Genesis 17:2
New International Version
Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

New Living Translation
I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”

English Standard Version
that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”

Berean Standard Bible
I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

King James Bible
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

New King James Version
And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

New American Standard Bible
“I will make My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

NASB 1995
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

NASB 1977
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

Legacy Standard Bible
so that I may confirm My covenant between Me and you, And that I may multiply you exceedingly.”

Amplified Bible
“I will establish My covenant (everlasting promise) between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly [through your descendants].”

Christian Standard Bible
I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”

American Standard Version
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

Contemporary English Version
I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted."

English Revised Version
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I will give you my promise, and I will give you very many descendants."

Good News Translation
I will make my covenant with you and give you many descendants."

International Standard Version
I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers."

Majority Standard Bible
I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

NET Bible
Then I will confirm my covenant between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants."

New Heart English Bible
I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you greatly."

Webster's Bible Translation
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

World English Bible
I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and I give My covenant between Me and you, and multiply you very exceedingly.”

Young's Literal Translation
and I give My covenant between Me and thee, and multiply thee very exceedingly.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And I will give my covenant between me and between thee, and I will multiply thee with might exceedingly.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I will set my covenant between me and you. And I will multiply you very exceedingly.”

New American Bible
Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will multiply you exceedingly.

New Revised Standard Version
And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I will make my covenant between me and you and will multiply you exceedingly.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Abram fell on his face and God spoke with him and said to him,
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Renaming of Abraham
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless. 2I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” 3Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,…

Cross References
Genesis 12:2-3
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. / I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 15:5-6
And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.” / Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Genesis 22:17-18
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. / And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Genesis 26:4
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,

Genesis 28:14
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Exodus 6:7
I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Leviticus 26:9
I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you.

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

2 Samuel 7:12-16
And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. / He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. / I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ...

Psalm 105:8-11
He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations— / the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac. / He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: ...

Isaiah 51:2
Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth. When I called him, he was but one; then I blessed him and multiplied him.

Jeremiah 31:31-33
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. / It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. / “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Ezekiel 37:26
And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever.

Romans 4:11-13
And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. / And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. / For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Romans 9:8
So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.


Treasury of Scripture

And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.

And I.

Genesis 17:4-6
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations…

Genesis 9:9
And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

Genesis 15:18
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

multiply.

Genesis 12:2
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 13:16
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

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Agreement Confirm Covenant Establish Exceedingly Greatly Increase Increased Multiply Numbers Offspring
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Agreement Confirm Covenant Establish Exceedingly Greatly Increase Increased Multiply Numbers Offspring
Genesis 17
1. God renews the covenant with Abram,
5. and changes his name to Abraham, in token of a greater blessing.
9. Circumcision is instituted.
15. Sarai's name is changed to Sarah, and she is blessed.
17. Isaac is promised, and the time of his birth fixed.
23. Abraham and Ishmael are circumcised.














I will establish
The Hebrew word used here is "הֲקִמֹתִי" (haqimoti), which conveys the idea of setting up, confirming, or making something stand firm. In the context of a covenant, it implies a solemn and binding agreement initiated by God. This is not merely a promise but a divine commitment that underscores God's faithfulness and sovereignty. The establishment of a covenant by God is a recurring theme in the Bible, highlighting His desire to enter into a relationship with humanity.

My covenant
The term "בְּרִיתִי" (beriti) in Hebrew refers to a formal agreement or treaty. In the ancient Near Eastern context, covenants were serious and often involved rituals or sacrifices. God's covenant with Abraham is foundational, setting the stage for the unfolding of His redemptive plan. This covenant is not just a contract but a relational bond, emphasizing God's grace and the special status of Abraham and his descendants.

between Me and you
This phrase emphasizes the personal and relational nature of the covenant. It is not a distant or impersonal agreement but one that involves direct interaction between God and Abraham. The use of "between" signifies mutual commitment and the establishment of a unique relationship. This personal aspect of the covenant is a precursor to the intimate relationship God desires with all His people.

and I will multiply you exceedingly
The promise of multiplication is a recurring theme in God's dealings with the patriarchs. The Hebrew word "אַרְבֶּה" (arbeh) means to increase or make numerous. This promise of multiplication is both physical, in terms of descendants, and spiritual, as Abraham's lineage would become a blessing to all nations. The adverb "exceedingly" underscores the abundance and generosity of God's blessing. Historically, this promise is fulfilled as Abraham becomes the father of many nations, and spiritually, it points to the expansive reach of God's covenant through Christ.

(2) I will make my covenant.--In Genesis 15:18 the Heb. word for "make" is cut, and refers to the severing of the victims; here it is "give," "place," and implies that it was an act of grace on God's part (comp. Note on Genesis 9:9). Abram had now waited twenty-five years after leaving Ur-Chasdim, and fourteen or fifteen years since the ratification of the solemn covenant between him and Jehovah (Genesis 15:17); but the time had at length arrived for the fulfilment of the promise, and in token thereof Abram and Sarai were to change their names, and all the males be brought near to God by a solemn sacrament.

Verse 2. - And I will make my covenant between me and thee. Literally, I will give (cf. Genesis 9:9, 11, 12). Neither an additional covenant to that described in Genesis 15. (Rosenmüller), nor a different traditional account of the transaction contained in Genesis 15. (Tuch, Bleek), nor the original Elohistic narrative of which that in Genesis 15. was a later imitation (Knobel); but an intimation that the covenant already concluded was about to be carried into execution, and the promise of a son to be more specifically determined as the offspring of Sarai (Keil). And will multiply thee exceedingly (vide Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I will establish
וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה (wə·’et·tə·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

My covenant
בְרִיתִ֖י (ḇə·rî·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1285: A covenant

between Me and you,
בֵּינִ֣י (bê·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

and I will multiply
וְאַרְבֶּ֥ה (wə·’ar·beh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great

you
אוֹתְךָ֖ (’ō·wṯ·ḵā)
Direct object marker | second person masculine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

exceedingly.”
בִּמְאֹ֥ד (bim·’ōḏ)
Preposition-b | Adverb
Strong's 3966: Vehemence, vehemently, wholly, speedily


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OT Law: Genesis 17:2 I will make my covenant between me (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 17:1
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