New English Translation
Genesis 12:2
2Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine 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
1Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you. Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name.” 4So Abram left, just as the Lord had told him to do, and Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from 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 13:16And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted.
- Genesis 15:5The Lord took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
- Genesis 17:5No longer will your name be Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham because I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
- Genesis 18:18After all, Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using his name.
- Genesis 22:17I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the strongholds of their enemies.
- Genesis 24:35“The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
- Genesis 26:4I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.
- Genesis 27:29May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. You will be lord over your brothers, and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
- Genesis 28:3May the sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation.
- Genesis 35:11Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!
- Genesis 46:3He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
- Exodus 1:7The Israelites, however, were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, so that the land was filled with them.
- Exodus 32:10So now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”
- Numbers 14:12I will strike them with the pestilence, and I will disinherit them; I will make you into a nation that is greater and mightier than they!”
- Numbers 24:9They crouch and lie down like a lion, and as a lioness, who can stir him? Blessed is the one who blesses you, and cursed is the one who curses you!’”
- Deuteronomy 26:5Then you must affirm before the Lord your God, “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor, and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a household few in number, but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous people.
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries