and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’ ”
Show the surrounding paragraph
Genesis 22:16-18 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Yahweh’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’ ”
Parallel Translations
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and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies.
All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’ ”
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And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Show all 3 translations
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and said: 'By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son,
that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.'
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (54)
- Acts 3:25 (v18) You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the…
- Genesis 12:3 (v18) I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through…
- Galatians 3:16 (v18) Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your…
- Genesis 15:5 (v17) Yahweh brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So…
- Genesis 26:4-5 (v18) I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations…
Show all 52 cross-references
- Genesis 24:60 (v17) They blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the…
- Jeremiah 33:22 (v17) As the army of the sky can’t be counted, and the sand of the sea can’t be measured; so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant…
- Genesis 26:4 (v17) I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations…
- Genesis 13:16 (v17) I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be…
- Genesis 18:18 (v18) since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?
- Numbers 24:17-19 (v17) I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through…
- Psalms 2:8-9 (v17) Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. You shall break them…
- Psalms 72:8-9 (v17) He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before…
- Galatians 3:8-9 (v18) The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all…
- Jeremiah 7:23 (v18) but this thing I commanded them, saying, ‘Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. Walk in all the way that…
- Luke 1:73 (v16) the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
- Hebrews 6:13-14 (v16) For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless…
- Psalms 72:17 (v18) His name endures forever. His name continues as long as the sun. Men shall be blessed by him. All nations will call him blessed.
- Psalms 105:9 (v16) the covenant which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac,
- Ephesians 1:3 (vv17–18) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
- Galatians 3:28-29 (v18) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.…
- Revelation 11:15 (v17) The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and…
- Deuteronomy 1:10 (v17) Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.
- Joshua 1:1-10 (v17) Now after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses my servant is…
- Galatians 3:18 (v18) For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.
- Jeremiah 51:14 (v16) Yahweh of Armies has sworn by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will fill you with men, as with the canker worm; and they will lift up a shout…
- Romans 1:3 (v18) concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,
- 1 Corinthians 15:57 (v17) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Genesis 12:2 (vv16–17) I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
- Genesis 17:6 (v17) I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.
- Genesis 27:28-29 (v17) God give you of the dew of the sky, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow…
- Genesis 32:12 (v17) You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which can’t be counted because there are so many.’ ”
- Genesis 49:25-26 (v17) even by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the…
- Deuteronomy 28:2-13 (v17) All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. You shall be blessed in the city, and…
- Jeremiah 32:22 (v17) and gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
- Jeremiah 49:13 (v16) For I have sworn by myself,” says Yahweh, “that Bozrah will become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. All its cities will…
- Luke 1:68-75 (v17) “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people; and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the…
- Romans 4:13-14 (v16) For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness…
- Hebrews 11:1-40 (v18) Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. For by this, the elders obtained testimony. By faith, we understand…
- Genesis 28:3 (v17) May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,
- Genesis 28:14-22 (v17) Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the…
- Deuteronomy 21:19 (v17) then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his place.
- 2 Samuel 8:1-18 (v17) After this, David struck the Philistines and subdued them; and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.…
- Isaiah 45:23 (v16) I have sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not be revoked, that to me every knee shall bow, every…
- Daniel 2:44-45 (v17) “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to…
- Micah 1:9 (v17) For her wounds are incurable; for it has come even to Judah. It reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
- Genesis 22:3 (v18) Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for…
- 2 Samuel 10:1-19 (v17) After this, the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the…
- 1 Kings 9:26 (v17) King Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
- Genesis 22:10 (v18) Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.
- 1 Samuel 2:30 (v18) “Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever.’ But…
- Amos 6:8 (v16) “The Lord Yahweh has sworn by himself,” says Yahweh, the God of Armies: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, and detest his fortresses. Therefore I…
52 distinct cross-references across this passage (54 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On v17 17. Thy seed shall possess the gate of his…
17. Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. He means that the offspring of Abraham should be victorious over their enemies; for in the gates were their bulwarks, and in them they administered judgment. Now, although God often suffered the enemies of the Jews tyrannically to rule over them; yet he so moderated their revenge, that this promise always prevailed in the end. Moreover, we must remember what has before been stated from Paul, concerning the unity of the seed; for we hence infer, that the victory is promised, not to the sons of Abraham promiscuously, but to Christ, and to his members, so far as they adhere together under one Head. For unless we retain some mark which may distinguish between the legitimate and the degenerate sons of Abraham, this promise will indiscriminately comprehend, as well the Ishmaelites and Idumeans, as the people of Israel: but the unity of a people depends on its head. Therefore the prophets, whenever they wish to confirm this promise of God, assume the principle, that they who have hitherto been divided, shall be united, under David, in one body. What further pertains to this subject may be found in the twelfth chapter Genesis 12:1
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv16–17 Signifying, that there is no greater than he.
Signifying, that there is no greater than he.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv16–18 Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn,…
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]:
Ver. 16. By myself have I sworn.] God swears for the further confirmation of our faith. For here he swore, not more for Abraham’s sake, than ours, as the apostle shows. {Heb 6:13-14; Heb 6:17-18} As when he spake with Jacob at Penuel, "there he spake with us"; {Hos 12:4} and what he said to Joshua, he said to all, "I will not leave thee, nor forsake thee". {Heb 13:5}
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And hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.] And yet what was this to that sic without a sicut that hyperbole, that excess of love in God, that moved him to send his Son to die for our sins? He loved Christ far better than Abraham could love Isaac; and yet he gave him up freely, which Abraham would never have done without a command and to die as a malefactor, and by the hands of barbarous and bloody enemies; whereas Isaac was to die as a holy sacrifice, and by the hand of a tender father. How much more cause have we to say, Now I know the Lord loves me: and to swear as David did, to "keep his righteous judgments". {Psa 119:106}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv16–17 By myself have I sworn: so the Lord swears…
By myself have I sworn: so the Lord swears by his name, Jer 44:26; by his soul, in the Hebrew text, Jer 51:14; by his holiness, Amo 4:2; which is the same with by himself here. Hence also it appears that the Angel who speaks here is Christ and God, because this is God’s prerogative to swear by himself, as appears from Heb 6:13.
Because thou hast done this thing; not that Abraham by this act did properly merit or purchase the following promises, as plainly appears, because the same things for substance had been freely promised to Abraham long before this time and action, Gen 12:2; 13:16, only what before was promised is now confirmed by an oath, as a testimony of that singular respect which God had to Abraham, and to this heroical instance of faith and obedience.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv16–18 That in blessing I will bless thee,.... With temporal…
That in blessing I will bless thee,.... With temporal and spiritual blessings; with the Spirit and all his graces; with Christ and redemption, justification, and salvation by him; and with eternal life, as the gift of God, through him:
and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore: both his natural seed, descending from him in the line of Isaac, and his spiritual seed, both among Jews and Gentiles, that tread in his steps; see Gen 13:15,
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and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies: "gate" for "gates", where courts of judicature were held, and which are the security of cities and put for them, and which also include the whole country round about: so that this phrase is expressive of an entire jurisdiction and dominion over them; and was literally fulfilled in the times of Joshua, David, and Solomon; and spiritually in Christ, Abraham's principal seed, when he destroyed Satan and his principalities and powers; overcame the world; made an end of sin and abolished death; and delivered his people out the hands of all their enemies; and in all Abraham's spiritual seed, who are made more than conquerors over them, through Christ that has loved them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv16–17 Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not…
Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not with-held thy son, thine only son - He lays a mighty emphasis upon that, and ver. 18, praises it as an act of obedience, in it thou hast obeyed my voice. By myself have I sworn - For he could swear by no greater.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv16–18 Verse 16. By myself have I sworn] So we…
Verse 16. By myself have I sworn] So we find that the person who was called the angel of the Lord is here called Jehovah; See Clarke on Ge 22:2. An oath or an appeal to God is, among men, an end to strife; as God could swear by no greater, he sware by himself: being willing more abundantly, says the apostle, to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, he confirmed it by an oath, that two immutable things, (his PROMISE and his OATH,) in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us. See Heb 6:13-18.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv16–17 Own self; as he could not swear by any…
Own self; as he could not swear by any one greater. (Hebrews vi. 13; Jeremias xxii. 5.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv16–17 16. By myself have I sworn — “When God…
16. By myself have I sworn — “When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself.” Heb_6:13. Hanna observes, that this oath “was the last utterance that fell from the lips of God upon the ear of Abraham. He lived for fifty years and more thereafter, but that voice was never heard again. These late years rolled over him in peaceful, undisturbed repose.”
Because thou hast done this thing — This last act of faith was the crowning point in Abraham’s spiritual life, and in view of this especially — as summing up and representing in itself all other evidences of his faith — Jehovah repeats his promise.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv16–18 16. By myself have I sworn] Cf. Exo_32:13; Isa_45:23;…
16. By myself have I sworn] Cf. Exo_32:13; Isa_45:23; Heb_6:13-17.
The remembrance of this oath is frequently invoked, cf. Gen_24:7, Gen_26:3, Gen_50:24; Psa_105:9, “the covenant which he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac”; Luk_1:73, “the oath which he sware unto Abraham our father.”
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saith the Lord] Lit. “the Oracle” or “revelation of Jehovah”; a rare expression in narrative, cf. Num_14:28, 1Sa_2:30; but common in the Prophets, e.g. Jer_18:5. The Angel, speaking in the first person, identifies Himself with Jehovah (cf. Gen_16:10, Gen_21:18, Gen_31:13). The introduction of the prophetic formula, “Oracle of Jehovah,” into the words spoken by the Angel impersonating Jehovah, is peculiar.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v16 (16) By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord…
(16) By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord (Jehovah).—This solemn interposition of an oath (Heb_6:17), of which the present is the sole instance in Holy Scripture, plainly indicates that this trial of Abraham’s faith was of no common kind, and that its typical teaching is of no ordinary value. Abraham might have appealed to God’s own attributes, and said, Far be it from thee, Lord, to command a human sacrifice, and bid a father slay his son. He might have pleaded the promises bound up with Isaac’s life. But no, as soon as he is convinced that the command comes from God. he obeys, and, against hope, still believes that the promises will all be fulfilled in the sacrificed Isaac. He is thus the highest and most perfect example of faith, and by his offering of his son the Church received the assurance that the Son of God incarnate in the flesh would upon that very mountain offer the sacrifice Divinely necessary for the pardon of man’s sins.
The blessing now given to Abraham differs from those that precede it in three particulars. First, it is no longer a promise, but a solemn compact ratified by an oath. Next, it assures Abraham’s seed of victory, whereby the spiritual Israel is certified of the ultimate triumph of the Gospel. Lastly, it transfers to Abraham’s offspring the promise of being the means of blessedness to all mankind.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv16, 18 By Myself have I sworn
Gen_22:16
By Myself have I sworn
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God Himself the foundation of our hopes
By Myself have I sworn.
By Himself God swears to us; by His power, His tenderness, His sympathy, He assures our hearts.
1. If we take up afresh any work for God, He is pledged--by Himself pledged to us--not to despise that work, to guide us in it, to accept it at our hands.
2. If we turn again to any cross--find the home darkened, or business difficult, or health still failing--if we find that holiday and rest do not sweep away the cloud: behind the cloud is God, strengthening for the cross is God, and by Himself He swears to us that, bearing that cross, it shall lead us to a crown.
3. If we are troubled by the dimness of the future, if perplexities thicken even as the years--and the responsibilities of the years--in-crease day by day, God is pledged--by Himself pledged--to guide every trustful follower. Only follow on to know the Lord. Why, beyond all that dim future there is heaven, our Fathers home and ours. And every step between the little now and that bright home is as sure as is that home and as is this now. (T. Gasqucine, B. A.)
The promise confirmed to Abraham by an oath
Often before had God promised, says Augustine, but never sworn. It was in recognition of the evidence which had just been afforded of His servants staunch loyalty to the covenant, that the Eternal was pleased in this unexampled manner to reduplicate securities for His own faithfulness, previous to this oath, Abraham had the word of God, and no more, on which to build his confidence. On that bare guarantee he had shown that he could build securely. Because he had judged it impossible for God to lie, therefore he had that day surrendered the one visible security which he possessed for the fulfilment of Gods word, by sacrificing the life on which its fulfilment turned. He trusted the All-truthful and Almighty to keep faith with His friend in His own way. For that very reason did a generous promiser vouchsafe to the man something more than a naked word. To him that hath shall be given. Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only one, from Me, therefore by Myself have I sworn that in blessing I will bless thee. Thenceforth, as the New Testament explains, the believer possessed, not one, but two immutable things on which to rest. Through Abrahams obedience have we all obtained this strong consolation. (J. O. Dykes, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v18 General Information:
General Information:
The angel of Yahweh continues speaking to Abraham.
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all the nations of the earth will be blessed
This can be stated in active form. AT: "I, the Lord, will bless all the people living everywhere" (See: Active or Passive)
nations of the earth
Here "nations" stands for the people of the nations. (See: Metonymy)
you have obeyed my voice
Here "voice" stands for what God said. AT: "you have obeyed what I said" or "you have obeyed me" (See: Metonymy)
Abraham returned
Only Abraham was named because he was the father, but it was implied that his son went with him. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "Abraham and his son went back" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
young men
"servants"
they departed
"they left that place"
he lived at Beersheba
Only Abraham was mentioned because he was the leader of his family and servants, but it was implied that they were with him. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "Abraham and his people stayed in Beersheba" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
offspring
nation
bless
obey
voice
Abraham
Beersheba
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv16–18 22:16 by my own name: There is no higher…
22:16 by my own name: There is no higher name by which God can swear (Heb 6:13-17).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.