LADDER. The word is found only once in the Bible, in the story of Jacob’s ladder (Gen 28:12), which, it has been thought, was suggested by a flight of stone steps in the rock strata in the area where Jacob fell asleep. In ancient times ladders were used often in the siege of cities, and many are shown on Egyptian and Assyrian monuments. 1 Maccabees 5:30 mentions scaling ladders.