S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The term "Jacob's Ladder" has become a common phrase-it has been used as a movie title, a book title, a name of a flower, and even as a name of an electrical device. But from where did this phrase ...

Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer.

July 01 2013 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

"We are climbing Jacob's Ladder." That was the title of a song our Aunt Lill taught us cousins as we spent the summer at our Grandma Mor Mor's resort. I got the fact that we were trying to live so as to attain Heaven one day. But how escaped me. 

Jesus referred to Jacob's dream of a ladder in John 1:51, speaking of Jacob who "...had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it."

But Jesus applied this dream to Himself in John 1:51 -- He continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth—you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” 

In other words, He was telling Nathanael and Philip (at least) that He is the ladder that can get us up to God, I think. We each go our own way, as straying sheep, but Jesus is the only way to God. Our ways are not God's ways. We must come to God by way of Jesus, and His cross (His dying for our sins). 

I had a chance to share this recently with a woman who was thinking about committing suicide. She thanked me enthusiastically.

November 08 2024 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What is Jacob's Ladder?

(Biblical Hebrew: סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב‎, romanized: Sūllām Yaʿăqōḇ) It is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28).

Gen 28: 12-13 ESV: "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. 13 And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed."

The significance of the dream has been debated. Still, most interpretations agree that it identifies Jacob with the obligations and inheritance of the people chosen by God, as understood in Abrahamic religions.

The esoteric meaning of Jacob's Ladder is a symbol of the soul's journey, bridging the gap between Heaven (divine consciousness) and Earth (physical existence) to achieve spiritual enlightenment. It represents the path of ascent for human consciousness toward divinity and the descent of divine energy, often associated with personal growth, the awakening of the inner self, and the "ladder of virtue". 

In a spiritual context, esoteric refers to "inner" or "hidden" knowledge that is intended for a select few who have been initiated or possess specialised understanding. 

In a dream, God showed Jacob angels ascending and descending a ladder, or a "rising flight of stones," between Heaven and Earth and stated that he would protect Jacob and his seed. "By means of you and by means of your seed, all the families of the ground will certainly bless themselves. And here I am with you, and I will keep you in all the way you are going, and I will return you to this ground, because I am not going to leave you until I have actually done what I have spoken to you."​

What was the significance of Jacob's dream involving "a ladder"? This "ladder," which may have looked like a rising flight of stones, indicated communication between Earth and Heaven. God's angels ascending and descending on it showed that angels minister in some important way between Jehovah and humans who have his approval.​—John 1:51.

When Jesus said to his disciples, "Most truly I say to you men, 'You will see heaven opened up and the angels of God ascending and descending to the Son of man,'" he may have had in mind Jacob's vision.​—Joh 1:51.

The only Biblical reference to a ladder is at Genesis 28:12, where the Hebrew term sul·lamʹ applies to a ladder Jacob beheld in a dream. The patriarch saw a ladder (or perhaps a rising flight of stones) standing on Earth, its top reaching up to the heavens. God's angels ascended and descended the ladder, and a representation of Jehovah God was above it. (Ge 28:13) This ladder with the angels upon it indicates the existence of communication between Earth and Heaven, and that angels minister importantly between God and those having his approval.

When Jesus said to his disciples, "Most truly I say to you men, 'You will see heaven opened up and the angels of God ascending and descending to the Son of man,'" he may have had in mind Jacob's vision.​—Joh 1:51.

April 15 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report