But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
Parallel translations
- WEB But my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”
- BSB But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
- NKJV But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
- NASB But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”
- NLT But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God declared He would establish His covenant with Isaac, to be born to Sarah within a year. The promise is given a definite, near timetable.
Overview
God reaffirms that the covenant belongs to Isaac and fixes the time of his birth, removing all doubt about the promise's fulfillment. The appointed time underscores God's sovereign control over events. This precise promise heightens anticipation and demonstrates that the covenant rests wholly on God's faithful word, soon to be proven true.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Gen 21:2–3For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
- Gen 26:2–5And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
- Rom 9:9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
- Gen 18:10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
- Rom 9:5–6Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
- Gal 3:29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
- Gen 21:10–12Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
- Luke 1:55As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
- Heb 11:9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
- Acts 1:7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
- Gen 46:1And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
- Luke 1:72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
- Exod 2:24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
- Job 14:13O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
- Exod 3:6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
- Gen 48:15And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 17:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.