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—
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:
- BSB saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld 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 which he swore to Abraham, our father,
- Heb 6:13–14For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself,
- Ps 105:9the covenant which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac,
- Jer 51:14Yahweh of Armies has sworn by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will fill you with men, as with the canker worm; and they will lift up a shout against you.’
- Rom 4:13–14For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
- Jer 49:13For I have sworn by myself,” says Yahweh, “that Bozrah will become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. All its cities will be perpetual wastes.”
- Isa 45:23I have sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not be revoked, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.
- Gen 12:2I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
- Amos 6:8“The Lord Yahweh has sworn by himself,” says Yahweh, the God of Armies: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, and detest his fortresses. Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it.
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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.