Jacob overwhelmed

Genesis 28 v 18
“So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.”

God reassures Jacob He will be with him and bring him back to the land of promise (Genesis 28:10–15). When he wakes, Jacob is overwhelmed by what he identifies as the holiness of the place where he slept. He calls it “the house of God” and “the gateway to heaven” (Genesis 28:16–17).

Now Jacob commemorates the holiness of this place. He takes the stone where his head rested during his dream and sets it up as a pillar. This might mean that Jacob took what was once a long, flat-laying stone and stood it upright on end. He pours oil on the top of the stone as part of this ceremony. This stone should not be confused with an altar. Jacob’s marker here is a post or standing stone, an indication of this holy place which Jacob will formally name in the next verse.