Genesis 17:20

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Genesis

Genesis 17

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

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Genesis 17:20 in Other Translations

KJV

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

ESV

20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

NLT

20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

MSG

20 "And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children - a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation.

CSB

20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.

Genesis 17:20 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 17:20

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee, &c,
Took notice of his prayer for him, and accepted of and would answer him, and did, as follows:

behold, I have blessed him;
determined in his mind to bless him, promised to bless him, ( Genesis 16:10 Genesis 16:12 ) ; had blessings laid up and in reserve for him:

and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly;
as he did, many of the Arabian nations, the Hagarenes, Saracens, and Turks, all springing from him:

twelve princes shall he beget;
whose names are given, ( Genesis 25:13-15 ) ; and their number there exactly agrees with this prophecy. Melo ^F19, the Heathen writer above mentioned, says, that Abraham, of his other wife, the Egyptian servant (that is, Hagar), begat twelve sons, which he mistakes for twelve sons of Ishmael, his son by Hagar; and, adds he, these going into Arabia, divided the country among them, and were the first that reigned over the inhabitants of it; hence down to our times the kings of the Arabians have twelve names like to those. So the Saracens were divided into twelve tribes, of which there were so many "phylarchi", or governors; and the Turks also are divided into the same number of tribes ^F20. And

I will make him a great nation;
as the nation of the Turks especially is; and the Turkish empire is frequently called in Jewish writings the kingdom of Ishmael, as the Arabic language is called the Ishmaelitish language.

FOOTNOTES:

F19 Apud. Euseb. ut supra. (Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 19. p. 421.)
F20 Vid. Vales. Not. in Ammian. Marcellin. l. 24. p. 283.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Genesis 17:20 In-Context

18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”

22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.