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 Lord² 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 22:17

22:17 I will indeed bless you,³ and I will greatly multiply⁴ your descendants⁵ 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 possession⁶ of the strongholds⁷ of their enemies.

Genesis 22:1

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested⁸ Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham⁹ replied.

Genesis 21:2

21:2 So Sarah became pregnant¹⁰ and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him.

Genesis 21:5-6

21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.)¹¹

21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh.¹² Everyone who hears about this¹³ will laugh¹⁴ with me.”

Genesis 27:23-24

27:23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob.¹⁵ 27:24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob¹⁶ replied.

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

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

³tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

⁴tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

⁵tn 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.

⁶tn Or “inherit.”

⁷tn 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”).

⁸sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

⁹tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰tn Or “she conceived.”

¹¹tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).

¹²tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”

¹³tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁴sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).

¹⁵tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁶tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.