Genesis 28:18

And Jacob rose up early in the morning,.... In order to proceed on his journey, being comfortably refreshed both in body and mind: but first he took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. Jacob ... took the stone, ... - a monument, a cippus (cf. 1 Samuel 7:12).

As a monument of God’ s great kindness and gracious manifestation of himself to him, which might bring this mercy to his remembrance in his return, . This was an ancient practice among the patriarchs, ; but afterwards, upon the growing abuse of it among the heathens, it was forbidden by God, 12:3. The oil he brought with him either for food or medicine, or for the anointing of himself, as need required; and poured it upon the top of the stone, as a token of his consecration thereof to this use to be a memorial of God’ s favour to him. Oil was used in sacrifices, and in the consecration of persons and places, ,26 40:9.

Genesis 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.Ver. 18. And set it up for a pillar.] The better to perpetuate the memory of that mercy he had there received; and that it might be a witness against him, if hereafter he failed of fulfilling his vow. It is not amiss, in making holy vows, to take some friend to witness, that, in case we be not careful to fulfil them, may mind us, and admonish us of our duty in that behalf. Jacob, that was here so free, when the matter was fresh, to promise God a chapel at Bethel, was afterwards backward enough; and stood in need that God should pull him by the ear, once and again, with a "Go up to Bethel," and punish him for his delays, in the rape of his daughter, cruelty of his sons, &c.

(18) Jacob . . . took the stone . . . and set it up for a pillar.—In so doing, Jacob’s object was to mark the spot where so important a communication had been made to him. But besides its use as a memorial, it would enable him to identify the place upon his return, and pay there his vows. And as oil was the symbol of the dedication of a thing to holy uses, he pours oil upon the top of it.

Verse 18. And Jacob-took the stone - and set it up for a pillar] He placed the stone in an erect posture, that it might stand as a monument of the extraordinary vision which he had in this place; and he poured oil upon it, thereby consecrating it to God, so that it might be considered an altar on which libations might be poured, and sacrifices offered unto God. See Genesis 35:14. The Brahmins anoint their stone images with oil before bathing; and some anoint them with sweet-scented oil. This is a practice which arises more from the customs of the Hindoos than from their idolatry. Anointing persons as an act of homage has been transferred to their idols. There is a foolish tradition that the stone set up by Jacob was afterwards brought to Jerusalem, from which, after a long lapse of time, it was brought to Spain, from Spain to Ireland, from Ireland to Scotland, and on it the kings of Scotland sat to be crowned; and concerning which the following leonine verses were made: - Ni fallat fatum, - Scoti quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem, - regnare tenentur ibidem. Or fate is blind - or Scots shall find Where'er this stone - the royal throne. Camden's Perthshire. Edward I. had it brought to Westminster; and there this stone, called Jacob's pillar, and Jacob's pillow, is now placed under the chair on which the king sits when crowned! It would be as ridiculous to attempt to disprove the truth of this tradition, as to prove that the stone under the old chair in Westminster was the identical stone which served the patriarch for a bolster. And poured oil upon the top of it.] Stones, images, and altars, dedicated to Divine worship, were always anointed with oil. This appears to have been considered as a consecration of them to the object of the worship, and a means of inducing the god or goddess to take up their residence there, and answer the petitions of their votaries. Anointing stones, images, c., is used in idolatrous countries to the present day, and the whole idol is generally smeared over with oil. Sometimes, besides the anointing, a crown or garland was placed on the stone or altar to honour the divinity, who was supposed, in consequence of the anointing, to have set up his residence in that place. It appears to have been on this ground that the seats of polished stone, on which the kings sat in the front of their palaces to administer justice, were anointed, merely to invite the deity to reside there, that true judgment might be given, and a righteous sentence always be pronounced. Of this we have an instance in HOMER, Odyss. lib. v., ver. 406-410: - Εκδ' ελθων, κατ' αρ' ἑζετ' επιξεστοισιλιθοσιν, Οἱοἱεσανπροπαροιθεθυραωνὑψηλαων, Δευκοι, αποστιλβοντεςαλειφατος·οἱςεπιμενπριν Νηλευςἱζεσκεν, θεοφινμηστωραταλαντος. The old man early rose, walk'd forth, and sate On polish'd stone before his palace gate With unguent smooth the lucid marble shone, Where ancient Neleus sate, a rustic throne. POPE.

18. for a pillar] Heb. maṣ ?ṣ ?κbah. This word is used in the O.T. for the sacred upright stone which stood by the altar, and was one of the usual features of worship and sacrifice at a “high place” (bβmah). Its use is condemned in Deuteronomy 16:22. But in Hosea 3:4 it is associated with other forms of Israelite worship. Here the erection and consecration of a stone as the memorial of the Divine manifestation, correspond with the religious use of such upright stones for purposes of ceremonial and symbolical offerings. Cf. Genesis 31:45; Exodus 24:4; Joshua 4:3; Joshua 24:26-27; 1 Samuel 7:12. At the excavations in Gezer, eleven maṣ ?ṣ ?κbahs were found standing close to the altar of the Canaanite “high place,” cf. Driver’s Schweich Lectures. poured oil] Oil was used as the symbol of an offering made to the Divine Being, whose presence or abode is connected with the consecrated stone. For the use of oil in consecration, cf. Exodus 30:25-30; Leviticus 8:10; Numbers 7:1. There are many instances in ancient literature of sacred stones which were anointed with oil (λίθοιλιπαροί). Compare Tylor’s Primitive Culture3, ii. 160–167.

18. Took the stone… a pillar — He turns the pillow into a pillar. Well might he take that stone, and consecrate it as a memorial of the mercies of that night, and a witness of his vow. Comp. Genesis 31:45.