And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.
Parallel translations
- WEB God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He said, “Here I am.”
- BSB And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Here I am,” replied Jacob.
- NKJV Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”
- NASB And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.”
- NLT During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied.
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
God speaks to Israel in a night vision, calling 'Jacob, Jacob,' and he answers, 'Here I am.' God meets him at the threshold of his journey.
Overview
God addresses the patriarch in a vision, repeating his name with intimate urgency, and Jacob responds in ready obedience. This personal encounter assures Jacob that the move to Egypt accords with God's will. The familiar call and response echoes other moments of divine commissioning in Scripture.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Gen 15:1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
- Job 33:14–15For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
- Exod 3:3–4And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
- 1 Sam 3:10And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
- 1 Sam 3:4That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
- 2 Chr 26:5And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.
- Job 4:13In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,
- Dan 2:19Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
- Acts 10:3He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
- Acts 9:4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
- Acts 16:9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
- Acts 9:10And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
- Gen 22:11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
- Gen 22:1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
- Gen 31:11And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.
- Num 24:4He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
- Num 12:6And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
- Gen 15:13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
- Acts 10:13And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 46:2 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.