Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 28:17

"And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." — Genesis 28:17 (ASV)

How dreadful.—The manifestation of God must always inspire awe and dread, but not fear: for where He reveals Himself, there is “the gate of heaven”—the appointed entrance for prayer now, and for admission to the glorified life hereafter.