Genesis 17:16

16 And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

Genesis 17:16 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 17:16

And I will bless her
The Targum of Jonathan adds, "in her body", with fruitfulness, who before was barren, and in her soul with spiritual blessings, and in both with the blessing of eternal life:

and give thee a son also of her;
as he had given him one of Hagar: God had before promised Abraham a son that should be his heir, but he had not till now told him that he should be born of Sarah his wife:

yea, I will bless her;
which is repeated for the confirmation of it, and for the greater strengthening Abraham's faith in it:

and she shall be [a mother] of nations;
of the twelve tribes of Israel; of the two nations of Israel and Judah;

kings of people shall be of her;
as David, Solomon, and others, and especially the King Messiah.

Genesis 17:16 In-Context

14 But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.
16 And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”
The Berean Bible and Majority Bible texts are officially placed into the public domain