E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Jacob’s Ladder.
A ladder seen by the patriarch Jacob in a vision. It was set on the earth, and reached to heaven, and angels seemed to be ascending and descending on it (Gen. xxviii. 12). Jacob is, on this account, a cant name for a ladder. There is a pretty blue flower so called.
