1 Chronicles 16:16 kjv
Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;
1 Chronicles 16:16 nkjv
The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac,
1 Chronicles 16:16 niv
the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.
1 Chronicles 16:16 esv
the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
1 Chronicles 16:16 nlt
This is the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
1 Chronicles 16 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:1-3 | Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country...and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee...and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. | Initial Abrahamic covenant call and promise. |
| Gen 15:18 | In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land... | God's covenant of land with Abraham confirmed. |
| Gen 17:7-8 | And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee...for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. | Everlasting nature and scope of the Abrahamic covenant. |
| Gen 22:16-18 | By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing...that in blessing I will bless thee...and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. | God's oath confirming Abrahamic blessings and seed. |
| Gen 26:3-4 | Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee...for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; | God explicitly reaffirms the oath and promises to Isaac. |
| Lev 26:42 | Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. | God remembers covenants with all three patriarchs. |
| Psa 105:8-9 | He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; | Direct parallel in Psa 105, emphasizing divine remembrance. |
| Psa 89:34-35 | My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. My covenant I will not break, nor revoke the word I have uttered. | God's immutable faithfulness to His covenant. |
| Isa 55:3 | Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. | The everlasting covenant linked to God's "sure mercies." |
| Jer 33:20-21 | Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night...Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant... | The impossibility of breaking God's covenants. |
| Ezek 37:25 | And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant...even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. | Everlasting nature of promises linked to land and lineage. |
| Luke 1:72-73 | To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, | Zacharias' prophecy links Messiah's coming to God's covenant/oath. |
| Acts 3:25 | Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. | Peter connects Israel's identity to the Abrahamic covenant. |
| Rom 4:13 | For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. | Inheritance of the world through faith, rooted in Abraham. |
| Gal 3:16 | Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. | Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise. |
| Gal 3:17 | And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot annul, that it should make the promise of none effect. | Law cannot nullify the prior, unbreakable Abrahamic covenant. |
| Heb 6:13-14 | For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. | God's oath to Abraham guarantees His promise due to His unchangeable nature. |
| Heb 6:17-18 | Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie... | The two immutable things (God's promise and oath) for assurance. |
| Heb 11:8-9 | By faith Abraham, when he was called...sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. | Isaac as co-heir of the covenant promise. |
| Psa 78:5-7 | For he established a testimony in Jacob...that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: | Passing on the remembrance of God's faithfulness. |
| Deut 7:9 | Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; | God's nature as a covenant-keeping, faithful God. |
1 Chronicles 16 verses
1 Chronicles 16 16 Meaning
This verse declares the foundational basis of God's relationship with Israel: His unchanging covenant with Abraham and His solemn oath confirming it to Isaac. It emphasizes the eternal and unalterable nature of divine promises, establishing God's faithfulness across generations.
1 Chronicles 16 16 Context
This verse is an integral part of the "Song of Thanksgiving" that King David assigned for the Levites to sing when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem and placed in a new tent (1 Chron 16:1-6). The entire chapter focuses on the establishment of proper worship and the centrality of the Ark. The psalm (verses 8-36), which is a compilation of sections from Psa 105, Psa 96, and Psa 106, celebrates God's wondrous works and His eternal faithfulness to His covenant promises. Verse 16, directly paralleling Psa 105:9, serves to ground Israel's identity and hope not in their own strength or deeds, but in God's steadfast and unchanging promises given to their patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac. This historical remembrance provides a basis for confidence and adoration for the worshiping community.
1 Chronicles 16 16 Word analysis
Even of the covenant: The Hebrew word is בְּרִית (translit. berit), meaning a solemn agreement, treaty, or pact. In the biblical context, when God initiates it, it signifies His binding, divinely established commitment to humanity, specifically to His chosen people. It's not a mere suggestion but a fundamental, non-negotiable decree. This "covenant" refers specifically to the Abrahamic Covenant, the foundational promise for Israel's existence and blessedness.
which he made: This highlights divine initiative. God is the sovereign actor who establishes the terms and guarantees the fulfillment of the covenant. It is a unilateral covenant from God's side, demonstrating His grace and unearned favor.
with Abraham: Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם (translit. ʾAḇrāhām). Abraham is the patriarch through whom God first revealed His covenant purposes for Israel and ultimately for all nations. God's promise to Abraham (Gen 12, 15, 17) includes land, numerous descendants (a great nation), and blessing to all the families of the earth through his seed.
and of his oath: The Hebrew word is שְׁבוּעָה (translit. shvu'ah), meaning a sworn declaration or promise, usually involving an appeal to a higher power or, in God's case, to Himself. An "oath" signifies an unchangeable and absolute guarantee. In ancient cultures, an oath made a promise incredibly binding; when God swears an oath, it is the highest form of assurance possible, indicating His immutability and absolute reliability. God "swore by Himself" because there was no one greater (Heb 6:13).
unto Isaac: Hebrew: יִצְחָק (translit. Yiṣḥāq). Isaac was the miraculously born son through whom God continued the lineage of promise, specifically confirming the covenant promises made to Abraham to Isaac directly (Gen 26:3-4). This emphasized the specificity and divine choice within the covenant line, passing the blessing not just to any descendant but to the chosen one.
Words-group analysis:
- "covenant which he made with Abraham" and "his oath unto Isaac": This pairing emphasizes the double assurance of God's promises. The covenant establishes the content of the promise (land, seed, blessing), and the oath confirms the absolute certainty and irrevocability of that promise. The mentioning of both Abraham and Isaac highlights the continuity of the divine plan across generations, demonstrating God's faithful remembrance and reaffirmation of His word through the chosen lineage. The inclusion of Isaac specifies the exact line through which the promises would continue, as opposed to Abraham's other children like Ishmael.
1 Chronicles 16 16 Bonus section
The structure of this verse, linking the covenant to Abraham and the oath to Isaac, implicitly teaches the progressive revelation and confirmation of God's divine plan. While Abraham received the initial, overarching covenant, its specific heir and the guaranteed immutability of God's word were explicitly affirmed through Isaac, demonstrating meticulous divine care in preserving the covenant lineage. This highlights that God's plan is both broad in scope (through Abraham) and specific in its unfolding (through Isaac and subsequently Jacob). The Hebrew text uses two distinct terms, berit (covenant) and shvu'ah (oath), each carrying significant legal and theological weight. Their pairing magnifies the certainty of the divine promises, making them doubly firm and a cornerstone of Israel's hope and identity. This passage, by being part of a public song of thanksgiving, illustrates how the history of God's faithfulness to His promises was woven into the very fabric of Israelite worship, becoming a perpetual source of remembrance and trust.
1 Chronicles 16 16 Commentary
1 Chronicles 16:16 underscores a profound theological truth: the steadfast faithfulness of God rooted in His solemn covenant and oath. This verse, recited in the context of communal worship, reminded the people that their heritage, land, and identity as God's chosen people were not based on their merit or power, but on the unshakeable word of God Himself. The covenant with Abraham laid the foundation for God's redemptive plan, promising a lineage that would become a great nation, possess a promised land, and bring blessing to all humanity. The subsequent oath to Isaac served as an unbreakable guarantee, affirming the specific line of promise. This double assurance speaks volumes about God's immutable character; His word, once given, is eternally reliable and will be brought to fruition. This divine faithfulness provides ultimate security and hope, both for ancient Israel and for believers today, pointing towards Christ as the ultimate Seed and fulfiller of all these promises.