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May El Shaddaiוְאֵל שַׁדַּיblessיְבָרֵךְyouאֹתְךָand make you fruitfulוְיַפְרְךָand multiply you,וְיַרְבֶּךָso that you becomeוְהָיִיתָan assemblyלִקְהַלof peoples.עַמִּים
Genesis 28:3
Study it in the app“May El Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you become an assembly of peoples.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 28:3, word by word
- May El Shaddaiאֵלel
El, God, god
"El", an ancient Hebrew word for "God". Alone or with another title it is a name of the God of Israel: El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty). Neighboring peoples used the same word for their gods; then this translation writes "god" in lower case. It also means "mighty".
Where else “el” appears- May El Shaddaiשַׁדַּיshaday
Shaddai, Almighty
"Shaddai": an ancient name of God, above all in Genesis and Job. It is usually translated "Almighty"; the exact origin of the word is not certain.
Where else “shaday” appears- blessיְבָרֵךְyevarech
bless
God gives good things: life, children, harvests.
Where else “yevarech” appears- and make you fruitfulיַפְרְyafr
be fruitful
Bear fruit; be fruitful, have descendants.
Where else “yafr” appears- and multiply youיַרְבֶּyarbe
multiply
To grow in number.
Where else “yarbe” appears- so that you becomeהָיִיתָhayita
become
To turn into something new, or fall upon someone.
Where else “hayita” appears- an assemblyקְהַלkehal
assembly
The people gathered before YHWH.
Where else “kehal” appears- of peoplesעַמִּיםamim
people
A group of people united by family, land and customs: a nation.
Where else “amim” appears
The context
2Get up, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take for yourself from there a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.
3 · This verse (above)
4May he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you, so that you may possess the land where you reside as an alien, which Elohim gave to Abraham.”
To study Genesis 28 in a group
1. What it says
What did Jacob dream at Bethel, and what did YHWH say to him (vv. 12-15)?
2. What it means
What does it mean that Elohim tells Jacob, “I am with you and will keep you,” in his flight (v. 15)?
3. How I live it
In what difficult place in your life do you need to remember that Elohim is with you?