The famous 'LADDER' of Jacob's dream — a word that appears only ONCE in the whole Bible (28:12), so its exact shape is uncertain. KJV 'ladder' gave English 'Jacob's ladder,' but the likely root is salal, 'to heap up, cast up (a highway or ramp),' which points instead to a STAIRWAY or ramp — the monumental temple-stair of a Mesopotamian ziggurat, built precisely as a stepped bridge for the gods between earth and heaven. NWT and most modern scholars read 'stairway.' The broad steps also fit the traffic the dream shows: angels 'ascending and descending' both at once. This translation renders 'stairway,' keeping 'Jacob's ladder' in view as the traditional name. → first discussed at Gen 28:12