Genesis 28 in the early church
183 passages quote, allude to, or echo Genesis 28, grouped by verse; passages on the same verse are in date order. Verse text from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). References use the Protestant English Bible's numbering, with a writer's own numbering in brackets where it differs.
Verses: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 8 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22
Genesis 28:1
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:1–5 | On Pascha 69 · text not on this site · Melito of Sardis | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 160-180 |
| Gen 28:1 | Fragments on Genesis, column 123 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Gen 28:1 | Demonstration 3.13 · Aphrahat | allusion, high confidence | 337-345 |
| Gen 28:1 | Explanation of Twelve Psalms 43.19.2 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 387-397 |
| Gen 28:1–13 | Genesis, lines 900–923 · Cyprianus Gallus | allusion, high confidence | early 5th cent. |
| Gen 28:1–2 | Questions and Answers to the Orthodox 90 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | 5th century (disputed) |
| Gen 28:1–4 | City of God 16.38 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | 413–426 |
Genesis 28:2
“Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:2–5 | Fragment 15 · Julius Africanus | allusion, medium confidence | after 221 |
| Gen 28:2 | On Prayer 3.1 · Origen | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 233–234 |
| Gen 28:2 | Homilies on Numbers 12.2 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) |
| Gen 28:2 | Preparation for the Gospel 9.21.1 · Eusebius of Caesarea | allusion, high confidence | ca. 313–324 |
| Gen 28:2 | Letter 11 · Ammonas | quotation, high confidence | ca. 340-360 |
| Gen 28:2 | Letter 36.16 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:2 | Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 4.1.11 · Epiphanius of Salamis | allusion, high confidence | 374-377 |
| Gen 28:2 | On Fleeing the World 20 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 387-391 |
| Gen 28:2 | Explanation of Twelve Psalms 43.19.2 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 387-397 |
Genesis 28:3
May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:3 | Demonstration 18.1 · Aphrahat | allusion, medium confidence | 337-345 |
| Gen 28:3 | Oration III Against the Arians 13 · Athanasius of Alexandria | quotation, high confidence | ca. 339–346 |
Genesis 28:4
And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:4 | Oration III Against the Arians 13 · Athanasius of Alexandria | quotation, high confidence | ca. 339–346 |
Genesis 28:5
So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:5 | 1 Clement 31.4 · Clement of Rome | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 95–97 (range ca. 70–100) |
| Gen 28:5 | On the Destruction of Jerusalem 5.16 · Anonymous | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 370 |
Genesis 28:8
And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:8 | Fragments on Genesis, column 123 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Genesis 28:10
Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.
Genesis 28:11
On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:11 | Dialogue with Trypho 58.11 · Justin Martyr | quotation, high confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Gen 28:11 | The Instructor 2.9.78 · Clement of Alexandria | allusion, high confidence | ca. 190–200 |
| Gen 28:11–18 | To Quirinus 2.16 · Cyprian of Carthage | allusion, high confidence | ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) |
| Gen 28:11 | Prophetic Extracts 1.12 · Eusebius of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) |
| Gen 28:11–12 | Tractates 2.13.1 · Zeno of Verona | allusion, high confidence | ca. 362-380 |
| Gen 28:11 | Letter 108.13 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:11 | Letter 118.7 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:11 | Letter 123.14 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:11 | On Jacob and the Happy Life 2.15 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 386-390 |
| Gen 28:11 | Explanation of Twelve Psalms 36.58.4 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 387-397 |
| Gen 28:11 | Sermon 89.5 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Gen 28:11–18 | Sermon 122.2 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Gen 28:11 | Sermon 352.3 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Gen 28:11 | Poem 27, lines 607–647 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, high confidence | ca. 393–431 |
| Gen 28:11 | On Christian Doctrine 1.2 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | Books 1–3 ca. 396–397; completed 426–427 |
| Gen 28:11–18 | Against Faustus the Manichaean 12.26 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 398–400 |
Genesis 28:12
And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder.
Genesis 28:13
And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.
Genesis 28:14
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:14 | Dialogue with Trypho 58.12 · Justin Martyr | quotation, high confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Gen 28:14 | Dialogue with Trypho 120.1 · Justin Martyr | quotation, high confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Gen 28:14–15 | Demonstration of the Gospel 5.10.2 · Eusebius of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 314–324 |
| Gen 28:14 | Letter 236 · Basil of Caesarea | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 357–378 |
| Gen 28:14 | Against Faustus the Manichaean 12.41 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 398–400 |
| Gen 28:14 | Against Faustus the Manichaean 13.5 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 398–400 |
| Gen 28:14 | The Harmony of the Gospels 1.21 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 399–400 |
| Gen 28:14 | The Harmony of the Gospels 1.39 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 399–400 |
| Gen 28:14 | Tractates on the Gospel of John 12.2 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 406–420 |
| Gen 28:14 | City of God 18.3 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | 413–426 |
Genesis 28:15
Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:15 | Dialogue with Trypho 58.12 · Justin Martyr | quotation, high confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Gen 28:15 | The Instructor 1.7.56 · Clement of Alexandria | quotation, high confidence | ca. 190–200 |
| Gen 28:15 | Oration III Against the Arians 12 · Athanasius of Alexandria | quotation, high confidence | ca. 339–346 |
| Gen 28:15 | Apostolic Constitutions 7.33.5 · Anonymous | quotation, medium confidence | ca. 380 |
| Gen 28:15 | Poem 17, lines 121–152 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 393–431 |
| Gen 28:15 | Against the Letter of Parmenian 1.3 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 400 |
Genesis 28:16
When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:16 | Dialogue with Trypho 58.13 · Justin Martyr | quotation, high confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Gen 28:16 | Prophetic Extracts 1.12 · Eusebius of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) |
| Gen 28:16–19 | Demonstration of the Gospel 5.10.3 · Eusebius of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 314–324 |
| Gen 28:16 | On the Holy Spirit 26.62 · Basil of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 374–375 |
Genesis 28:17
And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:17 | Dialogue with Trypho 58.13 · Justin Martyr | quotation, high confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Gen 28:17 | Against Marcion 3.24 · Tertullian | quotation, high confidence | 207/208 (third edition, completed later) |
| Gen 28:17 | Refutation of All Heresies 5.8.20 · Hippolytus of Rome | quotation, high confidence | ca. 222–235 |
| Gen 28:17 | Refutation of All Heresies 5.8.44 · Hippolytus of Rome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 222–235 |
| Gen 28:17 | Commentary on the Song of Songs 0.78 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) |
| Gen 28:17 | Prophetic Extracts 1.12 · Eusebius of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) |
| Gen 28:17 | Question 111, section 6 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 370–384 |
| Gen 28:17 | Letter 98.3 · Jerome | quotation, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:17 | Sermon on the Eight Beatitudes 9 · Chromatius of Aquileia | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 388-407 |
Genesis 28:18
Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it,
Genesis 28:19
and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:19 | Dialogue with Trypho 58.13 · Justin Martyr | quotation, high confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Gen 28:19 | Commentary on the Song of Songs 3.216 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) |
| Gen 28:19 | Letter 13 · Ammonas | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 340-360 |
| Gen 28:19 | Letter 118.7 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:19 | Homily 5 · Gregory of Nyssa | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 390–394 |
Genesis 28:20
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:20 | PG 12:1479 (Ps 60–61 LXX) · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Gen 28:20 | On Prayer 3.1 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 233–234 |
| Gen 28:20 | Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 86 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) |
| Gen 28:20 | Letter 22.32 · Jerome | quotation, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:20 | Letter 120.2 · Jerome | quotation, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Gen 28:20 | Exposition of Psalm 118 2.19.1 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 386-397 |
| Gen 28:20 | Homilies on Matthew 21.1 · John Chrysostom | quotation, high confidence | ca. 390 |
Genesis 28:21
so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:21 | Miscellanies 1.27.173 · Clement of Alexandria | quotation, medium confidence | ca. 198–203 |
| Gen 28:21 | On Prayer 3.1 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 233–234 |
Genesis 28:22
And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 28:22 | PG 12:1479 (Ps 60–61 LXX) · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Gen 28:22 | On Prayer 3.1 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 233–234 |
| Gen 28:22 | Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 86 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) |
| Gen 28:22 | Demonstration 4.6 · Aphrahat | allusion, high confidence | 337-345 |
| Gen 28:22 | Exposition of Psalm 118 2.19.1 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 386-397 |