Bible Strands
Genesis 46:2
And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Here I am,” replied Jacob.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God speaks to Israel at night after Jacob offers sacrifices at Beersheba, immediately preceding his descent into Egypt.
The words — אֱלֹהִים ('E.lo.Him) translates literally to "God," and בְּ/מַרְאֹת (be./mar.'Ot) means "in visions," identifying the specific medium of this encounter.
The thread — The vision format echoes Genesis 15:1, where God’s word comes to Abram in a vision, while the broader pattern of divine speech matches the observation in Job 33:14.
Why it lands — The text records God’s direct address and Jacob’s immediate response, requiring the reader to acknowledge that covenant promise precedes movement and demands plain obedience.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.
Cross-references
- Genesis 15:1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
- Job 33:14 For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices.
- Genesis 15:13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
- Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Genesis 22:11 Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
- Genesis 31:11 In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’
- Exodus 3:3 So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”
- Numbers 12:6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.
- Numbers 24:4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:
- 1 Samuel 3:4 Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”