What was Jacob’s dream of a ladder?

As told in Genesis 28, on his way to his uncle Laban’s house in Harran, Jacob stops for the night to sleep and dreams of a stairway, sometimes interpreted as a ladder, reaching from heaven to earth and upon which angels descend and ascend. God speaks to him, affirming that he is the God of Abraham and Isaac, promising him the land on which he lies, forecasting that his offspring will be numerous and spread in all directions, and vowing to protect him. Upon awakening, Jacob declares that the location must be the house of God and names it Bethel (Hebrew: “House of God”). The idea and image of Jacob’s ladder has been an enduring and vivid scene from the Hebrew Bible that appears frequently in artwork and as a name for various nonreligious objects.