Bible Strands
Genesis 17:4
“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God speaks to Abram immediately after Abram falls facedown in response to a divine promise. The declaration establishes the terms of a binding covenant relationship.
The words — בְּרִיתִי (ve.ri.Ti) translates literally to "My covenant," marking a unilateral divine commitment. הֲמ֥וֹן (ha.Mon) means "a multitude," specifying the scale of the promised progeny without implying immediate numerical fulfillment.
The thread — This promise echoes Genesis 12:2 where God vows to make Abram a great nation, and Genesis 35:11 where God reiterates that a company of nations will come from him. The New Testament cites this lineage in Romans 4:11 to ground Abraham's righteousness in faith prior to circumcision.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that identity and future generations are determined by divine declaration rather than human effort. It requires the reader to accept a promised transformation that precedes its fulfillment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Cross-references
- Genesis 35:11 And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.
- Romans 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. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
- Genesis 12:2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
- Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
- Genesis 13:16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.
- Genesis 16:10 Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”
- Genesis 22:17 I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
- Genesis 25:1 Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,
- Genesis 32:12 But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’”
- Genesis 36:1 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).