Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Study Note
Study Note
'I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies' — the Aqedah's divine reaffirmation of covenant promises escalates all three elements from earlier appearances: the similes are doubled (stars and sand), the blessing intensified, and the dominion ('possess the gate') made more concrete. The verse marks the culmination of the Abraham narrative's covenant theology, providing the basis for the phrase 'sworn by himself' (verse 16) — a divine oath that the author of Hebrews identifies as the supreme guarantee of eschatological hope (Hebrews 6:13–18). Galatians 3:16 focuses on the singular 'offspring' (sperma) to identify the ultimate bearer of these promises as Christ, embedding messianic fulfillment in this specific covenant oath. The verse stands as the high-water mark of promise in the patriarchal narratives.
Other Translations
that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
that blessing I bless thee, and multiplying I multiply thy seed as stars of the heavens, and as sand which <FI>is<Fi> on the sea-shore; and thy seed doth possess the gate of his enemies;
That I will certainly give you my blessing, and your seed will be increased like the stars of heaven and the sand by the seaside; your seed will take the land of those who are against them;
Cross References
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and …
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the …
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able …
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of …
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, …
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all …
Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and …
Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons …
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and …