Jacob's Ladder

   A prophetic dream by the patriarch Jacob of a ladder ascending to heaven has given us the term Jacob's ladder. "And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it" (Genesis 28:12-13).

   Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebecca, and the father of twelve sons who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. His name means "heel grabber" because he gripped the heel of Esau, his twin brother, as Jacob left his mother's body. Jacob was blessed with a new name, Israel, and is thus the eponymous ancestor of the Jewish state of Israel. In mundane activities, a Jacob's ladder is a useful device to ascend from a smaller ship to a larger one or to descend from a larger ship to a smaller one. The ladder is made of rope or cable with wooden or metal rungs. Harbor pilots use such a ladder to come aboard.

   A steep winding road, a twisting path up a mountain, or a flight of steps up a cliff are sometimes called Jacob's ladder. The name is also used for an herb or small plant with a flower-and-leaf formation resembling a ladder.