Jacob had a dream of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. God appeared to him and promised many things. Then Jacob made a vow which seems to imply that he doubted God’s promises.
Here’s what Jacob vowed after his dream:
20. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and garment to put on,
21. So that I come back to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God;
22. And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you shall give me I will surely give the tenth to you.
Some Questions
Many years ago one of my friends was upset by Jacob’s vow. He didn’t understand how Jacob could make his relationship with God contingent on what happened in his life.
My friend wondered how Jacob could make such a deal with God.
Why did Jacob use the word “if” at the beginning of his vow? Did he doubt that God would fulfill His promises?
A vow is a pledge to do (or not do) something. In Jacob’s vow, what things did he pledge to do?
The Structure of the Vow
It’s clear that Jacob’s vow begins with the phrase “If God will be with me…”
He begins by expressing several “conditions.” (I’ll come back to the conditions later in this article.)
If Jacob’s conditions are fulfilled, then he will do certain things.
Here is the explanation of conditional sentences from Quillbot.com:
“A conditional sentence describes a hypothetical situation and its potential consequence.
“Conditional sentences always include both a dependent clause (also known as a subordinate clause) and an independent clause (also known as a main clause).
The dependent clause expresses a condition (e.g., “If I drink coffee”), and the independent clause describes the result of the condition (e.g., “I will be awake all night”).”
I will add that, although it’s not required, the main clause often begins with the word “then.”
In the Hebrew it’s not clear where Jacob switches from listing conditions (dependent clause) to stating what he will do (main clause).
Rashi’s Answer
Let’s look at a couple of Rashi’s comments on these verses.
Genesis 28:21
then shall the Lord be my God – so that His name will rest on me from the beginning until the end, so that there will not be any defect found in my offspring, as it says, “which I have spoken to you” (Genesis 28:15). This promise He made to Abraham, “To be a God for you and for your offspring after you” (Genesis 17:7).
Genesis 28:22
and this stone – the explanation of this “and” (Hebrew: the prefix letter vav) “If He will do these things for me, I, too, will do this.”
and this stone, which I have set for a pillar – as Targum Onkelos translates, I will worship the Lord upon it.
According to Rashi, Jacob’s pledged actions (main clause) do not begin in verse 28:21. The phrase “then shall the Lord be my God” should be translated as: “and shall the Lord be my God.”
Rashi explains that Jacob is asking God that all of his offspring will be free of defects.
Jacob’s pledged actions are contained in verse 28:22. According to Rashi, 28:22 is the main clause of Jacob’s vow and should be translated as, “Then this stone …”
Based on Rashi, Jacob pledges that he will do 2 things:
- worship God at the pillar he set up
- separate 10% of everything that God gives him
Rashi does not accept the idea that Jacob’s service of God is dependent on certain conditions. Jacob believed in God and would serve Him.
Ramban Disagrees
Ramban explains that “then shall the Lord be my God” (Genesis 28:21) is the start of the Jacob’s pledged actions.
He writes (my translation) it means, “If I will return to my father’s house, [then] I will serve the unique God in the chosen land at the place of this pillar that will become for me the house of God. And there I will separate the tithe.”
Jacob pledges that he will do 3 things when his conditions are fulfilled:
- serve God
- make the place of the pillar God’s house
- separate 10% of everything that God gives him
Hebrew Grammar – The Vav Prefix
In Hebrew the conjunction “and” is not a separate word but the letter vav written as a prefix.
But, it’s never that simple.
According to A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by William Holladay here are some of the possible translations of the vav prefix:
- and (connecting two words or phrases)
- also, even (intensifying)
- with, and in addition (inclusive)
- or (in conditional and interrogative clauses)
- but (antitheses)
- then (introducing the main clause of a conditional sentence)
Of course, the best translation will depend on the context.
Another Hebrew word that can be translated as “then” is “az” (spelled aleph-zayin). It can be used to introduce the main clause of a conditional sentence. But that word does not appear in Jacob’s statement.
So we see that part of what Rashi and Ramban are arguing about is which “vav / and” in verses 28:21 and 28:22 actually means “then.”
Abarbanel Explains
Why did Jacob make a vow? Why didn’t he just accept what God had told him?
Abarbanel writes that Jacob was new to prophecy and didn’t know if his dream was a prophecy or merely his imagination.
This would be similar to Samuel. Before he “knew the Lord,” he did not realize that God was calling to him. He thought it was the high priest Eli calling his name. See 1 Samuel 3:4-10.
Because Jacob was in doubt, he began his vow with the words, “If God will be with me …”
Jacob wanted to know if the specific statements were valid. Some of the statements in his dream could only be known after many years.
Therefore, he started by asking for confirmation of those that were more immediate.
Jacob asked for “bread to eat, and garment to put on.” These are included in the concept of “behold, I am with you” (Genesis 28:15).
If God gave him these things and sin did not prevent their fulfillment, then he would know that the rest of God’s statements were promises that would be fulfilled.
In other words, this would be a confirmation that he had experienced a prophetic dream.
Nehama Leibowitz – Jacob’s Deal
Nehama Leibowitz offers an explanation of the “deal” Jacob made with God.
She writes (New Studies in Bereshit, page 307):
We may answer that no “deal” is involved. But if God would not grant him to return to his father’s house, how would he be able to erect a temple on the spot? All that Jacob’s vow implied was: “Give me the possibility of serving You.” It provides the archetype for future formulations of vows which are not meant to be commercial deals with the Almighty but petitions for His help in granting man opportunity to give of himself, his life and soul to God.
She goes on to mention that Hannah, mother of Samuel, made this type of vow.
11. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant, and remember me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give to your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
Again in this verse, the English “then” is the best translation of the Hebrew “vav.”