The ladder of Jacob, ascend higher!

A vision of ascent

Jacob is forced to flee his brother Esau. He leaves his parents’ home in the Land of Israel and departs for the home of his uncle Laban in Mesopotamia. On the way, Jacob stops for the night and falls asleep on the ground, where he has this famous vision: And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Gen. 28:12)

The value of a strong foundation

Jacob’s dream teaches us that our spiritual lives follow a pattern: sometimes up, sometimes down, but always reaching heaven in incremental steps. We make progress towards God one step at a time, not all at once. This ascent, however, is only possible with an unshakable base. Like Jacob’s ladder which is “set up on the earth”, our spiritual lives require a strong foundation. The Hebrew word in this verse for “set up” is mutzav (מֻצָּב). This comes from the root which means “to be firm, unwavering”. In the original Hebrew, the Bible wishes to stress that Jacob’s ladder was not just standing, it was securely fixed in the ground. 
 

The ladder of biblical understanding

Learning Hebrew is one of the best ways of strengthening your spiritual life because it will allow you to firmly and competently ascend the ladder of biblical understanding. Enroll now in our renowned online live Biblical Hebrew course and begin the ascent today!