Genesis 48:4 kjv
And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
Genesis 48:4 nkjv
and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'
Genesis 48:4 niv
and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.'
Genesis 48:4 esv
and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.'
Genesis 48:4 nlt
He said to me, 'I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'
Genesis 48 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:2-3 | "And I will make of you a great nation... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | God's initial promise of nation and blessing to Abram. |
| Gen 13:15-16 | "For all the land... I will give to you and to your offspring forever... I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth." | Promise of land and innumerable offspring to Abram. |
| Gen 17:6 | "I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you." | God's promise of fruitfulness and nations to Abram (Abraham). |
| Gen 17:8 | "And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land... for an everlasting possession..." | Everlasting possession of Canaan promised to Abraham and seed. |
| Gen 22:17 | "I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven..." | Abraham's seed multiplied due to his obedience. |
| Gen 26:3-4 | "Sojourn in this land... to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands..." | God reiterates the promise of land and seed to Isaac. |
| Gen 28:3-4 | "May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become an assembly of peoples." | Isaac blesses Jacob with the same covenant promise. |
| Gen 28:13-14 | "The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth..." | God's direct promise of land and multiplication to Jacob at Bethel. |
| Gen 35:11-12 | "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply... a nation, indeed a company of nations, shall come from you, and kings shall come from your loins. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you." | God explicitly repeats the full covenant promise to Jacob (Israel), almost verbatim. This is likely the moment Jacob refers to. |
| Exod 1:7 | "But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong..." | Historical fulfillment of the multiplication promise in Egypt. |
| Deut 1:10 | "The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as the stars of heaven for multitude." | Moses recounts the fulfilled multiplication to the new generation. |
| Psa 105:8-11 | "He remembers his covenant forever... the oath that he swore to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute... 'To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.'" | God's eternal faithfulness to His covenant concerning the land. |
| Isa 9:7 | "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end..." | Prophecy about the Messianic kingdom, fulfilling the 'everlasting possession' through Christ. |
| Jer 32:41 | "I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and all my soul." | God's commitment to plant Israel perpetually in the land. |
| Ezek 36:11 | "And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful..." | Future restoration and re-population of the land. |
| Lk 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 recalls God's covenant oath to Abraham concerning salvation. |
| Acts 3:25 | "You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’" | Peter emphasizes the covenant to Abraham for a wider blessing. |
| Acts 7:5-6 | "Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child." | Stephen highlights the faith aspect of Abraham's land promise. |
| 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." | Broader interpretation of the 'land' promise extending to 'the world'. |
| Rom 9:7-8 | "nor because they are offspring of Abraham are they all children... it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring." | Distinction between physical and spiritual offspring. |
| 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." | Christ is identified as the singular seed of promise. |
| Gal 3:29 | "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." | Believers in Christ become spiritual heirs of Abrahamic promises. |
| Heb 11:9-10 | "By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land... For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." | Patriarchs understood their land inheritance ultimately pointed to an eternal city. |
| Rev 21:1-3 | "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth... Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man..." | The ultimate fulfillment of 'everlasting possession' as new heavens and earth. |
Genesis 48 verses
Genesis 48 4 Meaning
Genesis 48:4 presents Jacob (Israel) recalling a pivotal moment when God personally re-affirmed His foundational covenant promises. These promises encompass the multiplication of Jacob's descendants into a vast assembly of peoples and the eternal possession of the land of Canaan for his offspring. This reiteration serves to solidify Jacob's understanding of God's faithfulness before he imparts his final blessings upon Joseph's sons.
Genesis 48 4 Context
Genesis chapter 48 details Jacob (Israel) on his deathbed, blessing Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Prior to bestowing this significant blessing, Jacob reminds Joseph of God's previous appearance to him at Luz (Bethel) in the land of Canaan (Gen 35:9-12). This re-affirmation in Genesis 48:4 is crucial because it roots Jacob's impending blessings and adoptive rights of Ephraim and Manasseh in the sovereign, eternal promises of God Himself. Jacob isn't just speaking his own words; he is articulating what God had declared to him. Historically, these patriarchs lived a nomadic or semi-nomadic life, land possession and numerous descendants were fundamental elements of prosperity, legacy, and covenant fulfillment, forming the core identity and future hope for their nascent nation. The memory of these divine promises would have brought immense comfort and assurance to Jacob as he faced death and entrusted his family's future to God's continued faithfulness.
Genesis 48 4 Word analysis
- said to me: Emphasizes a direct, personal encounter and revelation between God and Jacob (Israel). This is not hearsay but a personal divine utterance to Jacob, reinforcing its authority and reliability for Joseph.
- Behold (Hebrew: הִנֵּה, hinneh): An emphatic interjection drawing immediate attention. It signals the significance, certainty, and momentous nature of the divine declaration that follows, highlighting it as a crucial truth Jacob is recalling.
- I will make you fruitful (Hebrew: אַפְרְךָ, 'afr'ka from פָּרָה, parah): Indicates God's active and sovereign involvement in causing growth. It points to natural fecundity, fertility, and abundant offspring, echoing the first divine command in Eden (Gen 1:28).
- and multiply you (Hebrew: אַרְבֶּךָ, 'arbehka from רָבָה, rabah): This reinforces and intensifies the promise of fruitfulness, emphasizing exponential increase in number. It denotes a vast, ever-growing population, moving beyond mere reproduction to significant demographic expansion.
- a company of peoples (Hebrew: קְהַל עַמִּים, q'hal 'ammim):
- קְהַל (q'hal): From qahal, meaning "assembly," "congregation," or "community." This term suggests an organized, united collective, not just scattered individuals.
- עַמִּים ('ammim): The plural of 'am, meaning "people" or "nation." This phrase signifies that Jacob's descendants would not merely be a large family but would constitute a formidable nation (or nations, in Gen 35:11) recognized among the peoples of the world, possibly hinting at both the distinct tribes of Israel and potentially broader impact/influence among nations.
- will give this land: Refers explicitly to the land of Canaan, the geographical heartland promised to the patriarchs. This emphasizes God's unilateral, sovereign gift of territory, independent of human merit or effort.
- to your offspring after you:
- לְזַרְעֲךָ (l'zar'akha): "to your seed" or "to your descendants." "Seed" is a key biblical concept for physical lineage but also carries Messianic and spiritual implications.
- אַחֲרֶיךָ ('achareykha): "after you." This specifies that the promise of the land extends generations beyond Jacob himself, securing the future of his lineage within the covenant.
- for an everlasting possession (Hebrew: אֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם, achuzzat 'olam):
- אֲחֻזַּת (achuzzat): A "hereditary possession," "fixed property," or "holding." It implies legal, permanent, and undisputed ownership.
- עוֹלָם ('olam): Often translated "everlasting" or "forever." In this context, it denotes a very long, enduring, or perpetual period, emphasizing the permanent nature of God's grant to the Israelites. While the historical possession of the physical land by Israel has experienced ebbs and flows, God's promise here underscores its divinely established, long-term validity within the scope of His redemptive plan, ultimately finding its eschatological fulfillment.
Genesis 48 4 Bonus section
Jacob's reference to God's specific appearance at Luz (Bethel) in Canaan underscores the significance of that prior encounter in Gen 35:9-12. By recalling this specific event, Jacob ties the current moment directly to the sacred site where God had previously and powerfully re-established His covenant with him personally. This personal connection reinforces the divine legitimacy of Jacob's own prophetic blessing power and ensures Joseph's sons understand the divine backing behind the adoption and inheritance they are about to receive. The repetition of these promises across Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob highlights a consistent and unfolding divine plan of redemption and underscores God's faithfulness through successive generations, building confidence in the eventual and complete fulfillment of His word.
Genesis 48 4 Commentary
Genesis 48:4 encapsulates the unwavering reliability of God's covenant with the patriarchs. Jacob's recitation of God's direct words—"Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession"—is not merely a historical account but a profound theological declaration. It emphasizes the divine initiative ("I will make... I will give") and the unconditional nature of God's promise. This serves to ground Jacob's subsequent blessings in a higher, unchangeable truth, asserting that the future of his family and the land inheritance are divinely ordained and secure. The promise of "a company of peoples" speaks to Israel's national identity, transforming a family into a multitude and eventually a recognized nation, reflecting God's plan for Israel's growth and their foundational relationship with the promised land. This perpetual promise serves as a cornerstone of Israel's national hope and its understanding of God's faithfulness throughout their history.