pointing out that Jacob says, How awe-inspiring is this placenot this stone (EG, 778). What happened here was simply the natural thing, as an expression of the profound reverence that filled Jacobs soul after such an experience: anyone in our day might react in precisely the same manner under the same or similar circumstances. The mere setting up of the stone might well have been just a future memorial to mark the spot: this practice, we are told, is still common in the East, in memory of a religious experience and vow. Having set the stone up, Jacob poured oil on the top of it. Oil is so much used in the east for food and for bodily refreshment that a supply of it invariably forms an important part of a travelers viaticum. From its excellent material properties, it came to be used as a symbol for spiritual influences, and, still later, as a means for setting apart or consecrating anything to God (CECG, 200). The stone marks the place of Gods presence. It becomes a beth El, a house of God, and is anointed with oil as a formal act of worship. Practices of this kind were common in the Canaanite cult and in the Semitic world in general but were subsequently condemned by Law and Prophets, see Exo. 23:24. Even in this passage a more spiritual conception goes with the idea of a divine dwelling on earth: Bethel is the gate of heaven, Gods true home, cf. 1Ki. 8:27 (JB, 49). We must distinguish here between the stone for a pillar, as a memorial of divine help, as Joshua and Samuel erected pillars (Gen. 31:45, Gen. 35:14; Jos. 4:9; Jos. 4:20; Jos. 24:26; 1Sa. 7:12), and the anointing of the stone with oil, which consecrated it to Jehovahs sanctuary, Exo. 20:30 (Lange, CDHCG, 522).
The oil mentioned in Scripture was from the olive-tree. The olive-berry is the most frequently mentioned source of oil in the Bible. The many olive-plantations in Palestine made olive-oil one of the most important and most lucrative products of the country. It was an article of extensive and profitable trade with the Tyrians (Eze. 27:17, cf. 1Ki. 5:11); and presents of the best grades of olive-oil were deemed suitable for kings. In fact, no other kind of oil is distinctly mentioned in Scripture, except in one instance (Est. 2:12, here it was oil of myrrh); and the different grades of oil referred to appear to have been only different kinds of olive-oil. Oil was used for many different purposes among the ancient Israelites and their neighbors. Special mention is made of it in the inventories of royal property and revenue (1Sa. 10:1; 1Sa. 16:1; 1Sa. 16:13; 1Ki. 1:39, Gen. 17:16; 2Ki. 4:2; 2Ki. 4:6; 2Ki. 9:1; 2Ki. 9:3; 1Ch. 27:29; Chron. Gen. 11:11, Gen. 32:28; Pro. 21:20), A supply of oil was always kept in the temple (Josephus, Wars, Gen. 28:13; Gen. 28:6), and an oil treasure was included in the stores of the Jewish kings (2Ki. 20:13; cf. 2Ch. 32:28). Oil of Tekoa was considered the very best. Trade in oil was carried on also between Egypt and Palestine (Ezr. 3:7; Isa. 30:6; Isa. 57:9; Eze. 27:17, Hos. 12:1).
Oil was used for food (Jer. 31:12; Jer. 41:8; Eze. 16:13; Eze. 27:17; Luk. 16:6 ff.), and its abundance was a mark of prosperity (Joe. 2:19), It was used for cosmetic purposes (Deu. 28:40; 2Sa. 12:20; 2Sa. 14:2; Rth. 3:3). The bodies of the dead were anointed with oil by the Greeks and Romans, and apparently by the Jews (Mar. 14:8, Luk. 23:56). Oil was in common use for medicinal purposes (Isa. 1:6, Mar. 6:13, Luk. 10:34, Jas. 5:14). It was used to produce light in homes (Mat. 25:1-8, Luk. 12:35). It was used for ritualistic purposes (Lev. 2:1-2; Lev. 5:11; Num. 5:15): the use of oil in sacrifices was indicative of joy or gladness; the absence of it denoted sorrow or humiliation (Isa. 61:3, Joe. 2:19, Psa. 45:7, Rev. 6:6). Tithes of oil were prescribed (Deu. 12:17, 2Ch. 31:5; Neh. 10:37; Neh. 10:39; Neh. 13:12; Eze. 45:14).
The first instance in Scripture of the use of oil for strictly religious purposes is in the account under study here, that of Jacobs anointing of the stone which he had used as a head place on his way to Paddan-Aram (Gen. 28:18, Gen. 35:14). This evidently was designed to be a formal consecration of the stone, and indeed of the whole place in which the Divine visitation occurred. Under the Mosaic Law persons and things set apart for sacred purposes were anointed with what was designated the holy anointing oil (Exo. 30:22-33). This anointing with oil was the symbol of the conferring of the gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit by which certain persons were especially qualified for the respective ministries (offices) to which they were divinely commissioned. This was true especially in the ritual of formal induction of prophets, priests and kings into their respective services. (With respect to priests, see Exo. 28:36-41; Exo. 30:30-33; Exo. 40:13-16; Lev. 8:10-12; Lev. 8:30; Lev. 16:32; with respect to kings, 1Sa. 9:16-17; 1Sa. 10:1; 1Sa. 15:1; 1Sa. 15:17-23; 1Sa. 16:3; 1Sa. 16:11-13; 2Sa. 2:4; 2Sa. 2:7; 2Sa. 5:13; 2Sa. 5:17; 2Sa. 12:7; 2Sa. 23:1-2; Psa. 89:20; 1Ki. 1:39; 2Ch. 6:42; 1Ki. 19:15-16; 2Ki. 9:1-13; with respect to prophets, 1Ki. 19:16; 1Ki. 19:19, etc.). The allusions to each of the three great kings of IsraelSaul, David, and Solomon, respectivelyas Yahwehs Anointed are too numerous to be listed here (e.g., 1Sa. 24:6; 1Sa. 24:10; 2Sa. 23:1, Psa. 89:20, etc.). Jesus of Nazareth, the Only Begotten, was Gods Anointed in a special and universal sense: hence He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mat. 16:16). The title Messiah (in Hebrew), Christos (in Greek), or Christ (in English) means The Anointed One. To accept Jesus as the Christ is to accept Him as ones prophet, to whom one goes for divine truth, as ones priest who intercedes for His people at the throne of heaven, and as ones Kingthe Absolute Monarch of His Kingdom which includes all the redeemed of earth (Joh. 14:6; Joh. 8:31-32; Joh. 6:68; Joh. 6:63; 1Ti. 2:5; Heb. 7:11-28; Heb. 9:23-28; Heb. 4:14-16; Act. 2:36; Php. 3:20-21; 1Ti. 1:17; 1Co. 15:20-28; 1Ti. 1:17; Rev. 19:11-16; Heb. 1:6-8; Psalms 2, etc.). To accept Jesus as Christ, then, is to accept Him as Gods Anointed. Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, we are told, was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power (Act. 10:38). When did this Divine anointingmarking His formal induction into His threefold office of Prophet, Priest and King occur? Obviously, it occurred after His baptism in the Jordan River, when the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him (Luk. 3:21-22; Mat. 3:16-17) and the voice of the Father, at the same moment, avouched His Sonship (cf. Joh. 1:29-34). In a special sense this conferring of the gifts and graces of the Spirit upon the Son was the great Antitype of the symbolism of the holy anointing oil as used in Old Testament times for the formal induction of prophets, priests and kings into their respective ministries (Luk. 11:20; Mat. 12:28; Joh. 6:63; Joh. 3:34; cf. 1Pe. 1:10-12).
Review Questions
See Gen. 28:20-22.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(18) Jacob . . . took the stone . . . and set it up for a pillar.In so doing, Jacobs object was to mark the spot where so important a communication had been made to him. But besides its use as a memorial, it would enable him to identify the place upon his return, and pay there his vows. And as oil was the symbol of the dedication of a thing to holy uses, he pours oil upon the top of it.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. Took the stone a pillar He turns the pillow into a pillar . Well might he take that stone, and consecrate it as a memorial of the mercies of that night, and a witness of his vow . Comp . Gen 31:45. He also poured oil upon the top of it, as if to make it holy unto the Lord . Comp . Exo 30:22-33. “It has been thought by many that this act of Jacob, in setting up a stone to mark a sacred spot, was the origin of cromlechs and all sacred stones. Certainly we find in later ages the custom of having stones, and those, too, anointed with oil, as objects of idolatrous worship. Clement of Alexandria ( Strom. vii) speaks of ‘worshipping every oily stone,’ and Arnobius, ( Ad. Genres, 1: 39,) in like manner, refers to the worshipping of ‘a stone smeared with oil, as though there were in it a present power.’ It has been conjectured, further, that the name Boetulia, given to stones called animated stones by the Phoenicians, ( Euseb. Praep. Evang., 1: 10,) was derived from this name of Bethel. These Boetulia, however, were meteoric stones, and derived their sanctity from the belief that they had fallen from heaven; and the name has probably but a fancied likeness to the name Bethel. Still the connexion of the subsequent worship of stones with the primitive and pious use of them to mark places of worship is most probably a real connexion. The erection of all such stones for worship was strictly forbidden in later times. Lev 26:1; Deu 16:22. ” Speaker’s Commentary .
Gen 28:18. Set it up for a pillar, and poured oil, &c. The antiquity of this custom (of which we shall find frequent mention) is very evident from this place: he set up the pillar to preserve the memory of the vision, and he poured oil upon it, to consecrate it to God, and as a monument of his favour. See Dr. Jackson’s Treatise of the Original of Unbelief, c. 35. It might perhaps be esteemed an omission, were we not to observe, that this stone was held in great veneration by the Jews in after-times, and was translated to Jerusalem. And, according to vulgar tradition, this is the stone on which the inauguration of the kings of Scotland was performed, in which the people placed a kind of fatality, and had engraven on it this distich:
Ni fallat fatum, Scoti, quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem.
“Or fate’s deceived, or Heav’n decrees in vain, Or where they find this stone the Scots shall reign.” How sweet and grateful this token of God’s love, and Jacob’s sense of it. What must have been the Patriarch’s view of it twenty years afterward, when he came back to it again: See Gen 32:9-12 .
Gen 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
Ver. 18. And set it up for a pillar. ] The better to perpetuate the memory of that mercy he had there received; and that it might be a witness against him, if hereafter he failed of fulfilling his vow. It is not amiss, in making holy vows, to take some friend to witness, that, in case we be not careful to fulfil them, may mind us, and admonish us of our duty in that behalf. Jacob, that was here so free, when the matter was fresh, to promise God a chapel at Bethel, was afterwards backward enough; and stood in need that God should pull him by the ear, once and again, with a “Go up to Bethel,” and punish him for his delays, in the rape of his daughter, cruelty of his sons, &c. Gen 35:1
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 28:18-22
18So 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. 19He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. 20Then 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, 21and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. 22This 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.”
Gen 28:18 “set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on its top” This pillar, in Hebrew massebah (BDB 663), is a memorial (cf. Gen 35:14) to the site where Jacob met God. It later became associated with the worship of the fertility gods and was condemned in the Mosaic legislation (e.g., Exo 23:24; Exo 34:13; Deu 16:22).
Gen 28:19 “He called the name of that place Bethel” This is from the Hebrew word for house, beth (BDB 108), and the general name for God in the Ancient Near East, El (BDB 41). It was known by the Canaanites as Luz, which means “almond tree” (BDB 531 II, cf. Gen 35:6; Gen 48:3), but from this point on the Jews called it Bethel (i.e., house of God).
Gen 28:20-22 “If” This does seem like a lack of faith on Jacob’s part, but it may be that he was trying to put into specific language the promise of God. It may be much like the FIRST CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCES in Greek and that he is assuming that what God had said was true and he was putting it in terms that he can understand and hang on to. At this point I’m not ready to negate the faith of Jacob because of this ambiguous phrase.
Note the conditions.
1. if God will be with him
2. if God will keep/watch over (BDB 1036, KB 1581)
3. if God will give him food
4. if God will clothe him
5. if he returns to his father’s house in safety
Note Jacob’s promised actions.
1. he will establish the site of the dream and raised stone as God’s house
2. he will tithe (“surely give a tenth to Thee,” INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and IMPERFECT VERB of the same root [BDB 797, KB 894] denotes intensity)
Jacob does not ask for wealth, but sustenance and God’s presence and protection on his journey.
Gen 28:22 “I will surely give a tenth to Thee” The tithe, like circumcision and sacrifice, is much more ancient than the Mosaic legislation. We see this concept of the tithe in Gen 14:20 and here and Gen 28:22, long before Moses received the laws. It seems to be a symbol for that which is due to God as a sign that all that we have belongs to Him.
One wonders to whom Jacob would pay this tithe. There were no priests or structures at this isolated place where he encountered YHWH. Possibly burnt offerings!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. Had Isaac changed his mind about Jacob being the true promised heir?
2. By what name did the Patriarchs know God?
3. What meaning does the ladder that reached to heaven have for Jacob, and later for Jesus?
4. What is a pillar and why is it condemned?
5. What does Gen 28:22 say about tithing?
the stone. See Gen 28:11. Not the so-called “Coronation stone” in London: inasmuch as the heads of the “Geological Survey of Great Britain” unanimously declared that “no stone of that kind was to be found in any part of the Holy Land whence it traditionally comes”. Prof. Ramsay also pronounced it as being “not known to occur in Egypt or in the rocks around Bethel”.
pillar. Afterwards forbidden. Lev 26:1. Deu 16:22.
poured oil. A law before Moses. See App-15.
rose up: Gen 22:3, Psa 119:60, Ecc 9:10
and took: The practice of setting up stones as a memorial by travellers still exists in Persia, and other parts of the East.
set it: Gen 31:13, Gen 31:45, Gen 35:14, Gen 35:20, Jos 24:26, Jos 24:27, 1Sa 7:12, 2Sa 18:18, Isa 19:19
poured: Lev 8:10-12, Num 7:1
Reciprocal: Gen 28:11 – took Exo 24:4 – twelve pillars Jos 22:10 – built
Gen 28:18. He set up the stone for a pillar To mark the place against he came back, and erect a lasting monument of Gods favour to him: and because he had not time now to build an altar here, as Abraham did in the places where God appeared to him, Gen 12:7, he therefore poured oil on the top of this stone, which probably was the ceremony then used in dedicating their altars, as an earnest of his building an altar when he should have conveniencies for it, as afterward he did, in gratitude to God, Gen 35:7. Grants of mercy call for our returns of duty; and the sweet communion we have with God ought ever to be remembered.
28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and {g} set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
(g) To be a reminder of the vision shown to him.
Jacob set the stone up as a memorial to this revelation and God’s promise (Gen 28:18). Pouring oil on it constituted an act of consecration. Jacob did not build an altar in response to God’s revelation, as his forefathers had done.
Jacob vowed to convert his pillar into an altar if God would fulfill His promise (Gen 28:15). This is the only recorded time that a patriarch proposed a vow with God (cf. Gen 31:13). He swore that Yahweh would be his God if God proved faithful to him. Jacob’s vow (Gen 28:20-21; cf. Gen 31:13; Gen 35:1-3; Gen 35:7) can be translated "Since . . . " rather than "If . . . " This was probably not as crass a bargain as it appears to have been, though the record of Jacob’s life shows that he typically was keen on negotiating deals. Jacob was apparently a believer in Yahweh already, but his commitment to God at this time appears to have been somewhat selfish and conditional. He had not yet fully surrendered and dedicated himself to God. [Note: On tithing, see the note on 14:20.]
"The assurance of God’s presence should bring about in every believer the same response of worship and confidence it prompted in Jacob. This is the message from the beginning: God by grace visits His people and promises them protection and provision so that they might be a blessing to others. They in turn were to respond in faith, fearing Him, worshiping Him, offering to Him, vowing to Him, and making memorials for future worshipers at such places." [Note: Ross, "Genesis," p. 75.]
Jacob’s relationship with Yahweh was quite different from what Abraham or Isaac’s relationship had been. God tested Abraham, but Jacob tested God. God told Abraham to leave his country before he entered into blessing, but Jacob imposed conditions on God before he vowed to bless God. [Note: J. H. Walton, Genesis: The NIV Appication Commentary, pp. 573-74.] He was willing to accept God’s promises, but he did not commit himself to God until God proved faithful to him personally. God blessed Jacob because of God’s election and Abraham and Isaac’s faith more than because of Jacob’s faith at this time.
Many believers bargain with God as Jacob did here. They agree to worship Him on their terms rather than because God has proven Himself faithful in the past. God often accommodates such weak faith, but the fact that He does does not commend the practice of bargaining with God.
The revelation of God’s presence and promised blessings inspires genuine worship. This worship is the appropriate response to such revelation.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
It had been brought out of Spain into Ireland, afterwards out of Ireland into Argyleshire, and Edward I. caused it to be conveyed to Westminster.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)