Kejadian 31:24

31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, ¹  “Be careful ²  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” ³ 

Kejadian 20:6

20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. ⁴  That is why I have kept you ⁵  from sinning against me and why ⁶  I did not allow you to touch her.

Kejadian 28:12

28:12 and had a dream. ⁷  He saw ⁸  a stairway ⁹  erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it

[31:24]  ¹ tn Heb “said to him.”

[31:24]  ² tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:24]  ³ tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.

[20:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”

[20:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”

[20:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “therefore.”

[28:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “and dreamed.”

[28:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the Lord himself” (Narrative Art in Genesis [SSN], 51-52).

[28:12]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.