Genesis 13:16

13:16 And 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. ¹ 

Genesis 15:5

15:5 The Lord ²  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 17:5-6

17:5 No longer will your name be ³  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ⁴  because I will make you ⁵  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ⁶  extremely ⁷  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ⁸ 

Genesis 18:18

18:18 After all, Abraham ⁹  will surely become ¹⁰  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ¹¹  using his name.

Genesis 22:17-18

22:17 I will indeed bless you, ¹²  and I will greatly multiply ¹³  your descendants ¹⁴  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 ¹⁵  of the strongholds ¹⁶  of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ¹⁷  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ¹⁸  using the name of your descendants.’”

Genesis 24:35

24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. ¹⁹  The Lord ²⁰  has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis 26:4

26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them ²¹  all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. ²² 

Genesis 27:29

27:29 May peoples serve you

and nations bow down to you.

You will be ²³  lord ²⁴  over your brothers,

and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. ²⁵ 

May those who curse you be cursed,

and those who bless you be blessed.”

Genesis 28:3

28:3 May the sovereign God ²⁶  bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! ²⁷  Then you will become ²⁸  a large nation. ²⁹ 

Genesis 28:14

28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, ³⁰  and you will spread out ³¹  to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ³²  using your name and that of your descendants. ³³ 

Genesis 35:11

35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ³⁴  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ³⁵ 

Genesis 46:3

46:3 He said, “I am God, ³⁶  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 1:7

1:7 The Israelites, ³⁷  however, ³⁸  were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, ³⁹  so that the land was filled with them.

Exodus 32:10

32:10 So now, leave me alone ⁴⁰  so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”

Numbers 14:12

14:12 I will strike them with the pestilence, ⁴¹  and I will disinherit them; I will make you into a nation that is greater and mightier than they!”

Numbers 24:9-10

24:9 They crouch and lie down like a lion,

and as a lioness, ⁴²  who can stir him?

Blessed is the one who blesses you,

and cursed is the one who curses you!’”

24:10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together. ⁴³  Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless ⁴⁴  them these three times!

Deuteronomy 26:5

26:5 Then you must affirm before the Lord your God, “A wandering ⁴⁵  Aramean ⁴⁶  was my ancestor, ⁴⁷  and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a household few in number, ⁴⁸  but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous people.

Deuteronomy 26:2

26:2 you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place where he ⁴⁹  chooses to locate his name. ⁵⁰ 

Deuteronomy 7:9

7:9 So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, ⁵¹  the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully ⁵²  with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Deuteronomy 7:1

The Dispossession of Nonvassals

7:1 When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, ⁵³  Girgashites, ⁵⁴  Amorites, ⁵⁵  Canaanites, ⁵⁶  Perizzites, ⁵⁷  Hivites, ⁵⁸  and Jebusites, ⁵⁹  seven ⁶⁰  nations more numerous and powerful than you –

Deuteronomy 3:8-9

3:8 So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon ⁶¹  3:9 (the Sidonians ⁶²  call Hermon Sirion ⁶³  and the Amorites call it Senir), ⁶⁴ 

Micah 7:20

7:20 You will be loyal to Jacob

and extend your loyal love to Abraham, ⁶⁵ 

which you promised on oath to our ancestors ⁶⁶ 

in ancient times. ⁶⁷ 

Romans 4:11

4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, ⁶⁸  so that he would become ⁶⁹  the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, ⁷⁰  that they too could have righteousness credited to them.

Galatians 3:7

3:7 so then, understand ⁷¹  that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. ⁷² 

[13:16]  ¹ tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.

[15:5]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ³ tn Heb “will your name be called.”

[17:5]  ⁴ sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.

[17:5]  ⁵ tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.

[17:6]  ⁶ tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.

[17:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”

[18:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”

[18:18]  ¹⁰ tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.

[18:18]  ¹¹ tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[22:17]  ¹² tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

[22:17]  ¹³ tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

[22:17]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[22:17]  ¹⁵ tn Or “inherit.”

[22:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).

[22:18]  ¹⁷ tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.

[22:18]  ¹⁸ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[24:35]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.

[24:35]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “your descendants.”

[26:4]  ²² tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[27:29]  ²³ tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.

[27:29]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”

[27:29]  ²⁵ tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[28:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[28:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.

[28:3]  ²⁸ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”

[28:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”

[28:14]  ³⁰ tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.

[28:14]  ³¹ tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.

[28:14]  ³² tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[28:14]  ³³ tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”

[35:11]  ³⁴ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[35:11]  ³⁵ tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[46:3]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the God.”

[1:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”

[1:7]  ³⁸ tn The disjunctive vav marks a contrast with the note about the deaths of the first generation.

[1:7]  ³⁹ tn Using מְאֹד (mÿ’od) twice intensifies the idea of their becoming strong (see GKC 431-32 §133.k).

[32:10]  ⁴⁰ tn The imperative, from the word “to rest” (נוּחַ, nuakh), has the sense of “leave me alone, let me be.” It is a directive for Moses not to intercede for the people. B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 567) reflects the Jewish interpretation that there is a profound paradox in God’s words. He vows the severest punishment but then suddenly conditions it on Moses’ agreement. “Let me alone that I may consume them” is the statement, but the effect is that he has left the door open for intercession. He allows himself to be persuaded – that is what a mediator is for. God could have slammed the door (as when Moses wanted to go into the promised land). Moreover, by alluding to the promise to Abraham God gave Moses the strongest reason to intercede.

[14:12]  ⁴¹ tc The Greek version has “death.”

[24:9]  ⁴² tn On the usage of this word see HALOT 517 s.v. לָבִיא.

[24:10]  ⁴³ sn This is apparently a sign of contempt or derision (see Job 27:23; and Lam 2:15).

[24:10]  ⁴⁴ tn The construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the perfect tense for “bless.”

[26:5]  ⁴⁵ tn Though the Hebrew term אָבַד (’avad) generally means “to perish” or the like (HALOT 2-3 s.v.; BDB 1-2 s.v.; cf. KJV “a Syrian ready to perish”), a meaning “to go astray” or “to be lost” is also attested. The ambivalence in the Hebrew text is reflected in the versions where LXX Vaticanus reads ἀπέβαλεν (apebalen, “lose”) for a possibly metathesized reading found in Alexandrinus, Ambrosianus, ἀπέλαβεν (apelaben, “receive”); others attest κατέλειπεν (kateleipen, “leave, abandon”). “Wandering” seems to suit best the contrast with the sedentary life Israel would enjoy in Canaan (v. 9) and is the meaning followed by many English versions.

[26:5]  ⁴⁶ sn A wandering Aramean. This is a reference to Jacob whose mother Rebekah was an Aramean (Gen 24:10; 25:20, 26) and who himself lived in Aram for at least twenty years (Gen 31:41-42).

[26:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “father.”

[26:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “sojourned there few in number.” The words “with a household” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

[26:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[26:2]  ⁵⁰ sn The place where he chooses to locate his name. This is a circumlocution for the central sanctuary, first the tabernacle and later the Jerusalem temple. See Deut 12:1-14 and especially the note on the word “you” in v. 14.

[7:9]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the God.” The article here expresses uniqueness; cf. TEV “is the only God”; NLT “is indeed God.”

[7:9]  ⁵² tn Heb “who keeps covenant and loyalty.” The syndetic construction of בְּרִית (bÿrit) and חֶסֶד (khesed) should be understood not as “covenant” plus “loyalty” but as an adverbial construction in which חֶסֶד (“loyalty”) modifies the verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “keeps”).

[7:1]  ⁵³ sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 b.c.) they were at their zenith, establishing outposts and colonies near and far. Some elements were obviously in Canaan at the time of the Conquest (1400-1350 b.c.).

[7:1]  ⁵⁴ sn Girgashites. These cannot be ethnically identified and are unknown outside the OT. They usually appear in such lists only when the intention is to have seven groups in all (see also the note on the word “seven” later in this verse).

[7:1]  ⁵⁵ sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200 b.c. or thereabouts.

[7:1]  ⁵⁶ sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000 b.c.). The OT identifies them as descendants of Ham (Gen 10:6), the only Hamites to have settled north and east of Egypt.

[7:1]  ⁵⁷ sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).

[7:1]  ⁵⁸ sn Hivites. These are usually thought to be the same as the Hurrians, a people well-known in ancient Near Eastern texts. They are likely identical to the Horites (see note on the term “Horites” in Deut 2:12).

[7:1]  ⁵⁹ sn Jebusites. These inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).

[7:1]  ⁶⁰ sn Seven. This is an ideal number in the OT, one symbolizing fullness or completeness. Therefore, the intent of the text here is not to be precise and list all of Israel’s enemies but simply to state that Israel will have a full complement of foes to deal with. For other lists of Canaanites, some with fewer than seven peoples, see Exod 3:8; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deut 20:17; Josh 3:10; 9:1; 24:11. Moreover, the “Table of Nations” (Gen 10:15-19) suggests that all of these (possibly excepting the Perizzites) were offspring of Canaan and therefore Canaanites.

[3:8]  ⁶¹ sn Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range known today as Jebel es-Sheik.

[3:9]  ⁶² sn Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.

[3:9]  ⁶³ sn Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn. See UT 495.

[3:9]  ⁶⁴ sn Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see ANET 280).

[7:20]  ⁶⁵ tn More literally, “You will extend loyalty to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham.

[7:20]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “our fathers.” The Hebrew term refers here to more distant ancestors, not immediate parents.

[7:20]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “which you swore [or, “pledged”] to our fathers from days of old.”

[4:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “of the faith, the one [existing] in uncircumcision.”

[4:11]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “that he might be,” giving the purpose of v. 11a.

[4:11]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “through uncircumcision.”

[3:7]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “know.”

[3:7]  ⁷² tn The phrase “sons of Abraham” is used here in a figurative sense to describe people who are connected to a personality, Abraham, by close nonmaterial ties. It is this personality that has defined the relationship and its characteristics (BDAG 1024-25 s.v. υἱός 2.c.α).