Genesis 28:20-21

[theterminator]

Genesis 28:20-21:

20Then Jacob made 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 clothing to wear, 21so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then Yahweh shall be my God.


Bart October 24, 2014
He is choosing which God (Elohim) to make his own, and chooses YHWH from among them.



i have a question

so he is saying that if elohim is with him, then he will choose yhwh as his elohim? so yhwh was not his elohim before?

[outhouse]

so he is saying that if elohim is with him, then he will choose yhwh as his elohim?

It means he is making Yahweh his primary deity from a small family of deities.

so yhwh was not his elohim before?

No.

[semiopen]

These verses are commonly known as Jacob's vow.

Jacob is on odd character and seems exclusively concerned with his own well being. A lot of the commentary seems built around explaining why he was actually totally righteous.

For example,

http://thetorah.com/jacobs-deal-with-god/

Zvi Grumet was ordained by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

which is shorthand for he deserves some respect, and personally I tend to agree that the vow is OK - God doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

וַיִּדַּ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב נֶ֣דֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר and Jacob spoke a vow saying. Neder - vow appears for the first of two times in Genesis. Jewish theology is quite interested in vows, I'm not sure anyone understands exactly why. But this is important.

The second time it appears is -

I am the God of Beth-el, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now, arise and leave this land and return to your native land.'" (Gen 31:13 TNK)

Sounds like the same writer.

Continuing from the Hebrew above אִם־יִהְיֶ֙ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים The first word "im" usually is translated "if" but that is not so clear - the word can also mean "when."

http://biblehub.com/hebrew/518.htm

Rabbi Grumet touches on these technical issues which are also discussed extensively by Ramban and other sages.

Personally, if I was looking for something to bring up with weird commentary, it would be the previous verse.

He named that site Bethel; but previously the name of the city had been Luz. (Gen 28:19 TNK)

The Rabbinic (and probably Christian) view is that Jacob had his ladder dream at the Temple Mount, just like the sacrifice of Isaac. In fact, the stones he used for a pillow were theoretically from the altar Abraham built. It's far from clear that Isaac was sacrificed on the Temple Mount but Jacob's ladder seems to be clearly in another zip code. So the arguments are quite interesting.