Old Testament track · step 4 of 6 · matching NT step →
Old Testament · Step 4
Prophetic visions and samadhi
The Hebrew Bible records dreams and visions at its turning points: Jacob’s ladder, Isaiah in the temple, Ezekiel by the river Chebar, Daniel falling into a “deep sleep” on his face, and Moses coming down from Sinai with a shining face. This page reads them beside Ramakrishna’s account of samadhi, and notes where Jewish tradition took them.
1. Jacob’s ladder (Genesis 28:12, 16–17)
Genesis 28:12
| KJVpublic domain | “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And he dreameth, and lo, a ladder set up on the earth, and its head is touching the heavens; and lo, messengers of God are going up and coming down by it;” | source |
| NRSV (NRSVue)© publisher · short quote | “And he dreamed that there was a stairway set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” | source |
| ESV© publisher · short quote | “And he dreamed, and behold, 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!” | source |
| NIV© publisher · short quote | “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” | source |
Footnotes: NRSVue “Or ramp”; ESV “Or a flight of steps”.
Genesis 28:16-17
| KJVpublic domain | “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And Jacob awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, `Surely Jehovah is in this place, and I knew not;' and he feareth, and saith, `How fearful [is] this place; this is nothing but a house of God, and this a gate of the heavens.'” | source |
Genesis 28:16 (modern translations)
| NRSV (NRSVue)© publisher · short quote | “Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place—and I did not know it!”” | source |
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| ESV© publisher · short quote | “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”” | source |
| NIV© publisher · short quote | “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”” | source |
“Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not” may be the Hebrew Bible’s clearest picture of waking up: the presence was there before Jacob noticed it. Some yogic readers have also compared the ladder to the inner channel (suṣumnā) on which awareness rises through the centres of the body. That reading is speculative and comes from outside the text. It is mentioned only because it is often made. Jesus applies the image to himself in John 1:51 (see the Bridge).
2. Isaiah in the temple (Isaiah 6:1–5)
Isaiah 6:1-3
| KJVpublic domain | “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “In the year of the death of king Uzziah -- I see the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train is filling the temple. Seraphs are standing above it: six wings hath each one; with two [each] covereth its face, and with two [each] covereth its feet, and with two [each] flieth. And this one hath called unto that, and hath said: `Holy, Holy, Holy, [is] Jehovah of Hosts, The fulness of all the earth [is] His glory.'” | source |
Isaiah 6:1 (modern translations)
| NRSV (NRSVue)© publisher · short quote | “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple.” | source |
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| ESV© publisher · short quote | “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” | source |
| NIV© publisher · short quote | “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” | source |
ESV footnote on “train”: “Or hem”.
Isaiah 6:5
| KJVpublic domain | “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And I say, `Wo to me, for I have been silent, For a man -- unclean of lips [am] I, And in midst of a people unclean of lips I am dwelling, Because the King, Jehovah of Hosts, have my eyes seen.'” | source |
Young’s “I have been silent” and KJV “I am undone” render one Hebrew verb, nidmeti.
The vision has form (a throne, seraphim, smoke) and it leads to the seer feeling undone. In Ramakrishna’s terms this is a vision “with form”: bhava samadhi. What follows is ethical and personal, a cleansing (6:7) and a sending (“Here am I; send me”, 6:8), not a dissolving into the formless.
3. Ezekiel by the river Chebar (Ezekiel 1:1, 26–28)
Ezekiel 1:1
| KJVpublic domain | “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And it cometh to pass, in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], in the fifth of the month, and I [am] in the midst of the Removed by the river Chebar, the heavens have been opened, and I see visions of God.” | source |
| NRSV (NRSVue)© publisher · short quote | “In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the River Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” | source |
| ESV© publisher · short quote | “In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” | source |
| NIV© publisher · short quote | “In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” | source |
ESV footnote: “Or from God”.
Ezekiel 1:26-28
| KJVpublic domain | “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And above the expanse that [is] over their head, as an appearance of a sapphire stone, [is] the likeness of a throne, and on the likeness of the throne a likeness, as the appearance of man upon it from above. And I see as the colour of copper, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward, and from the appearance of his loins and downward, I have seen as the appearance of fire, and brightness [is] to it round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in a cloud in a day of rain, so [is] the appearance of the brightness round about.” | source |
| NRSV (NRSVue) (Ezekiel 1:28)© publisher · short quote | “Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking.” | source |
| ESV (Ezekiel 1:28)© publisher · short quote | “Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” | source |
| NIV (Ezekiel 1:28)© publisher · short quote | “Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” | source |
Scholarly note
Ezekiel’s chariot-throne (merkavah) became the centre of early Jewish mysticism: “a school of early Jewish mysticism (c. 100 BCE–1000 CE), centered on visions such as those found in the Book of Ezekiel chapter 1” (Wikipedia, “Merkabah mysticism”). Rabbinic tradition restricted public teaching of the passage. Note the prophet’s caution in 1:28: “the appearance of the likeness of the glory”, three steps removed from God.
Wheels, fire, a rainbow and a human-like figure of amber light: this is a vision crowded with form. Indian descriptions of inner light and of the luminous form of the deity in meditation are similar in texture. Ezekiel’s reaction, falling on his face, is the common reaction of the seer in the Bible, and Arjuna, before the universal form, bows his head with his hair standing on end (Gita 11.14). Ezekiel’s “likeness of the appearance” shows a care that yogis also take: the vision is not the Absolute itself.
4. Daniel’s “deep sleep” (Daniel 10:8–9)
Daniel 10:8-9
| KJVpublic domain | “Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “and I have been left by myself, and I see this great appearance, and there hath been no power left in me, and my honour hath been turned in me to corruption, yea, I have not retained power. `And I hear the voice of his words, and when I hear the voice of his words, then I have been in a trance on my face, and my face [is] to the earth;” | source |
Daniel 10:9 (modern translations)
| NRSV (NRSVue)© publisher · short quote | “When I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a trance, face to the ground.” | source |
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| ESV© publisher · short quote | “Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.” | source |
| NIV© publisher · short quote | “Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.” | source |
No strength left, the face to the ground, then a “trance” while hearing a voice: Daniel describes outward collapse with inner awareness. Indian accounts of samadhi often mention this: the body goes still and the senses withdraw, but awareness stays bright. Ramakrishna was frequently seen in that state. The comparison is with the phenomenon; the Daniel text is an apocalyptic vision about the fate of nations.
5. Moses’ shining face (Exodus 34:29–35)
Exodus 34:29-30
| KJVpublic domain | “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.” | source |
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| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And it cometh to pass, when Moses is coming down from mount Sinai (and the two tables of the testimony [are] in the hand of Moses in his coming down from the mount), that Moses hath not known that the skin of his face hath shone in His speaking with him, and Aaron seeth -- all the sons of Israel also -- Moses, and lo, the skin of his face hath shone, and they are afraid of coming nigh unto him.” | source |
Exodus 34:29 (modern translations)
| NRSV (NRSVue)© publisher · short quote | “Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” | source |
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| ESV© publisher · short quote | “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” | source |
| NIV© publisher · short quote | “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.” | source |
“And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”— Exodus 34:33-35, KJV · source · compare: YLT · NRSVue · ESV · NIV
Radiance: Woods III.40
| Woods 1914III.40 · public domain | “As a result of mastering the Samana [there arises] a radiance.” | source |
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A face shining after long communion, so bright that a veil is needed: the image is close to Patanjali’s radiance (III.40) and to the glow that disciples report in the faces of saints after deep meditation. The Bible links the light to speaking with God “face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exod 33:11), not to a technique. It matters too that Moses “wist not” his face shone: the radiance belonged to the encounter, not to his own effort. Paul reads this passage in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (see the Bridge).
Comparing with samadhi
“In bhava samadhi you will see the form of God, and in nirvikalpa samadhi you will realize Brahman, the Absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. In nirvikalpa samadhi ego, name, and form do not exist.”— Sri Ramakrishna, Gospel, ch. 24 · source
Every vision on this page has form: a ladder, a throne, wheels, a man clothed in linen, a shining face. In Ramakrishna’s terms these are all closer to bhava samadhi than to the formless nirvikalpa. The nearest the Hebrew Bible comes to the formless is not a vision at all but the “thin silence” of 1 Kings 19:12 (OT Step 1) and the warning of Deuteronomy 4:12, “ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude”. The prophets also describe their visions as a call to act, which sets them apart from samadhi as an end in itself.
New Testament track: Step 4 · Visions and samadhi (the Transfiguration, Damascus, Patmos; John and Arjuna side by side).
Eastern perspective · Upanishads
“Spread forth thy rays”: the Upanishad’s prayer to see
Moses asks “shew me thy glory” and is shown only the passing goodness of God. The Isha Upanishad closes with a prayer to see the face of the Real behind the brilliance of the sun.
“With a golden vessel The Real’s face is covered o’er. That do thou, O Pūshan, uncover For one whose law is the Real (satya-dharma) to see.”— Isha Upanishad 15, tr. R. E. Hume, The Thirteen Principal Upanishads (1921) · source
“O Nourisher (pūṣan), the sole Seer (ekarṣi), O Controller (yama), O Sun (sūrya), offspring of Prajāpati, spread forth thy rays! Gather thy brilliance (tejas)! What is thy fairest form—that of thee I see. He who is yonder, yonder Person (puruṣa)—I myself am he!”— Isha Upanishad 16, tr. R. E. Hume, The Thirteen Principal Upanishads (1921) · source
“The sun shines not there, nor the moon and stars; These lightnings shine not, much less this [earthly] fire! After Him, as He shines, doth everything shine. This whole world is illumined with his light.”— Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6.14, tr. R. E. Hume, The Thirteen Principal Upanishads (1921) · source
Both prayers ask for the glare to be softened: “Gather thy brilliance!” and the cleft of the rock, where Moses is covered by God’s hand. Both seers come back changed; Moses’ face shines (Exod 34:29). The Isha’s last line, “I myself am he”, is where the two part company: Moses never says he is the one he saw.
Where the traditions differ
The Hebrew Bible keeps the seer and the Seen apart (“no man shall see me, and live”); Ezekiel sees only “the likeness of the glory”. The Isha ends in identity. Jewish mysticism (Merkavah, Kabbalah) developed visions of the Throne without ever making that identification.
Light thread
“And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.”— Exodus 34:29, KJV · source
“Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:”— Psalm 104:2, KJV · source
“Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment”: light here is God’s clothing, not God. The Upanishads’ “golden vessel” uses the same idea: the brilliance both reveals and covers.