Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Parallel translations
- WEB Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your offspring be.”
- BSB Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
- NKJV who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
- NASB In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
- NLT Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
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
Against all natural hope, Abraham hoped and believed God's promise of many descendants. Genuine faith trusts God despite impossible circumstances.
Overview
Paul describes Abraham believing 'in hope' even when there was no human basis for hope, resting on God's word, 'So will your offspring be' (Genesis 15:5). His faith looked past visible obstacles to the promise of God. This models the persevering trust to which all believers are called as they rely on God's sure word.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Rom 8:24For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
- Gen 15:5–6And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
- Rom 5:5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
- Acts 27:25Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
- Mark 5:35–36While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?
- Prov 13:12Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
- Rom 4:17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
- Ezek 37:11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
- Luke 1:18And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
- Ruth 1:11–13And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
- Rom 4:19And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 4:18 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
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