And 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!”
Parallel translations
- WEB He was afraid, and said, “How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”
- 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.
- NKJV 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!”
- NASB 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!”
- 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!”
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
Filled with fear, Jacob declares the place to be the house of God and the gate of heaven.
Overview
Jacob responds to the vision with holy fear, recognizing the spot as a meeting point between heaven and earth. "The gate of heaven" expresses his sense that here heaven has opened toward him. This reverent dread is the fitting response of a sinner who has glimpsed the living God's presence and promise.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Tim 3:15in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
- Gen 35:1–13Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
- Eccl 5:1Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
- Exod 3:6Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
- 2 Chr 5:14so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
- Gen 28:22And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”
- Judg 13:22“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
- Luke 2:9Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
- 1 Pet 4:17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
- Rev 1:17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
- Heb 10:21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
- Luke 8:35So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
- Matt 17:6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror.
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 28:17 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.