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 22:17-18 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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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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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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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.'
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Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (45)
- 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 44 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…
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 (v17) 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.
- 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…
- 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.…
- 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…
44 distinct cross-references across this passage (45 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 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 v17 Or, holds.
Or, holds.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv17–18 Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee,…
Gen 22:17 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;
Ver. 17. Shall possess the gate,] i.e., Both their strength and government.
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 v17 i.e. The city, by a usual synecdoche, as Deu…
i.e. The city, by a usual synecdoche, as Deu 12:15; 18:6, all the cities, and consequently the country adjacent; gate for gates. The sense is, they shall subdue their enemies. For the gates of cities were the places both of jurisdiction or judicature, Deu 21:19; 22:15; Amo 5:12,15; Zec 8:16; and of fortification and chief strength in war, Jdg 5:8; Psa 147:13; Isa 22:7; Eze 21:22. And this promise was fulfilled both literally in Israel’s conquest of Canaan, in David, Solomon, &c., and spiritually in Christ, Psa 110:1-3.
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 vv17–18 And in thy seed shall all nations of the…
And in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed,.... That is, in his one and principal seed, the Messiah, that should spring from him, Gal 3:16, in whom all the elect of God, of all nations under the heavens, are blessed with all spiritual blessings, with peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life, with grace here and glory hereafter; See Gill on Gen 12:3; or, "shall bless themselves" (o) in him; or, "account themselves blessed"; apply to him for blessings, claim their interest in them, and glory in them, and make their boast of them:
because thou hast obeyed my voice; in taking his son and offering him up unto him, as much as he was permitted to do; and thus honouring God by his obedience to him, he of his grace and goodness honours him with the promise of being the father of multitudes, both in a literal and spiritual sense, and with being the ancestor of the Messiah, in whom all the blessings of grace and goodness meet.
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(o) "benedicent se", Munster; to the same purpose Vatablus, Tigurine version, Piscator.
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 v17 Multiplying I will multiply thee - Those that part…
Multiplying I will multiply thee - Those that part with any thing for God, shall have it made up to them with unspeakable advantage. Abraham has but one son, and is willing to part with that one in obedience to God; well, saith God, thou shalt be recompensed with thousands and millions. Here is a promise,
1. Of the Spirit, In blessing I will bless thee - The Gift of the Holy Ghost; the promise of the Spirit was that blessing of Abraham which was to come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, Gal. iii, 14.
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2. Of the increase of the church; that believers, his spiritual seed, should be many as the stars of heaven.
3. Of spiritual victories; Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies - Believers by their faith overcome the world, and triumph over all the powers of darkness. Probably Zacharias refers to this part of the oath, Luke i, 74. That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear. But the crown of all is the last promise,
4. Of the incarnation of Christ; In thy seed (one particular person that shall descend from thee, for he speaks not of many but of one, as the apostle observes, Gal. iii, 16.) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed - Christ is the great blessing of the world. Abraham was ready to give up his son for a sacrifice to the honour of God, and on that occasion God promised to give his son a sacrifice for the salvation of man.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv17–18 Verse 17. Shall possess the gate of his enemies]…
Verse 17. Shall possess the gate of his enemies] Instead of gate the Septuagint have πολεις, cities; but as there is a very near resemblance between πολεισ, cities, and πυλασ, gates, the latter might have been the original reading in the Septuagint, though none of the MSS. now acknowledge it. By the gates may be meant all the strength, whether troops, counsels, or fortified cities of their enemies. So Mt 16:18: On this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it-the counsels, stratagems, and powers of darkness shall not be able to prevail against or overthrow the true Church of Christ; and possibly our Lord had this promise to Abraham and his spiritual posterity in view, when he spoke these words.
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 v17 Stars and dust, comprising the just and sinners. ---…
Stars and dust, comprising the just and sinners. --- Gates, shall judge and rule. (Haydock)
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 v17 17. Bless… multiply — Compare the promises that had…
17. Bless… multiply — Compare the promises that had gone before. Gen_12:2; Gen_12:8; Gen_13:14-17; Gen_15:5; Gen_15:7; Gen_15:18; Gen_17:1-8; and Gen_18:18.
Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies — Fulfilled primarily in the conquest of Canaan, (comp. Gen_15:18-21,) but pointing even now to Christ’s ultimate triumph over the gates of hell. Mat_16:18. In the rapturous hour of this revelation and promise, Abraham, doubtless, saw Messiah’s day, and was glad. Joh_8:5-6.
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With this account of the attempted offering of Isaac it has been common to compare the Grecian legends of Phrixus, Idomeneus, and Iphigenia; and also the Phoenician tradition of Chronos, who in a time of war and impending perils took his only son Jehoud, clothed him in royal apparel, and offered him in sacrifice upon an altar which he had built. But these tales have no more connexion with Abraham and Isaac than have the narratives of Jephthah’s vow (Judges 11) or the sacrifice of the king of Moab’s son. 2Ki_3:27.
The bearing of this act of Abraham on human sacrifices is worthy of notice. We need not go to the extent of Kurtz, who imagines that Abraham might have descried, on all the heights around him, altars smoking with human sacrifices; but we may believe that the idea of human sacrifice sprung from deep religious promptings; the consciousness of guilt, and the felt necessity of offering up the dearest and most precious gift as an atonement. Abraham’s act, adapted to be monumental in the history of the chosen race, recognised at once the necessity of sacrifice, and that our life is not our own; but it also revealed the authority from heaven to substitute animal life instead. In this revelation human sacrifices stand condemned, and animal sacrifices sanctioned and established as meeting the divine requirement.
The typical significance of the offering of Isaac has been recognised by nearly all Christian divines, but the pressing of all analogies and correspondencies as types may well be condemned. We have noted above (on Gen_22:12) how Isaac is no proper type of Christ; but as the apostle speaks of Abraham’s receiving his son from the dead “in a figure,” (Heb_11:19,) we may, by a legitimate accommodation, speak of the points in the narrative which in any way prefigure or suggest great Gospel facts. Thus 1) Abraham’s not withholding his only son suggests that greater act of Him “who spared not his own Son, but freely gave him up for us all.” Rom_8:32. 2) Isaac bearing the wood for the sacrifice suggests Christ bearing his own cross. 3) The ram caught in the thicket of thorns reminds us of Jesus with the thorn-wreath on his brow. 4) Isaac and the ram together have been taken as a double type, Isaac representing the divinity of our Lord, and the ram the humanity which Christ assumed (“a body hast thou prepared me,” Heb_10:5,) that he might taste death for Man_1:5) The three days from the command to sacrifice his son to the time of the deliverance of Isaac, his son was as one already dead to Abraham; and so, “in a figure,” his release was a resurrection from the dead. Heb_11:19. All these analogies may be truthfully presented as parabolic, (εν παραβολη,) but not as proper types.
Other lessons of this chapter are abundant. 1) Here is the notable instance in which to see how faith wrought with works and was thus made perfect. Jas_2:22. 2) The moral sublimity of ready obedience and submission when God demands our beloved. 3) The moral value of temptation and stern discipline. 4) The word of God the highest law. 5) Two immutable things, the oath and promise of God, a permanent source of consolation to the Christian believer. Heb_6:17-18. NAHOR’S CHILDREN, 20-24.
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 vv17–18 17. that in blessing, &c.] The language of this…
17. that in blessing, &c.] The language of this benediction combines the substance of previous blessings pronounced upon the patriarch, under three heads: (1) multiplication of seed; (2) victory over enemies; (3) universal happiness.
bless] Cf. Gen_12:2.
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as the stars of the heaven] Cf. Gen_15:5.
as the sand] Cf. Gen_13:16.
the gate of his enemies] See note on Gen_24:60. The phrase denotes conquest. LXX reads πόλεις, both here and in Gen_24:60.
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.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v18 In thy seed shall all the nations of the…
Gen_22:18
In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
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Blessing in Abrahams seed
1.
There was to be a seed, a natural seed, including a spiritual seed, and this again including an individual seed.
2. The seed of Abraham is to have a relation to all the families of the earth. As Abraham was not a head of all mankind, like Adam or Noah, it was necessary to emphasize the universality of the blessing.
3. The benefit conveyed by the seed is here characterized by the word blessed. Blessing is like mercy in this: that it sums up in one word the whole salvation of which the Bible is the gospel. It involves redemption and regeneration, both of which are necessary to salvation. (Prof. J. G. Murphy)
A great promise
1. This promise
(1) narrows down previous Messianic anticipations, inasmuch as it points to the family instead of the race, as the source whence the Great Benefactor should arise;
(2) vastly widens them, inasmuch as it indicates that the beneficent work of that Benefactor will be universal.
2. We conclude that this is an anticipation of Christ, because
(1) it has proved to be an accurate description of Him;
(2) it is only true of Him;
(3) New Testament distinctly applies the Scripture to Him. This warranted, we look for the advent of Christ as for--
I. THE ADVENT OF A BENEFACTOR FROM AMONG THE JEWS. This suggests-
1. The proper interest we should take in the Jewish people.
2. The solemn warning that contact with what is most sacred does not ensure blessing.
II. THE ADVENT OF A BENEFACTOR FOR THE WORLD. We may adoringly notice--
1. The way in which Christ has already been a universal blessing.
2. The future that there yet must be for Christianity. (Homilist.)
All nations blessed in Abrahams seed
I. SOME OF THE REASONS FOR GIVING THIS DESCRIPTION OF THE MESSIAH: The seed of Abraham.
1. Christ is called the seed of Abraham because He was to assume human nature; to be truly man; a man like ourselves.
2. Christ was called the seed of Abraham, that additional evidence of His claims as Messiah might be given when He came into the world.
3. There is a third reason why He is called, why, in fact, He was made, the seed of Abraham. There is, after all, a peculiar relation between Christ and the Jews, as His brethren after the flesh.
II. Let us now consider THE IMPORT OF THE DECLARATION, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
1. In the first place, there is its Divinely revealed truth.
2. The religion of Christ is calculated to produce human happiness, because it exhibits the Divinely-prescribed method by which the guilty may obtain pardon; in other words, that great doctrine of human hope and joy, that of justification by faith in the atonement and intercession of the Saviour.
3. In further examining this Divine system, to discover its adaptation to human happiness, we find the great, the singular, promise of the Holy Spirit.
4. Another adaptation to human happiness in Christianity is found in its explicit enforcement of those relative duties on which the welfare of society so much depends.
5. The last of these adaptations is, the kind and merciful spirit of the Gospel. (R. Watson.)
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 vv17–18 22:17 Joshua and Old Testament Israel partially fulfilled the…
22:17 Joshua and Old Testament Israel partially fulfilled the promise that Abraham’s descendants would conquer the cities (literally take possession of the gates) of God’s enemies; this will be fulfilled fully by the church (cp. Matt 16:18 and study note there).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.