God’s Word Translation
Genesis 28:3
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 28:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
- New International Version (NIV)May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.
- English Standard Version (ESV)God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“May God Almighty bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples;
Context of Genesis 28:3
1Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You are not to marry any of the Canaanite women. 2Quick! Go to Paddan Aram. Go to the home of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and get yourself a wife from there from the daughters of your uncle Laban. May God Almighty bless you, make you fertile, and increase the number of your descendants so that you will become a community of people. 4May he give to you and your descendants the blessing of Abraham so that you may take possession of the land where you are now living, the land that God gave to Abraham.” 5Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan Aram. Jacob went to live with Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah. She was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Read all of Genesis 28Genesis 28:3 word by word
וְאֵ֤ל שַׁדַּי֙ יְבָרֵ֣ךְ אֹֽתְךָ֔ וְיַפְרְךָ֖ וְיַרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְהָיִ֖יתָ לִקְהַ֥ל עַמִּֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 28:3
- Genesis 17:1When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said to Abram, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence with integrity.
- 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 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 43:14May God Almighty make him merciful to you so that he will send your other brother and Benjamin ⌞home⌟ with you. If I lose my children, I lose my children.”
- Genesis 48:3Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in Canaan and blessed me.
- Exodus 6:3I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I didn’t make myself known to them by my name, the Lord.
- Psalms 127:1If the Lord does not build the house, it is useless for the builders to work on it. If the Lord does not protect a city, it is useless for the guard to stay alert.
- 2 Corinthians 6:18The Lord Almighty says, “I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters.”
- Revelation 21:22I did not see any temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.
- Genesis 1:28God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”
- Genesis 9:1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, increase in number, and fill the earth.
- 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 24:60They gave Rebekah a blessing: “May you, our sister, become the mother of many thousands of children. May your descendants take possession of their enemies’ cities.”
- Genesis 41:52He named the second son Ephraim [Blessed Twice With Children], because God gave him children in the land where he had suffered.
- Psalms 127:3Children are an inheritance from the Lord. They are a reward from him.
- Psalms 128:1Blessed are all who fear the Lord and live his way.
Commentaries on Genesis 28:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3That thou mayest be a multitude of people - עמים לקהל likhal ammim . There is something very remarkable in the original words: they signify literally for an assembly, congregation, or church of peoples; referring no doubt to the Jewish Church in the wilderness, but more particularly to the Christian Church, composed of every kindred, and nation, and people, and tongue. This is one essential part of the blessing of Abraham. See Genesis 28:4.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-22Verses 1-22 - Jacob‘s Journey to Haran 3. קהל qâhāl “congregation.” 9. מחלת māchălat Machalath, “sickness, or a harp.” 19. לוּז lûz Luz, “almond.” The blessing of his sons was the last passage in the active life of Isaac, after which he retires from the scene. Jacob now becomes the leading figure in the sacred history. His spiritual character has yet come out to view. But even now we can discern the general distinction in the lives of the three…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-5Before Jacob departed, Isaac gave him a pure, legitimate blessing. He did not hold back, because he now knew what God wanted him to do. Isaac clearly passed on the blessing God Almighty (Hebrew El-Shaddai; see 17:1) had given to Abraham and to him regarding prosperity and the land (compare 15:5, 18–20).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-191. Isaac called Jacob and blessed him--He entered fully into Rebekah's feelings, and the burden of his parting counsel to his son was to avoid a marriage alliance with any but the Mesopotamian branch of the family. At the same time he gave him a solemn blessing--pronounced before unwittingly, now designedly, and with a cordial spirit. It is more explicitly and fully given, and Jacob was thus acknowledged "the heir of the promise."Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 28:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 28
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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