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.
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.”
- BSB 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!”
- 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 3:15But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
- Gen 35:1–13And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
- Eccl 5:1Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
- Exod 3:6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy 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.
- 2 Chr 5:14So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
- Gen 28:22And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
- Judg 13:22And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
- Luke 2:9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
- 1 Pet 4:17For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
- Rev 1:17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
- Heb 10:21And having an high priest over the house of God;
- Luke 8:35Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
- Matt 17:6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
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.