Galatians 3:16

“Now to Abraham the promises were spoken, and to his offspring. It does not say, And to offsprings, as of many, but as of one, And to your offspring, who is the Messiah.”
Galatians 3:16 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

Nowδὲto Abrahamτῷ Ἀβραὰμthe promisesαἱ ἐπαγγελίαιwere spoken,ἐρρέθησανandκαὶto his offspring.τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦIt does notοὐsay,λέγειAndΚαὶto offsprings,τοῖς σπέρμασινasὡςofἐπὶmany,πολλῶνbutἀλλ’asὡςofἐφ’one,ἑνόςAndΚαὶto your offspring,τῷ σπέρματί σουwhoὅςisἐστινthe Messiah.Χριστός

Quotation · Genesis 12:7

Go to Genesis 12:7

Paul quotes “and to your offspring,” words from several promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 24:7), and notes that the noun is singular.

Formula: οὐ λέγει “it does not say” (Galatians 3:16)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἐρρέθησαν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ οὐ λέγει Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἀλλ’ ὡς ἐφ’ ἑνός Καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου ὅς ἐστιν Χριστός

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל אַבְרָם וַיֹּאמֶר לְזַרְעֲךָ אֶתֵּן אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וַיִּבֶן שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו

Septuagint (Genesis 12:7 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ὤφθη Κύριος τῷ Ἀβρὰμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τῷ σπέρματί σου δώσω τὴν γῆν ταύτην· καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ Ἀβρὰμ θυσιαστήριον κυρίῳ τῷ ὀφθέντι αὐτῶ.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 3 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Galatians 3:16, word by word

to AbrahamἈβραὰμAbraam

Abraham

Abraham, the father of the people of Israel, to whom God promised to bless all the families of the earth through his offspring.

Where else “Abraam” appears

the promisesἐπαγγελίαιepangeliai

promise

Promise.

Where else “epangeliai” appears

were spokenἐρρέθησανerrethēsan

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “errethēsan” appears

to his offspringσπέρματιspermati

offspring

Someone's children and descendants.

Where else “spermati” appears

manyπολλῶνpollōn

many

A great number of people or things.

Where else “pollōn” appears

oneἑνόςhenos

one

The quantity one, or a single one within a group.

Where else “henos” appears

isἐστινestin

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “estin” appears

the MessiahΧριστόςChristos

Messiah

Messiah: literally "anointed", the king or envoy God consecrates with oil. It is a title, not a surname; in Hebrew, mashiach.

Where else “Christos” appears

Translation note

Quoted from Genesis 12:7, 13:15, 17:8 and 24:7.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Genesis 12:7

Paul quotes “and to your offspring,” words from several promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 24:7), and notes that the noun is singular.

See them side by side

Galatians 3:16

¹⁶Now to Abraham the promises were spoken, and to his offspring. It does not say, And to offsprings, as of many, but as of one, And to your offspring, who is the Messiah.

Genesis 12:7

⁷Then YHWH appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to YHWH, who had appeared to him.

The context

15Brothers, I speak in human terms: even a man’s covenant, once ratified, no one annuls or adds to it.

16 · This verse (above)

17Now this I say: a covenant previously ratified by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul, so as to nullify the promise.

Read all of Galatians 3

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