24 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he called the name of that place Bethel,.... The house of God, which he took this place to be: but the name of that city [was called] Luz at the first; which signifies an almond or hazel nut, Genesis 30:37; perhaps from the number of this sort of trees that grew there, under which Jacob might lay himself down, which was probably in the field...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jacob vowed a vow,.... Which is the first vow we read of in Scripture: saying, if God will be with me; the word if is not a sign of doubting, but is either an adverb of time, and may be rendered, "when God shall be with me" (t); or as a supposition, expressive of an inference or conclusion drawn, "seeing God will be with me" (u); which he had...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So that I come again to my father's house in peace,.... In safety from Esau, and all other enemies, as God promised him he should: then the Lord shall be my God; not as if he should not be his God if he did not do all this for him; which would savour not only of a mercenary spirit, but of great impiety; neither of which were to be found in Jacob:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house,.... Building an altar of it with some others, and sacrificing to God on it; and wherever God is worshipped, that place is his house, be it what or where it will; and Jacob did as he promised to do, see Genesis 35:3: and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth...