Wednesday, March 06, 2013

The Ladder


This portion of Genesis has a lot of meaning:

28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.


28:11 And he lighted on a certain place, and tarried there 
all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the 
stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay 
down in that place to sleep.


28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the 
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the 
angels of God ascending and descending on it.

28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am 
the LORD God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac: 
the land where on you lie, to you will I give it, and to 
your seed;

28:14 And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and 
you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and 
to the north, and to the south: and in you and in your seed 
shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
28:15 And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all 
places where you go, and will bring you again into this 
land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that 
which I have spoken to you of.

28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, 
Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

28:17 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.

28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the 
stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a 
pillar, and poured oil on the top of it.

28:19 And he called the name of that place Bethel. 



28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the 
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the 
angels of God ascending and descending on it.


Everyone is familiar with the song, 'We are climbing Jacob's ladder'.

Wikipedia Common





Blake painted this picture, and In a letter to Mrs. Anna Flaxman
he wrote these lovely lines:

    "Away to Sweet Felpham for Heaven is there
    The Ladder of Angels descends thro the air
    On the Turret its spiral does softly descend
    Thro' the village then winds at My Cot i[t] does end
    You stand in the village & look up to heaven
    The precious stones glitter on flights seventy seven
    And My Brother is there & My Friend & Thine
    Descend & Ascend with the Bread & the Wine

    The Bread of sweet Thought & the Wine of Delight
    Feeds the Village of Felpham by day & by night
    And at his own door the blessd Hermit does stand
    Dispensing Unceasing to all the whole Land

                                             W. BLAKE(Erdman 809)

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