“I will make My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
Parallel translations
- WEB I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
- KJV And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
- BSB I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
- NKJV And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
- NLT I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
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 promised to confirm His covenant and multiply Abram exceedingly. The covenant relationship is reaffirmed and expanded.
Overview
God restates His intention to establish the covenant and greatly increase Abram's descendants, building on chapter 15. The repetition and intensification assure Abram that God's purpose stands firm despite the long delay. This faithful confirming of His promise displays God's steadfast covenant love, the same love that secures believers in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Gen 17:4–6“As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.
- Gen 12:2I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
- Gen 15:18In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
- Ps 105:8–11He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations,
- Gen 13:16I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted.
- Gen 22:17that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies.
- Gal 3:17–18Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect.
- Gen 9:9“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 17:2 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.