Genesis 18:19

18:19 I have chosen him ¹  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ²  the way of the Lord by doing ³  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁴  to Abraham what he promised ⁵  him.”

Psalms 90:16

90:16 May your servants see your work! ⁶ 

May their sons see your majesty! ⁷ 

Psalms 102:28

102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,

and their descendants ⁸  will live securely in your presence.” ⁹ 

Isaiah 38:19

38:19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks,

as I do today.

A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.

Jeremiah 32:39

32:39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for ¹⁰  their own good and the good of the children who descend from them.

Acts 2:39

2:39 For the promise ¹¹  is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

Acts 13:33

13:33 that this promise ¹²  God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising ¹³  Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; ¹⁴  today I have fathered you.’ ¹⁵ 

¹ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

² tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

³ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

⁴ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

⁵ tn Heb “spoke to.”

⁶ tn Heb “may your work be revealed to your servants.” In this context (note v. 17) the verb form יֵרָאֶה (yera’eh) is best understood as an unshortened jussive (see Gen 1:9; Isa 47:3).

⁷ tn Heb “and your majesty to their sons.” The verb “be revealed” is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

⁸ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

⁹ tn Heb “before you will be established.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “I will give to them one heart and one way to [= in order that they may] fear me all the days for good to them.” The phrase “one heart” refers both to unanimity of will and accord (cf. 1 Chr 12:38 [12:39 HT]; 2 Chr 30:12) and to singleness of purpose or intent (cf. Ezek 11:19 and see BDB 525 s.v. ֵלב 4 where reference is made to “inclinations, resolutions, and determinations of the will”). The phrase “one way” refers to one way of life or conduct (cf. BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a where reference is made to moral action and character), a way of life that is further qualified by the goal of showing “fear, reverence, respect” for the Lord. The Hebrew sentence has been broken up to avoid a long complex sentence in English which is contrary to contemporary English style. However, an attempt has been made to preserve all the connections of the original.

¹¹ sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.

¹² tn Grk “that this”; the referent (the promise mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ tn Or “by resurrecting.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") is taken as instrumental here.

¹⁴ sn You are my Son. The key to how the quotation is used is the naming of Jesus as “Son” to the Father. The language is that of kingship, as Ps 2 indicates. Here is the promise about what the ultimate Davidic heir would be.

¹⁵ tn Grk “I have begotten you.” The traditional translation for γεγέννηκα (gegennhka, “begotten”) is misleading to the modern English reader because it is no longer in common use. Today one speaks of “fathering” a child in much the same way speakers of English formerly spoke of “begetting a child.”