saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,
Parallel translations
- WEB and said, “I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
- KJV And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
- NKJV and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—
- NASB and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,
- NLT “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that
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
Yahweh swears by Himself because Abraham did not withhold his only son. God binds His promise with an oath, grounding it in His own unchanging character.
Overview
Because there is none greater, God swears by Himself, giving the strongest possible assurance of His covenant. Hebrews 6:13-18 cites this oath as the firm anchor of the believer's hope. Abraham's not withholding his only son echoes the Father who gave His only Son, the greater offering this scene anticipates.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Luke 1:73the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
- Heb 6:13–14When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself,
- Ps 105:9the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac.
- Jer 51:14The LORD of Hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you up with men as with locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.”
- Rom 4:13–14For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
- Jer 49:13For by Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins forever.”
- Isa 45:23By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
- Gen 12:2I 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.
- Amos 6:8The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”
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 22:16 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.