Genesis 13:16 kjv
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Genesis 13:16 nkjv
And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
Genesis 13:16 niv
I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.
Genesis 13:16 esv
I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.
Genesis 13:16 nlt
And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!
Genesis 13 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 15:5 | And He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "So shall your offspring be." | Similar promise, uses "stars" as simile for innumerable descendants. |
| Gen 22:17 | I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. | Strongest parallel, reaffirms with both stars and sand of the seashore. |
| Gen 26:4 | I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. | Promise to Isaac, extends the "stars" simile. |
| Gen 28:14 | Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south. | Promise to Jacob, reiterates the "dust of the earth" simile. |
| Exod 32:13 | Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven.’ | Moses recalls God's sworn promise to Israel. |
| Num 23:10 | Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? | Balaam acknowledges the vastness of Israel as promised by God. |
| Deut 1:10 | The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as the stars of heaven for multitude. | Moses highlights the partial fulfillment of the promise in Israel's numbers. |
| Neh 9:23 | You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land that You had told their fathers to enter. | Nehemiah recognizes God's historical fulfillment of the promise. |
| 1 Kgs 4:20 | Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were happy. | Description of the nation of Israel's numerousness in Solomon's reign. |
| Isa 10:22 | For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. | Though many, emphasizes future spiritual remnant. |
| Hos 1:10 | Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured. | Prophecy of future restoration and vastness of Israel after dispersion. |
| 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. | Highlights faith as the basis for Abraham's widespread "offspring." |
| Rom 4:16 | That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to the one who is of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham. | Explains that the promise extends to spiritual descendants through faith. |
| Rom 9:7-8 | Nor because they are offspring of Abraham are they all children, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. | Clarifies that not all natural descendants are spiritual children of the promise. |
| Gal 3:7 | Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. | New Covenant emphasis: true children of Abraham are defined by faith. |
| 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.” | Connects Abrahamic promise to justification of Gentiles through 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 New Testament interpretation: the singular "seed" points to Christ. |
| Gal 3:29 | And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. | Those united with Christ are spiritual heirs of Abraham's promise. |
| Heb 11:12 | Therefore from one man, as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. | Acknowledges Abraham and Sarah's human inability, highlighting God's miraculous power to fulfill the promise. |
| Titus 1:2 | In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began. | Reassures of God's unchangeable character and His truthful promises. |
| Heb 6:13-14 | For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” | God's oath to Abraham emphasizes the certainty and unchangeableness of His promise. |
| Rev 7:9 | After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. | Ultimate fulfillment of the uncountable multitude in the spiritual children of God from all nations. |
Genesis 13 verses
Genesis 13 16 Meaning
God here affirms and elaborates upon His promise to Abram, declaring that He will multiply his descendants to such an immense degree that they will be as countless as the individual particles of dust on the earth. This rhetorical comparison emphasizes the infinite, uncountable nature of Abram's future progeny, assuring him of the absolute certainty and extraordinary scale of God's covenant regarding his lineage.
Genesis 13 16 Context
Genesis chapter 13 immediately follows Abram and Lot's separation. Due to their great wealth and large flocks, contention arose between their herdsmen. Abram, demonstrating generosity and faith in God's provision, allowed Lot to choose the land he desired, even though Lot chose the fertile Jordan Valley. Abram then moved towards the plains of Mamre. It is precisely after this act of faith and relinquishment that the LORD speaks to Abram (Gen 13:14). God renews and expands His covenant promises concerning the land that Abram's descendants will inherit (Gen 13:14-15) and, as seen in this verse, the incredibly vast number of Abram's future offspring. This divine reaffirmation comforts Abram in a period of potential solitude and uncertainty, reminding him of God's unfailing commitment. The historical context reflects a nomadic culture where a patriarch's significance and strength were tied to his large family and numerous descendants, making the promise of uncountable "seed" profoundly meaningful as a divine blessing and guarantee of enduring legacy.
Genesis 13 16 Word analysis
- And I will make: From the Hebrew verb śûm (שׂוּם), meaning to put, place, set, or appoint. Here, it denotes a definite, active, and sovereign declaration by God. It signifies His absolute power and intention to bring this promise to pass.
- thy seed: Hebrew zera'kā (זַרְעֲךָ). Zera' (seed/offspring) refers to descendants, progeny. This term is foundational to the Abrahamic covenant. It primarily signifies physical lineage but, importantly, has a singular usage pointing to Christ (Gal 3:16) and a collective spiritual meaning encompassing all believers (Gal 3:7, 29). In this context, it assures Abraham of numerous descendants.
- as the dust of the earth: Hebrew ka'ăphar hā'āreṣ (כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ). This vivid simile uses 'aphar (dust), a common, fine, dry particle found everywhere. It powerfully conveys an immeasurable, countless quantity. It highlights that the promised number is far beyond human comprehension or enumeration, signifying an extraordinary blessing and divine proliferation that originates from the very ground God promised.
- so that if a man can number: Hebrew 'ăšer im-yûḵal 'îš limnôt. This phrasing establishes a hypothetical condition. The word 'îš (man) refers to any individual, underscoring the universal human impossibility of the task. "To number" (limnôt) means to count or tally.
- the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered: This completes the rhetorical condition. Because counting all the dust of the earth is inherently impossible for humanity, the latter part of the statement asserts the equally impossible task of numbering Abraham's descendants. This rhetorical device emphasizes the absolute boundlessness and multitude of the promised offspring, assuring Abram that his seed will be beyond any finite tally, securing the incredible scale of God's covenant.
Words-group analysis:
- "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth": This phrase directly reveals God's omnipotence and direct intervention in fulfilling His covenant. The divine "I will" makes the promise concrete and personal to Abram. The comparison to "dust of the earth" serves as a striking hyperbole, illustrating that God's intention is not merely a large family but a people so vast as to defy calculation. This speaks to God's abundant generosity.
- "so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered": This logical construct serves to reinforce the truly immeasurable nature of the promise. By presenting an impossible condition ("if a man can number the dust"), God emphatically declares that His promise concerning Abram's seed is similarly beyond human ability to count. It is a powerful affirmation of divine certainty and the unfathomable scale of God's blessing, guaranteeing an uncountable heritage for Abram that defies human limitation and perception.
Genesis 13 16 Bonus section
The consistent use of diverse, immeasurable elements in the covenant promises (stars of the heavens, sand of the seashore, dust of the earth) signifies not merely repetition but a multifaceted portrayal of the incredible magnitude. "Dust" might specifically connote an earthly, common, foundational aspect of their multitudinous nature, deeply connected to the land. This contrasts with "stars," which speak to their heavenly ordination and prominence, or "sand of the seashore," which points to their global spread and overwhelming presence. Each simile adds a layer of meaning to the overwhelming divine promise. Furthermore, this unconditional covenant, renewed here after a specific test of faith for Abram, illustrates God's unswerving commitment to His Word. It reveals that the fulfillment of God's promises is not contingent upon Abram's perfection but solely upon God's faithfulness and sovereign will, further assuring Abram—and all believers—of divine constancy.
Genesis 13 16 Commentary
Genesis 13:16 is a profoundly significant reaffirmation within the unfolding Abrahamic covenant, specifically concerning the promise of an innumerable "seed." It occurs immediately after Abram's generous, faith-filled act of yielding to Lot the choicest land, demonstrating that God's covenant blessings are not earned but graciously bestowed. The choice of "dust of the earth" as the simile for his descendants highlights several truths: it speaks of immense multitude, beyond any human capacity to count; it links them intrinsically to the land Abram walked upon and would inherit; and it underscores that God would build His nation from seemingly insignificant origins (from Abram, a childless old man, akin to mere dust) into a multitude. This promise points forward to the physical nation of Israel, becoming vast as promised. More importantly, in the full counsel of Scripture, it points to the spiritual seed of Abraham: those who are in Christ by faith, encompassing a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, all descendants of Abraham through the single ultimate "seed," Jesus Christ (Gal 3:16, Rev 7:9). Thus, the verse assures of divine faithfulness to His covenant word, revealing a God who defies human limitations to bring about His purposes for a people set apart for Himself.
- Practical usage:
- Trusting God beyond visible reality: When facing situations where human logic or capability sees only impossibility, remember God's promise to Abram regarding an uncountable offspring despite his old age and barren wife.
- Understanding God's abundant blessing: Recognize that God's promises and blessings often far exceed our human comprehension and expectation, manifesting in ways that only He can accomplish.