Genesis 17:7

I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God addresses Abraham in Genesis 17 after promising to make him exceedingly fruitful and the father of kings. The statement is delivered before the subsequent commands regarding circumcision and the sign of the flesh.

The words — The Hebrew וַ/הֲקִמֹתִי (va./ha.ki.mo.Ti) translates literally as "and I will establish," while בְּרִיתִ֜/י (be.ri.T/i) means "my covenant." Together they frame the relationship as a fixed divine commitment rather than a mutual agreement.

The thread — Genesis 26:24 records God reiterating His identity as the God of Abraham to Isaac. Acts 2:39 extends the promise to the listeners, their children, and all whom the Lord calls. Romans 9:7 notes that not all physical descendants count as the covenant children, specifying the line continues through Isaac.

Why it lands — The text requires acknowledgment that God alone initiates and secures the relationship with Abraham and his lineage. It asks the reader to rest on the permanence of divine commitment rather than human merit.

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

וַהֲקִמֹתִ֨יva./ha.ki.mo.Tiand/ I will establish אֶת־'et-<obj.>בְּרִיתִ֜יbe.ri.T/icovenant/ my בֵּינִ֣יbei./Nibetween/ me וּבֵינֶ֗ךָu./vei.Ne./khaand/ between/ you וּבֵ֨יןu./Veinand/ between זַרְעֲךָ֧zar.'a./Khaoffspring/ your אַחֲרֶ֛יךָ'a.cha.Rei./khaafter/ you לְדֹרֹתָ֖םle./do.ro.Ta/mfor/ generations/ their לִבְרִ֣יתli/v.Ritto/ a covenant of עוֹלָ֑םo.Lamperpetuity לִהְי֤וֹתli/h.Yotto/ becomeלְךָ֙le./Khafor <the>/ youלֵֽאלֹהִ֔יםle./lo.Him<into>/ God וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖u./le./zar.'a./Khaand/ for/ offspring/ your אַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃'a.cha.Rei./khaafter/ you

King James Version

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Cross-references

Romans 9:7 Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
Genesis 26:24 and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”
Acts 2:39 This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Genesis 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
Genesis 28:13 And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.
Leviticus 26:12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Galatians 3:16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.
Hebrews 11:16 Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Psalms 105:8 He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations—