Genesis 15:18

15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ¹  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ²  this land, from the river of Egypt ³  to the great river, the Euphrates River –

Genesis 17:2

17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ⁴  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ⁵ 

Genesis 26:3

26:3 Stay ⁶  in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, ⁷  for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, ⁸  and I will fulfill ⁹  the solemn promise I made ¹⁰  to your father Abraham.

Genesis 28:13-14

28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. ¹¹  I will give you and your descendants the ground ¹²  you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, ¹³  and you will spread out ¹⁴  to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ¹⁵  using your name and that of your descendants. ¹⁶ 

Genesis 35:11

35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ¹⁷  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ¹⁸ 

Exodus 3:15

3:15 God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The Lord ¹⁹  – the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you. This is my name ²⁰  forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’ ²¹ 

Nehemiah 9:8

9:8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a ²²  covenant with him to give his descendants ²³  the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise, ²⁴  for you are righteous.

Luke 1:72-73

1:72 He has done this ²⁵  to show mercy ²⁶  to our ancestors, ²⁷ 

and to remember his holy covenant ²⁸  –

1:73 the oath ²⁹  that he swore to our ancestor ³⁰  Abraham.

This oath grants ³¹ 

Acts 3:25

3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, ³²  saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants ³³  all the nations ³⁴  of the earth will be blessed.’ ³⁵ 

Galatians 3:15-17

Inheritance Comes from Promises and not Law

3:15 Brothers and sisters, ³⁶  I offer an example from everyday life: ³⁷  When a covenant ³⁸  has been ratified, ³⁹  even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it. 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. ⁴⁰  Scripture ⁴¹  does not say, “and to the descendants,” ⁴²  referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” ⁴³  referring to one, who is Christ. 3:17 What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, ⁴⁴  so as to invalidate the promise.

Hebrews 6:13-18

6:13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 6:14 saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.” ⁴⁵  6:15 And so by persevering, Abraham ⁴⁶  inherited the promise. 6:16 For people ⁴⁷  swear by something greater than themselves, ⁴⁸  and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. ⁴⁹  6:17 In the same way ⁵⁰  God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, ⁵¹  and so he intervened with an oath, 6:18 so that we who have found refuge in him ⁵²  may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

[15:18]  ¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[15:18]  ² tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).

[15:18]  ³ sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.

[17:2]  ⁴ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the Lord will ratify the covenant. Earlier the Lord ratified part of his promise to Abram (see Gen 15:18-21), guaranteeing him that his descendants would live in the land. But the expanded form of the promise, which includes numerous descendants and eternal possession of the land, remains to be ratified. This expanded form of the promise is in view here (see vv. 2b, 4-8). See the note at Gen 15:18 and R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[17:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[26:3]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.

[26:3]  ⁷ tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.

[26:3]  ⁸ 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.

[26:3]  ⁹ tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.

[26:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”

[28:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.

[28:13]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.

[28:14]  ¹³ tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.

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

[28:14]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”

[35:11]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[3:15]  ¹⁹ sn Heb “Yahweh,” traditionally rendered “the Lord.” First the verb “I AM” was used (v. 14) in place of the name to indicate its meaning and to remind Moses of God’s promise to be with him (v. 12). Now in v. 15 the actual name is used for clear identification: “Yahweh…has sent me.” This is the name that the patriarchs invoked and proclaimed in the land of Canaan.

[3:15]  ²⁰ sn The words “name” and “memorial” are at the heart of the two parallel clauses that form a poetic pair. The Hebrew word “remembrance” is a poetical synonym for “name” (cf. Job 18:17; Ps 135:13; Prov 10:7; Isa 26:8) and conveys the idea that the nature or character of the person is to be remembered and praised (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 24).

[3:15]  ²¹ tn The repetition of “generation” in this expression serves as a periphrasis for the superlative: “to the remotest generation” (GKC 432 §133.l).

[9:8]  ²² tn Heb “the” (so NAB).

[9:8]  ²³ tn Heb “seed.”

[9:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “your words.”

[1:72]  ²⁵ tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.

[1:72]  ²⁶ sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

[1:72]  ²⁷ tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.

[1:72]  ²⁸ sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).

[1:73]  ²⁹ tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.

[1:73]  ³⁰ tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”

[1:73]  ³¹ tn Again for reasons of English style, the infinitival clause “to grant us” has been translated “This oath grants” and made the beginning of a new sentence in the translation.

[3:25]  ³² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:25]  ³³ tn Or “in your offspring”; Grk “in your seed.”

[3:25]  ³⁴ tn Or “families.” The Greek word πατριά (patria) can indicate persons of succeeding generations who are related by birth (“lineage,” “family”) but it can also indicate a relatively large unit of people who make up a sociopolitical group and who share a presumed biological descent. In many contexts πατριά is very similar to ἔθνος (eqnos) and λαός (laos). In light of the context of the OT quotation, it is better to translate πατριά as “nations” here.

[3:25]  ³⁵ sn A quotation from Gen 22:18.

[3:15]  ³⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[3:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “I speak according to man,” referring to the illustration that follows.

[3:15]  ³⁸ tn The same Greek word, διαθήκη (diaqhkh), can mean either “covenant” or “will,” but in this context the former is preferred here because Paul is discussing in vv. 16-18 the Abrahamic covenant.

[3:15]  ³⁹ tn Or “has been put into effect.”

[3:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “his seed,” a figurative extension of the meaning of σπέρμα (sperma) to refer to descendants (L&N 10.29).

[3:16]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “It”; the referent (the scripture) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The understood subject of the verb λέγει (legei) could also be “He” (referring to God) as the one who spoke the promise to Abraham.

[3:16]  ⁴² tn Grk “to seeds.” See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse. Here the term is plural; the use of the singular in the OT text cited later in this verse is crucial to Paul’s argument.

[3:16]  ⁴³ tn See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse.

[3:17]  ⁴⁴ tc Most mss (D F G I 0176 0278 Ï it sy) read “ratified by God in Christ” whereas the omission of “in Christ” is the reading in Ì⁴⁶ א A B C P Ψ 6 33 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 pc co. The shorter reading is strongly supported by the ms evidence, and it is probable that a copyist inserted the words as an interpretive gloss. However, this form of the “in Christ” expression is somewhat atypical in the corpus Paulinum (εἰς Χριστόν [ei" Criston] rather than ἐν Χριστῷ [en Cristw]), a fact which tempers one’s certainty about the shorter reading. Nevertheless, the expression is used more in Galatians than in any other of Paul’s letters (Gal 2:16; 3:24, 27), and may have been suggested by such texts to early copyists.

[6:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “in blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply you,” the Greek form of a Hebrew idiom showing intensity.

[6:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Abraham) has been specified for clarity.

[6:16]  ⁴⁷ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”

[6:16]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “by something greater”; the rest of the comparison (“than themselves”) is implied.

[6:16]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the oath for confirmation is an end of all dispute.”

[6:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “in which.”

[6:17]  ⁵¹ tn Or “immutable” (here and in v. 18); Grk “the unchangeableness of his purpose.”

[6:18]  ⁵² tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.