Acts 3:25 kjv
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.
Acts 3:25 nkjv
You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
Acts 3:25 niv
And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'
Acts 3:25 esv
You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'
Acts 3:25 nlt
You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, 'Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.'
Acts 3 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:3 | "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | The foundational Abrahamic blessing promise. |
| Gen 18:18 | "Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him." | Reiteration of the universal blessing. |
| Gen 22:18 | "In your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." | Promise sealed by Abraham's obedience, specifically naming "offspring" (seed). |
| Acts 2:39 | "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." | Peter extending the promise to his immediate audience and beyond. |
| Acts 3:26 | "God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness." | Direct fulfillment of the blessing through Christ, starting with Israel. |
| Gal 3:8 | "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all the nations be blessed.'" | Paul connecting the Abrahamic promise to the justification of Gentiles by faith. |
| Gal 3:16 | "Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, 'And to offsprings,' referring to many, but referring to one, 'And to your offspring,' who is Christ." | Crucial interpretation of "seed" as singular, pointing to Christ. |
| Rom 4:13 | "For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith." | Inheritance is by faith, not law, fulfilling the promise. |
| Rom 9:4-5 | "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all..." | Highlighting Israel's unique privileges and heritage, culminating in Christ. |
| Rom 15:8-9 | "For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy..." | Christ confirms promises to Jews and extends mercy to Gentiles. |
| Eph 2:12 | "...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." | Gentiles were formerly excluded from these covenants and promises. |
| Eph 3:6 | "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." | The mystery of Gentile inclusion as co-heirs in Christ. |
| Isa 49:6 | "I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." | Prophetic word about God's servant (Messiah/Israel) bringing light to Gentiles. |
| Isa 52:10 | "The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." | Universal scope of God's salvation. |
| Jer 31:31-34 | The prophecy of the New Covenant, written on hearts. | The covenant motif extends beyond Abraham to a New Covenant. |
| Luke 1:54-55 | "He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." | Mary's song acknowledging God's faithfulness to the Abrahamic promise through Jesus. |
| Luke 1:72-73 | "...to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham..." | Zechariah's prophecy also linking Christ to the Abrahamic covenant. |
| Mic 5:2 | "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings out are from of old, from ancient days." | Prophecy of the Messiah's specific birthplace. |
| Heb 8:6 | "But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises." | The New Covenant is better but builds on older promises. |
| Rev 5:9 | "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you...for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation..." | Ultimate fulfillment of blessing for "all families" in heaven. |
| Acts 26:6 | "And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers..." | Paul testifying to the continuity of God's promises through the Messiah. |
Acts 3 verses
Acts 3 25 Meaning
Acts 3:25 declares to the Jewish people present that they are the heirs of the promises given through the prophets and recipients of the covenant God made with their forefathers, specifically Abraham. This covenant included the promise that "in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed," which Peter asserts is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the promised descendant who brings salvation. The verse emphasizes both Israel's unique historical relationship with God and the universal scope of the Abrahamic blessing extending through the Messiah.
Acts 3 25 Context
Acts 3:25 occurs during Peter's second major public address, following the miraculous healing of a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple (Acts 3:1-10). A crowd gathers, astonished, and Peter seizes this opportunity to preach the Gospel to the Jewish audience, connecting the miracle to the power of Jesus Christ. He rebukes them for rejecting and crucifying Jesus, yet also offers them a path to repentance and refreshing from the Lord (Acts 3:19-20). Peter emphasizes that Jesus is the "prophet like Moses" (Acts 3:22-23) whom their fathers prophesied. Verse 25 then serves to further establish their privileged, yet responsible, position within God's historical plan, reminding them of the Abrahamic covenant and its implications for Jesus being their promised blessing. Historically, the Jewish people were living under Roman occupation, eagerly awaiting the Messiah, but often expecting a political deliverer. Peter's sermon redefines this expectation, emphasizing spiritual repentance and the universal blessing inherent in the covenant through Christ.
Acts 3 25 Word analysis
- You: (ὑμεῖς - hymeis) - Direct and emphatic address to the Jewish people gathered at the temple. It signifies their specific, covenantal relationship with God as His chosen people, implying a unique responsibility and expectation.
- are the sons: (ἐστὲ υἱοὶ - este huioi) - Lit. "you are sons." This denotes inheritance, lineage, and a special relationship. It implies not just biological descent but also being rightful heirs and partakers of the spiritual and historical privileges associated with Israel.
- of the prophets: (τῶν προφητῶν - tōn prophētōn) - Refers to the lineage of those who received and delivered God's revelation (e.g., Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah). The Jewish people are connected to the very recipients and messages of divine truth, confirming their heritage and the continuity of God's redemptive plan through history.
- and of the covenant: (καὶ τῆς διαθήκης - kai tēs diathēkēs) - Diathēkē means "covenant," a binding agreement or disposition. Here, it refers primarily to the Abrahamic Covenant, the foundational promise upon which Israel's identity and future hope were built. This highlights their direct, inherited share in God's solemn pledge.
- which God: (ἣν ὁ θεός - hēn ho theos) - Emphasizes the divine origin and unbreakable nature of the covenant; it was not a human agreement but a divine initiative.
- made: (διέθετο - dietheto, from diatithēmi) - Lit. "appointed" or "disposed." It suggests God's sovereign establishment of the covenant as a formal arrangement.
- with your fathers: (πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν - pros tous pateras hymōn) - Refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs who were the original recipients of the covenant. This anchors the contemporary audience directly to their sacred historical past and the foundational promises.
- saying to Abraham: (λέγων πρὸς Ἀβραάμ - legōn pros Abraam) - Pinpoints the specific moment and recipient of the key promise. This phrase introduces the exact wording of the universal blessing from Genesis.
- And in your seed: (Καὶ ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου - Kai en tō spermati sou) - Sperma is singular ("seed" or "offspring"). This is crucial, as it indicates a singular descendant, later revealed to be Christ (Gal 3:16). This term acts as a prophetic key, identifying the one through whom the universal blessing would come.
- all the families: (πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ - pasai hai patriai) - Refers to "all clans," "all nations," or "all peoples." It underscores the universal scope of the Abrahamic blessing, extending beyond the boundaries of ethnic Israel.
- of the earth: (τῆς γῆς - tēs gēs) - Further emphasizes the global reach of God's redemptive plan, impacting every part of humanity.
- shall be blessed: (ἐνευλογηθήσονται - eneulogēthēsontai, passive future of eneulogeō) - The blessing is not earned but received. It points to a divine act of bestowal that brings spiritual favor, salvation, and well-being.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant": This grouping identifies the specific audience (the Jews) as rightful heirs to two major aspects of God's past dealings with humanity: the inspired revelation of the prophets and the binding promises of the covenant, primarily the Abrahamic one. It underscores their unique status as recipients of God's special revelation and His chosen people, carrying a significant spiritual inheritance and responsibility.
- "which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham": This phrase clearly traces the covenant's origin back to God and its historical anchor in Abraham. It connects Peter's contemporary Jewish audience directly to their patriarchal heritage, affirming the continuity of God's plan through generations and validating the historical truth of the promises.
- "And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed": This is the core universal promise. The singular "seed" points prophetically and unequivocally to Jesus Christ as the sole means by which this global blessing (salvation and redemption) would be extended to "all families of the earth," including Gentiles. This crucial phrase sets the stage for the Gospel's outreach beyond ethnic Israel while affirming the covenant's ultimate fulfillment.
Acts 3 25 Bonus section
Peter's rhetorical strategy in Acts 3:25 skillfully blends affirmation and challenge. By appealing to their cherished identity as "sons of the prophets and of the covenant," he builds common ground. However, he immediately uses this foundation to expose their historical blindness to the Messiah who fulfills those very promises. This is a common apostolic approach, appealing to the authority of the Old Testament to prove Jesus is the Christ. The phrase "sons of the prophets" can also imply that the Jewish people are rightful inheritors of the prophetic message, thus obligated to heed its culmination in Christ. Furthermore, this verse underscores the New Testament understanding of Israel's election, which was always for the sake of global redemption (Isa 49:6). The "blessing" mentioned is primarily the spiritual blessing of salvation and forgiveness of sins, not merely material prosperity, emphasizing the transformative power of the Gospel.
Acts 3 25 Commentary
Acts 3:25 serves as a bridge, linking God's ancient promises to their contemporary fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Peter reminds the Jewish audience of their unique, privileged position as "sons of the prophets and of the covenant," implying they possess an inherited spiritual birthright and a historical relationship with God unlike any other nation. This identity means they should have been the first to recognize and welcome Jesus, the promised "seed."
The emphasis on the Abrahamic covenant ("in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed") is paramount. Peter directly quotes Gen 22:18, emphasizing the universal scope of God's redemptive plan that began with Abraham but was never intended to be confined to physical descendants alone. The key lies in the singular "seed," which New Testament revelation, particularly through Paul, confirms to be Christ. Through Jesus, the blessing of salvation, reconciliation with God, and participation in the divine family is extended to all nations and peoples, thereby fulfilling God's ancient purpose.
This verse therefore conveys a call to understanding and repentance: your privileged position means you were perfectly poised to embrace your Messiah. While the blessing begins with "you first" (Acts 3:26), it extends globally through the one in whom the covenant finds its ultimate reality. It implies that true participation in this covenant comes not merely by birth, but by faith in the promised Seed, Jesus Christ. This simultaneously affirms Israel's historical role and points beyond ethnic boundaries to a universal salvation.
For example, this highlights that God's election of Israel was not an end in itself, but a means to bless the entire world. It also clarifies that true sonship to Abraham is defined not just by physical lineage but by shared faith in Christ.