Genesis 12:2

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 had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 4So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

Genesis 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 give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!
• Genesis 15:5Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
• Genesis 17:5What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
• Genesis 18:18“For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.
• Genesis 22:17I 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.
• Genesis 24:35“And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.
• Genesis 26:4I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
• Genesis 27:29May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.”
• Genesis 28:3May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations!
• Genesis 35:11Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!
• Genesis 46:3“I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.
• Exodus 1:7But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.
• Exodus 32:10Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”
• Numbers 14:12I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!”
• Numbers 24:9Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
• Deuteronomy 26:5“You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty 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

• Abraham
• Call
• Canaan
• Communion
• Courage
• Covenant
• Faith
• God
• Haran
• Obedience
• Promotion
• Religion

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• Appear
• Church
• Fair
• Grievous
• Journey
• Noah
• Prophecy
• Sojourn
• Tell

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