New King James Version
Genesis 22:17
17blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
Genesis 22:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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;
- New International Version (NIV)I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
- English Standard Version (ESV)I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
- New Living Translation (NLT)I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.
Context of Genesis 22:17
15Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Read all of Genesis 22Genesis 22:17 word by word
כִּֽי־בָרֵ֣ךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ֗ וְהַרְבָּ֨ה אַרְבֶּ֤ה אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְכַח֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־שְׂפַ֣ת הַיָּ֑ם וְיִרַ֣שׁ זַרְעֲךָ֔ אֵ֖ת שַׁ֥עַר אֹיְבָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- That in blessingבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
- thee, and in multiplyingרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
- thy seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
- as the starsכּוֹכָבkôkâb · starH3556
- of the heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and as the sandחוֹלchôl · sandH2344
- upon the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
- shoreשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lip: shoreH8193
- shall possessיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423
- the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- of his enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
Cross-references for Genesis 22:17
- Genesis 12:2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
- Genesis 27:28Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
- Genesis 28:3“May God Almighty bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples;
- Genesis 49:25By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
- Deuteronomy 28:2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
- Ephesians 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
- Genesis 13:16And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
- Genesis 15:5Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
- Genesis 17:6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
- Genesis 26:4And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
- Deuteronomy 1:10The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.
- Jeremiah 33:22As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’ ”
- 1 Kings 9:26King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
- Genesis 24:60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them.”
- Numbers 24:17“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
- Deuteronomy 21:19then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city.
Commentaries on Genesis 22:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Shall possess the gate of his enemies - Instead of gate the Septuagint have , cities; but as there is a very near resemblance between , cities, and , 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 Matthew 16:18; : On this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-24Verses 1-24 - Abraham Was Tested 2. מריה morı̂yâh “Moriah”; Samaritan: מוראה môr'âh “Septuagint,” ̔́ hupsēlē Onkelos, “worship.” Some take the word to be a simple derivative, as the Septuagint and Onkelos, meaning “vision, high, worship.” It might mean “rebellious.” Others regard it as a compound of יה yâh “Jah, a name of God,” and מראה mı̂r'eh “shown,” מורה môreh “teacher,” or מורא môrā' “fear.” 14. יראה yı̂r'ēh “Jireh, will provide.” 16, נאם…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-19Verses 15-19 There are high declarations of God's favour to Abraham in this confirmation of the covenant with him, exceeding any he had yet been blessed with. Those that are willing to part with any thing for God, shall have it made up to them with unspeakable advantage. The promise, ver. #(18), doubtless points at the Messiah, and the grace of the gospel. Hereby we know the loving-kindness of God our Saviour towards sinful man, in that he hath not…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17Joshua 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. The church will completely fulfill this promise (compare Matthew 16:18 and the study note there).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1913-19. Abraham lifted up his eyes ... and behold ... a ram, &c.--No method was more admirably calculated to give the patriarch a distinct idea of the purpose of grace than this scenic representation: and hence our Lord's allusion to it (Joh 8:56).Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 22:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 22
- 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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries