God’s Word Translation
Genesis 12:2
2I will make you a great nation, I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
- New International Version (NIV)“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
- New King James Version (NKJV)I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
Context of Genesis 12:2
1The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s home. Go to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse. Through you every family on earth will be blessed.” 4So Abram left, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.
Read all of Genesis 12Genesis 12:2 word by word
וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I will make of theeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- nationגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- and I will blessבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
- thee, and makeגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
- thy nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- and thou shalt be a blessingבְּרָכָהberâkâh · blessingH1293
Cross-references for Genesis 12:2
- Genesis 13:16I will also give you as many descendants as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust of the earth, then he could also count your descendants.
- Genesis 15:5He took Abram outside and said, “Now look up at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He also said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
- Genesis 17:5So your name will no longer be Abram [Exalted Father], but Abraham [Father of Many] because I have made you a father of many nations.
- Genesis 18:18After all, Abraham is going to become a great and mighty nation and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
- Genesis 22:17I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of their enemies’ cities.
- Genesis 24:35“The Lord has blessed my master, and he has become wealthy. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.
- Genesis 26:4I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and give all these lands to your descendants. Through your descendant all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
- Genesis 27:29May nations serve you. May people bow down to you. Be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed. May those who bless you be blessed.”
- Genesis 28:3May God Almighty bless you, make you fertile, and increase the number of your descendants so that you will become a community of people.
- Genesis 35:11God also said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fertile, and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from you.
- Genesis 46:3“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make you a great nation there.
- Exodus 1:7But the descendants of Israel had many children. They became so numerous and strong that the land was filled with them.
- Exodus 32:10Now leave me alone. I’m so angry with them I am going to destroy them. Then I’ll make you into a great nation.”
- Numbers 14:12I’ll strike them with a plague, I’ll destroy them, and I’ll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are.”
- Numbers 24:9His people lie down ⌞and⌟ rest like a lion. They are like a lioness. Who dares to disturb them? Those who bless you will be blessed! Those who curse you will be cursed!”
- Deuteronomy 26:5You will make this formal statement in the presence of the Lord your God: “My ancestors were wandering Arameans. There were only a few of them when they went to Egypt and lived as foreigners. But then they became a great, powerful, and large nation.
Commentaries on Genesis 12:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2I will make of thee a great nation - i.e., The Jewish people; and make thy name great, alluding to the change of his name from Abram, a high father, to Abraham, the father of a multitude.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-9Verses 1-9 - The Call of Abram 6. שׁכם shekem Shekem, “the upper part of the back.” Here it is the name of a person, the owner of this place, where afterward is built the town called at first Shekem, then Flavia Neapolis, and now Nablous. אלון 'ēlôn “the oak;” related: “be lasting, strong.” מורה môreh In Onkelos “plain;” Moreh, “archer, early rain, teacher.” Here the name of a man who owned the oak that marked the spot. In the Septuagint it is rendered…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2make your name great: Abram gained the fame that the builders of the tower of Babel wanted for themselves (see 11:4 and study note). so that you will be a blessing: This statement is a command and a promise in Hebrew. It depends on Abram obeying God's command (12:1–3): “Go … so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.”Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-201. Now the Lord had said unto Abram--It pleased God, who has often been found of them who sought Him not, to reveal Himself to Abraham perhaps by a miracle; and the conversion of Abraham is one of the most remarkable in Bible history. Get thee out of thy country--His being brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God had probably been a considerable time before. This call included two promises: the first, showing the land of his future posterity…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 12:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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