Genesis 17:4

Genesis 17:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
• New International Version (NIV)“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

Context of Genesis 17:4

2Then I will confirm my covenant between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 3Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 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. 6I will make you extremely fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

Genesis 17:4 word by word

אֲנִ֕י הִנֵּ֥ה בְרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ וְהָיִ֕יתָ לְאַ֖ב הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• As for meאֲנִי'ănîy · IH589
• behold, my covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• with thee, and thou shalt be a fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• of manyהָמוֹןhâmôn hâmôn · crowdH1995
• nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471

Cross-references for Genesis 17:4

• Genesis 12:2Then 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 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 16:10I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, “so that they will be too numerous to count.”
• 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 25:1Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah.
• Genesis 32:12But you said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’”
• 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 36:1What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom).
• Numbers 1:1Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites departed from the land of Egypt. He said:
• Numbers 26:1After the plague the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,
• Romans 4:11And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them.
• Galatians 3:28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Commentaries on Genesis 17:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-27Verses 1-27 - The Sealing of the Covenant 1. שׁדי shaday Shaddai, “Irresistible, able to destroy, and by inference to make, Almighty.” שׁדד shādad “be strong, destroy.” This name is found six times in Genesis, and thirty-one times in Job. 5. אברהם 'abrâhām Abraham, from אברם 'abrām “high-father,” and הם hām the radical part of המין hāmôn a “multitude,” is obtained by a euphonic abbreviation אברהם 'abrâhām “father of a multitude.” The root רהם rhm…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5God guaranteed his promise by changing Abram’s name. Abram means “exalted father.” This referred to his father Terah and his noble lineage (11:27). His new name, Abraham (Hebrew ’ab hamon), means "father of a multitude." This was a wordplay on the promise of his countless descendants (see also John 8:31–59; Romans 4:16–17; Galatians 3:7, 15–19, 29). Whenever the new name was used, he and his household would remember that a multitude of nations would come…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. my covenant is with thee--Renewed mention is made of it as the foundation of the communication that follows. It is the covenant of grace made with all who believe in the Saviour.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 17:4

• Abraham
• Circumcision
• Covenant

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• Covenant
• Establish
• Everlasting
• Prophecy
• Works, Covenant of
• Agrarian Laws
• Atonement, Day of
• Circumcision
• Covenant, in the Old Testament

Commentaries on Genesis 17

• 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