Kejadian 22:17

22:17 I will indeed bless you, ¹  and I will greatly multiply ²  your descendants ³  so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession ⁴  of the strongholds ⁵  of their enemies.

Kejadian 22:1

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ⁶  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ⁷  replied.

1 Raja-raja 4:20

Solomon’s Wealth and Fame

4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore; they had plenty to eat and drink and were happy.

1 Raja-raja 4:29

4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his understanding ⁸  was as infinite as the sand on the seashore.

[22:17]  ¹ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

[22:17]  ² tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

[22:17]  sn I will greatly multiply. The Lord here ratifies his earlier promise to give Abram a multitude of descendants. For further discussion see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[22:17]  ³ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[22:17]  ⁴ tn Or “inherit.”

[22:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).

[22:1]  ⁶ sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

[22:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “heart,” i.e., mind. (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)