Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.”
- KJV And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
- BSB When Jacob woke up, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”
- NASB Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “The Lord is certainly in this place, and I did not know it!”
- NLT Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jacob wakes and realizes that Yahweh was present in that place though he had not known it.
Overview
Jacob's awe reveals a new awareness of God's nearness in a place he had thought ordinary. His confession—that the Lord was there and he did not know it—humbles his assumptions and opens him to genuine reverence. God's presence is real whether or not we perceive it, and grace often awakens us to what was true all along.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Josh 5:15The prince of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take your shoes off of your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.
- Exod 3:5He said, “Don’t come close. Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.”
- Exod 15:11Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
- 1 Sam 3:4–7Yahweh called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”
- Job 33:14For God speaks once, yes twice, though man pays no attention.
- Job 9:11Behold, he goes by me, and I don’t see him. He passes on also, but I don’t perceive him.
- Ps 68:35You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people. Praise be to God!
- Isa 8:13Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 28:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.