Genesis 17:16

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

Genesis 17:16 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
English Standard Version (ESV)
16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
New Living Translation (NLT)
16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”
The Message Bible (MSG)
16 I'll bless her - yes! I'll give you a son by her! Oh, how I'll bless her! Nations will come from her; kings of nations will come from her."
American Standard Version (ASV)
16 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother of] nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
16 I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become [a mother of] nations, and kings will come from her."
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
16 I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her."
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
16 I will give her my blessing. You can be sure that I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. Kings of nations will come 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 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.
16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

Cross References 2

  • 1. S ver 6; S Isaiah 29:22; Genesis 18:10
  • 2. S ver 4; Genesis 24:60; Genesis 35:11; Galatians 4:31
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.