Genesis 22:17

17 I shall bless thee, and I shall multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the gravel, either sand, which is in the brink of the sea; thy seed shall wield the gates of his enemies; (I shall bless thee, and I shall multiply thy descendants like the stars of the heavens, and like the gravel, or the sand, which is at the seashore; and thy descendants shall control the gates of their 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 Forsooth the angel of the Lord called (to) Abraham the second time from heaven,
16 and said, The Lord saith, I have sworn by myself, for thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thine one begotten son for me, (and said, The Lord saith, I swear by myself, because thou hast done this thing, and thou hast not withheld thy only son from me,)
17 I shall bless thee, and I shall multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the gravel, either sand, which is in the brink of the sea; thy seed shall wield the gates of his enemies; (I shall bless thee, and I shall multiply thy descendants like the stars of the heavens, and like the gravel, or the sand, which is at the seashore; and thy descendants shall control the gates of their enemies;)
18 and all the folks of [the] earth shall be blessed in thy seed (and all the nations of the earth shall pray to be blessed as thy descendants be blessed/and through thy descendants I shall bless all the nations of the earth), for thou obeyedest to my voice.
19 Abraham turned again to his young men (And Abraham returned to his young men), and they went to Beersheba together, and he dwelled there.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.