Genesis 12:3

“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who treats you with contempt I will curse; and in you all the families of the ground will be blessed.””
Genesis 12:3 · direct translation from the Hebrew

Study it in the app

God calls Abram and promises blessing for all the families of the earthHope

With the Hebrew beneath

I will blessוַאֲבָרֲכָהthose who bless you,מְבָרְכֶיךָand the one who treats you with contemptוּמְקַלֶּלְךָI will curse;אָאֹרand in youוְ בְךָallכֹּלthe familiesמִשְׁפְּחֹתof the groundהָאֲדָמָהwill be blessed.”נִבְרְכוּ

Quotation · Galatians 3:8

Go to Galatians 3:8

Where Genesis 12:3 says “all the families of the ground,” Galatians says “all the nations,” like Genesis 18:18.

Formula: προευηγγελίσατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι “proclaimed the good news beforehand to Abraham” (Galatians 3:8)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: προϊδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γραφὴ ὅτι ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοῖ τὰ ἔθνη ὁ θεὸς προευηγγελίσατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι Ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וַאֲבָרֲכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה

Septuagint (Genesis 12:2 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ εὐλογήσω σε καὶ τὸ ὄνομά σου, καὶ ἔσῃ εὐλογητός·

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, no two 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

Genesis 12:3, word by word

I will blessאֲבָרֲכָהavaracha

bless

God gives good things: life, children, harvests.

Where else “avaracha” appears

and the one who treats you with contemptמְקַלֶּלְmekalel

despise

To count something or someone as little, as a thing without weight.

Where else “mekalel” appears

I will curseאָאֹרaor

curse

Curse: declare someone or something under punishment, deprived of blessing. It is the opposite of bless.

Where else “aor” appears

the familiesמִשְׁפְּחֹתmishpchot

family

A group of relatives within a tribe.

Where else “mishpchot” appears

of the groundאֲדָמָהadama

land

A territory with its inhabitants, or the whole surface of the world.

Where else “adama” appears

Translation note

The verse uses two different verbs: “treats with contempt” (qalal, to treat as of little account) and “I will curse” (arar).

Parallel passages

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

Quotation · Galatians 3:8

Where Genesis 12:3 says “all the families of the ground,” Galatians says “all the nations,” like Genesis 18:18.

See them side by side

Genesis 12:3

³I will bless those who bless you, and the one who treats you with contempt I will curse; and in you all the families of the ground will be blessed.”

Galatians 3:8

⁸And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would declare the nations righteous by faith, proclaimed the good news beforehand to Abraham: In you all the nations will be blessed.

The context

2I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make great your name; and be a blessing.

3 · This verse (above)

4So Abram went, just as YHWH had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he went out from Haran.

Read all of Genesis 12

To study Genesis 12 in a group

1. What it says
What did YHWH command and promise Abram, and what did he do (vv. 1-4)?
2. What it means
What does it mean that in Abram all the families of the earth will be blessed (v. 3)?
3. How I live it
What step of trust can you take today, even without seeing the whole road, as Abram did?

How to use it