Jacob

the one with the ladder

Who was Jacob?

Son of Isaac and Rebekah, and twin of Esau. Genesis 25:24-26
He dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven, with God’s angels going up and down on it. Genesis 28:12
He received the name Israel. His twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. Genesis 32:29; Genesis 35:10; Genesis 49:28

The name: He was born holding his brother’s heel, and in Hebrew “Jacob” sounds like “heel.” Later Esau said that Jacob had supplanted him twice. The name may have come from another one that asked “may God protect.” Genesis 25:26; Genesis 27:36; NAB note on Gn 25, 26
Also called: Israel: the new name he received Genesis 32:29; Genesis 35:10
From: From the land of Canaan, where he was born Genesis 31:3, 18
Occupation: Shepherd: for twenty years he took care of his uncle Laban’s flocks Genesis 30:31; Genesis 31:38
Feast day: December 24: Commemoration of all the holy ancestors of Jesus Christ

What the Bible says

Genesis 25:24-26

²⁴And when her time was come to be delivered, behold twins were found in her womb. ²⁵He that came forth first was red, and hairy like a skin: and his name was called Esau. Immediately the other coming forth, held his brother’s foot in his hand, and therefore he was called Jacob. ²⁶Isaac was threescore years old when the children were born unto him.

Genesis 28:12

And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven: the angels also of God ascending and descending by it;

Genesis 32:29; Genesis 35:10; Genesis 49:28

But he said: Thy name shall not be called Jacob, but Israel: for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more shalt thou prevail against men?

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Jacob

Before Jesus. He was born holding the heel of his twin, Esau. Genesis 25:26
Before Jesus. Esau came in from the fields hungry, and he sold Jacob his birthright for a dish of lentils. Genesis 25:29-34
Before Jesus. Jacob pretended to be Esau, and his father, Isaac, blessed him without recognizing him. Genesis 27:19, 23, 27
With Jesus. Running away from Esau, he dreamed at Bethel of a ladder that reached heaven. There God promised to be with him. Genesis 28:10-15
With Jesus. He worked fourteen years for his uncle Laban for his two wives, Leah and Rachel. Genesis 29:20, 27-30; Genesis 31:41
With Jesus. On his way back home, a man wrestled with him all night and gave him the name Israel. Genesis 32:25-29
With Jesus. Esau ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him, and they both wept. Genesis 33:4
Afterward. When he was old, he went to Egypt with his whole family and saw his son Joseph again. He died there, and he was buried in Canaan. Genesis 46:6, 29-30; Genesis 49:33; Genesis 50:13

Words of Jacob

“Indeed the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. How terrible is this place! this is no other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven.” Genesis 28:16-17

At Bethel, when he woke up from the dream of the ladder.

“I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of thy truth which thou hast fulfilled to thy servant.” Genesis 32:11

When he prayed, afraid, before meeting his brother Esau.

“I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” Genesis 32:27

At daybreak, during the wrestling by the ford of the Jabbok.

“I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved.” Genesis 32:31

After the wrestling, when he named that place Penuel.

“The days of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years, few, and evil, and they are not come up to the days of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” Genesis 47:9

When the Pharaoh of Egypt asked him how old he was.

What they were like

As a young man he was quiet and stayed in the tents; his brother Esau was a hunter. Genesis 25:27
When Esau came in hungry, Jacob asked for his birthright in exchange for the stew. Genesis 25:29-31
When he met Rachel, he kissed her and burst into tears. Genesis 29:11
He loved Rachel: the seven years of work seemed to him only a few days. Genesis 29:20
He loved Joseph more than his other sons, and he made him a tunic. Genesis 37:3

The greatest thing they did

At Bethel he promised that the Lord would be his God, and he set up the stone as a memorial. Genesis 28:18-22
He made peace with his brother Esau. Genesis 33:4
By faith, before he died, he blessed each of Joseph’s sons. Hebrews 11:21

Not to be confused with

There are two men named Jacob in the genealogy of Jesus. One is the patriarch, the son of Isaac. The other, centuries later, is the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Matthew 1:2, 16

In the Church today

Feast day: December 24, Commemoration of all the holy ancestors of Jesus Christ (commemoration). Roman Martyrology, December 24

In art, recognized by: The ladder with angels going up and down From Gn 28, 12; this is how Christian art shows him; Wrestling with an angel From Gn 32, 25-27 and Os 12, 5; this is how Christian art shows him

What people ask

Why is Jacob also called Israel?

The man who wrestled with him told him he would no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. Later, at Bethel, God confirmed it. Genesis 32:29; Genesis 35:10

What is Jacob’s ladder?

It is a dream he had at Bethel. A ladder reached up to heaven, and the angels of God went up and down on it. Jesus recalled it when he spoke with Nathanael. Genesis 28:12; John 1:51

Who did Jacob wrestle with?

Genesis does not give his name. The prophet Hosea says it was an angel, and Jacob said he had seen God face to face. Genesis 32:25, 30-31; Hosea 12:5

How many children did Jacob have?

Twelve sons, and the twelve tribes of Israel come from them. The Bible also names a daughter, Dinah. Genesis 35:22-26; Genesis 49:28; Genesis 30:21

What is Jacob’s well?

A well near Sychar, in Samaria. There Jesus, tired from the journey, spoke with a Samaritan woman. John 4:5-7

Daily life He was the shepherd of Laban’s flocks for twenty years. He bore the heat of the day and the cold of the night. Genesis 31:38-40 Their failings He…

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Who Jacob is connected to

Isaac · father and son
Rebekah · mother and son
Abraham · grandfather and grandson
Jesus · ancestor of Jesus · the ladder · at his well
Joseph, son of Jacob · father and son
Esau · twin brothers
Rachel · husband and wife
Leah · husband and wife
Benjamin · father and son
Judah · father and son

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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