And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.
God spake unto Israel. Here is a virtual renewal of the covenant, and an assurance of its blessings.
Moreover, here is an answer on the chief subject of Jacob's prayer, and a removal of any doubt as to the course he was meditating. At first the prospect of paying a personal visit to Joseph had been viewed with unmingled joy. But, on calmer consideration, many difficulties appeared to lie in the way. He might remember the prophecy to Abraham, that his posterity was to be afflicted in Egypt, and also that his father had been expressly told not to go; he might fear one contamination of idolatry to his family, and their forgetfulness of the land of promise. These doubts were removed by the answer of the oracle, and an assurance given him of great and increasing prosperity.