Hebrews 11:18 kjv
Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Hebrews 11:18 nkjv
of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called,"
Hebrews 11:18 niv
even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
Hebrews 11:18 esv
of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named."
Hebrews 11:18 nlt
even though God had told him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted."
Hebrews 11 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 21:12 | "In Isaac your seed shall be called." | The direct divine declaration to Abraham regarding his heir. |
| Gen 17:19 | "but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son... I will establish My covenant with him..." | God's earlier, specific promise that the covenant would be with Isaac. |
| Gen 22:1-2 | "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering..." | The command to sacrifice Isaac, highlighting the paradox of the promise. |
| Gen 22:16-18 | "...in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." | God re-confirms the covenant through Abraham's obedience, extending the blessing through "seed." |
| Rom 9:7-8 | "...'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." | Paul interprets "seed" spiritually, emphasizing that physical descent is not enough. |
| Gal 3:16 | "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ." | Paul definitively identifies the singular "Seed" of promise as Christ. |
| Gen 12:2-3 | "I will make you a great nation... And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | The foundational call and promise to Abraham. |
| Gen 15:4-5 | "This one shall not be your heir... one who will come from your own body shall be your heir... Look now toward heaven... So shall your descendants be." | God's promise of physical offspring directly from Abraham. |
| Rom 4:18-21 | "...who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations... being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." | Abraham's faith in God's power despite physical impossibility (old age, barrenness). |
| Heb 11:11 | "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." | Sarah's faith in God enabling the birth of Isaac. |
| Heb 11:17 | "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son..." | The immediate context, showing Abraham's faith in offering Isaac. |
| Heb 11:19 | "concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense." | Abraham's faith in God's resurrection power, which informed his obedience. |
| Jn 8:56 | "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." | Jesus affirms Abraham's foresight of His coming through faith. |
| Acts 3:25 | "And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | Peter links the Abrahamic promise to Christ's saving work for all peoples. |
| Gen 26:3-5 | God reiterates the covenant to Isaac, mentioning Abraham's obedience. | Confirms the covenant continuation directly through Isaac's lineage. |
| Gen 28:13-14 | God reiterates the covenant to Jacob (Israel), confirming its continuation through Isaac's son. | Further confirmation of the chosen covenant line. |
| Lk 3:34 | "...the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham..." | Jesus' genealogy traced through Isaac, establishing His physical claim as the "Seed." |
| Mt 1:1 | "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." | Connects Jesus directly as the fulfillment of Abraham's seed promise. |
| Eph 2:12-13 | "strangers from the covenants of promise... But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near..." | Gentiles are brought into the spiritual lineage of Abraham through faith in Christ. |
| Gal 3:29 | "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." | Those in Christ become the spiritual heirs of Abraham. |
| Phil 3:3 | "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit..." | True lineage is not merely physical circumcision but spiritual worship. |
| Col 2:11 | "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ." | Spiritual reality of Abraham's covenant in Christ for believers. |
Hebrews 11 verses
Hebrews 11 18 Meaning
Hebrews 11:18 declares a fundamental truth revealed to Abraham regarding the covenant lineage: that his true and divinely recognized descendants, who would carry the promises, would come exclusively "in Isaac." This verse confirms God's specific and sovereign choice, making it clear that the covenant promises, including the blessing of nations and the ultimate Seed (Christ), would proceed through Isaac alone, setting aside other potential heirs. Abraham’s faith was affirmed by accepting this narrow pathway to divine fulfillment, even when God later commanded him to offer this very son.
Hebrews 11 18 Context
Hebrews chapter 11, famously known as the "Hall of Faith," celebrates heroes of the Old Testament who demonstrated profound faith in God. Verses 17-19 specifically highlight Abraham's most rigorous test: God's command to offer his son Isaac. Verse 18 is embedded within this account, reminding the reader of the extraordinary paradox inherent in God's instruction. Isaac was not just a son; he was the son through whom all the glorious promises regarding Abraham's innumerable descendants and the blessing of all nations were to be realized. For God to command Abraham to sacrifice this specific, promised heir demonstrated the absolute nature of Abraham's faith in God's character and power, even if it meant raising the dead, as explained in the subsequent verse (v. 19). The historical context reinforces that Isaac's birth was miraculous, a fulfillment of a long-standing divine promise despite Abraham and Sarah's advanced age and barrenness.
Hebrews 11 18 Word analysis
Of whom (ὧν - hōn): A genitive relative pronoun referring back to Isaac, implied from verse 17, and implicitly to Abraham as the subject of the previous clause. It indicates that the statement was made concerning Isaac.
it was said (ἐλαλήθη - elalēthē): From laleō (to speak), in the aorist passive voice. This phrasing emphasizes that the declaration came from an external source, specifically God Himself. The divine passive subtly highlights God as the ultimate speaker, consistent with scripture where God often directly communicates His will.
In (ἐν - en): A preposition that denotes means, sphere, or instrument. Here, "in Isaac" means through Isaac, by means of Isaac, or in connection with Isaac. It signifies that Isaac is the unique and divinely appointed channel or sphere for the fulfillment of the promise, explicitly excluding other potential heirs like Ishmael.
Isaac (Ἰσαάκ - Isaak): The son miraculously born to Abraham and Sarah as the child of promise (Gen 17:19; 21:1-3). His name (Yitzchak) means "he laughs" or "laughter," reflecting Sarah's initial reaction of disbelief and later joy. He is the specific chosen vessel through whom the covenant line and ultimate "seed" would descend.
your seed (τὸ σπέρμα σου - to sperma sou): Sperma (seed/offspring/descendants) is used here. While contextually in Genesis it refers to Abraham's numerous physical descendants, New Testament theology, particularly in Paul's epistles (e.g., Gal 3:16), interprets "the Seed" in its ultimate, singular fulfillment as Christ Himself. In Hebrews 11:18, it refers to the covenantal offspring who would truly embody God's promises and eventually lead to the Messiah.
shall be called (κληθήσεται - klēthēsetai): From kaleō (to call/name/summon), in the future passive voice. This signifies divine designation, confirmation, or acknowledgment. It means that the true identity and validity of Abraham's covenantal descendants would be recognized and established through Isaac's lineage. It's not just a naming, but a formal recognition and the fulfillment of a divine promise.
"Of whom it was said, 'In Isaac...'": This phrase connects the specific divine utterance (Gen 21:12) directly to Isaac's pivotal role within God's plan. It highlights the divine prerogative in establishing the covenant lineage. The use of the passive voice emphasizes God as the ultimate source of this authoritative declaration.
"'In Isaac your seed shall be called.'": This entire phrase, a direct quote from Gen 21:12 (LXX), establishes the absolute condition for the covenant's continuation. It is an exclusive declaration that points to God's selective election. This specific phrasing highlights that identity as "Abraham's seed" (in the covenantal sense) is tied exclusively to the line stemming from Isaac. It underscores God's sovereignty and specific pathway for redemption.
Hebrews 11 18 Bonus section
The seemingly contradictory divine command to sacrifice Isaac immediately after reaffirming the promise through him forced Abraham to move beyond a literal understanding of the promise (a line of physical descendants) to a deeper, more profound faith in God's resurrection power. This concept of resurrection faith, crucial to Abraham's act, prefigures Christ's own resurrection, which validates the ultimate promise of Abraham's seed in the Messiah. Abraham, in essence, received Isaac back as if from the dead, foreshadowing the divine victory over death for all who are the true spiritual "seed" through Christ. This account firmly places Abraham's faith as one that trusted God to create life where none seemed possible (Sarah's barren womb, Isaac's sacrificial death).
Hebrews 11 18 Commentary
Hebrews 11:18 underscores the precise and exclusive nature of God's covenant promises to Abraham. The command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac presented an extreme test because Isaac was not merely one of Abraham's sons but the son—the designated channel through whom "your seed shall be called." This means God had specifically affirmed that all Abraham's future covenantal blessings and countless descendants would flow solely through Isaac. The verse encapsulates a core theological truth: God’s faithfulness is inextricably linked to His precise pronouncements, even when they seem contradictory to human reason. Abraham’s faith was not just in God's power to give him a son in old age, but in God's ability to maintain His word even if it required raising Isaac from the dead (as understood by Abraham in v. 19). The exclusion of Ishmael from this specific covenant line highlights God's sovereign choice and the particularity of the messianic lineage leading ultimately to Christ. It also serves as a polemic against reliance on mere physical lineage apart from God's explicit and unique spiritual designation.