Genesis 12:7

“Then 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.”
Genesis 12:7 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

Then YHWHוַ יְהוָהappearedיֵּרָאto Abramאֶל אַבְרָםand said,וַיֹּאמֶר“To your offspringלְזַרְעֲךָI will giveאֶתֵּןthisהַזֹּאתland.”אֶת הָאָרֶץSo he builtוַיִּבֶןthereשָׁםan altarמִזְבֵּחַto YHWH,לַיהוָהwho had appearedהַנִּרְאֶהto him.אֵלָיו

Quotation · Galatians 3:16

Go to Galatians 3:16

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

Genesis 12:7, word by word

Then YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

appearedיֵּרָאyera

appear

To let oneself be seen: YHWH let Abram see him.

Where else “yera” appears

to Abramאַבְרָםavram

Abram

Abram, the name of Abraham before God changed it (Genesis 17:5). It means "exalted father".

Where else “avram” appears

and saidיֹּאמֶרyomer

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “yomer” appears

“To your offspringזַרְעֲzara

offspring

The children, grandchildren and whole line that come from someone.

Where else “zara” appears

I will giveאֶתֵּןeten

give

To hand something over to someone: a gift, a payment, a charge or a land.

Where else “eten” appears

landאָרֶץarets

land

A region or nation, above all Israel's.

Where else “arets” appears

So he builtיִּבֶןyiven

build

To raise a house, a city or an altar, setting stone on stone.

Where else “yiven” appears

an altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbeach

altar

Altar: a structure of stone or earth on which sacrifices are offered to God.

Where else “mizbeach” appears

Parallel passages

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

Quotation · Galatians 3:16

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

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.

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.

The context

6Abram passed through the land as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land.

7 · This verse (above)

8From there he moved on to the mountain east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to YHWH and called on the name of YHWH.

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