Genesis 22:17

17 I will richly bless thee, and greatly multiply thy seed, as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is on the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

Genesis 22:17 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 22:17

That in blessing I will bless thee
With temporal and spiritual blessings; with the Spirit and all his graces; with Christ and redemption, justification, and salvation by him; and with eternal life, as the gift of God, through him: and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore:
both his natural seed, descending from him in the line of Isaac, and his spiritual seed, both among Jews and Gentiles, that tread in his steps; see ( Genesis 13:15 Genesis 13:16 ) ( 15:5 ) : and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies:
"gate" for "gates", where courts of judicature were held, and which are the security of cities and put for them, and which also include the whole country round about: so that this phrase is expressive of an entire jurisdiction and dominion over them; and was literally fulfilled in the times of Joshua, David, and Solomon; and spiritually in Christ, Abraham's principal seed, when he destroyed Satan and his principalities and powers; overcame the world; made an end of sin and abolished death; and delivered his people out the hands of all their enemies; and in all Abraham's spiritual seed, who are made more than conquerors over them, through Christ that has loved them.

Genesis 22:17 In-Context

15 And the Angel of Jehovah called to Abraham from the heavens a second time,
16 and said, By myself I swear, saith Jehovah, that, because thou hast done this, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son],
17 I will richly bless thee, and greatly multiply thy seed, as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is on the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because thou hast hearkened to my voice.
19 And Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.