Genesis 13:16

16 I will make your descendants as many as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust on the earth, he could count your people.

Genesis 13:16 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 13:16

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth
An hyperbolical expression denoting the great multitude of Abram's posterity, as they were in the days of Solomon, and as they will be in the latter day; and especially as this may respect all the spiritual seed of Abram, Jews and Gentiles, and as they will be in the spiritual reign of Christ, see ( Hosea 1:10 Hosea 1:11 ) ; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy
seed be numbered;
but as it is impossible to do the one, so the other is not practicable, see ( Numbers 23:10 ) .

Genesis 13:16 In-Context

14 After Lot left, the Lord said to Abram, "Look all around you -- to the north and south and east and west.

15 All this land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.

16 I will make your descendants as many as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust on the earth, he could count your people.

17 Get up! Walk through all this land because I am now giving it to you."

18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at the city of Hebron. There he built an altar to the Lord.