Genesis 16:10

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

The angel of the LORD also said, "I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they cannot be counted because of their great numbers."

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה הַרְבָּ֥ה אַרְבֶּ֖ה אֶת־זַרְעֵ֑ךְ וְלֹ֥א יִסָּפֵ֖ר מֵרֹֽב׃

Transliteration

And-yomer to-her mal'akh YHWH harbah 'arbeh 'et-zar'ek and-not yissafer from-rov.

Grammar Details

• *yomer*: verb, Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular with waw consecutive - and he said
• *lah*: preposition with 3rd feminine singular suffix - to her
• *mal'akh*: noun, masculine singular construct - messenger/angel of
• *YHWH*: proper noun, divine name - LORD
• *harbah*: verb, Hiphil infinitive absolute - to greatly/multiply
• *'arbeh*: verb, Hiphil imperfect 1st person singular - I will multiply
• *'et*: direct object marker
• *zar'ek*: noun, masculine singular with 2nd feminine singular suffix - your seed/offspring
• *velo*: conjunction + negative particle - and not
• *yissafer*: verb, Niphal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - it will be counted/numbered
• *merov*: preposition + noun, masculine singular - from multitude

Word Meanings

• *harbah 'arbeh*: Hebrew emphatic construction: I will surely multiply/I will greatly increase
• *zar'ek*: seed/offspring/descendants
• *merov*: from multitude/from abundance/due to greatness

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And the anl of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And the angel of the LORD said to her, I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And the angel{H4397} of Jehovah{H3068} said{H559} unto her, I will greatly{H7235} multiply{H7235} thy seed,{H2233} that it shall not be numbered{H5608} for multitude.{H7230}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And the angel{H4397} of the LORD{H3068} said{H559}{(H8799)} unto her, I will multiply{H7235}{(H8686)} thy seed{H2233} exceedingly{H7235}{(H8687)}, that it shall not be numbered{H5608}{(H8735)} for multitude{H7230}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And the angell of ye LORde sayde vnto her: I will so encrease thy seed that it shall not be numbred for multitude.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And the angel of the LORDE sayde vnto her: Beholde, I wil so encreace yi sede, that it shall not be nombred for multitude.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Againe the Angel of the Lorde saide vnto her, I will so greatly increase thy seede, that it shal not be numbred for multitude.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And agayne the angell of the Lord sayde vnto her: I wyll multiplie thy seede in such sort, that it shal not be numbred for multitude.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  The angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be numbered for multitude."

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and the messenger of Jehovah saith to her, `Multiplying I multiply thy seed, and it is not numbered from multitude;'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And the angel of the Lord said, Your seed will be greatly increased so that it may not be numbered.

• World English Bible (2000)

  The angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be numbered for multitude."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the LORD’s angel added,“so that they will be too numerous to count.”

Referenced Verses

• Gen 17:20 : 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him; I will make him fruitful and greatly multiply his descendants. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
• Gen 21:13 : 13 'I will also make the son of the slave woman into a nation because he is your offspring.'
• Gen 22:15-18 : 15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, 'By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and will greatly multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore, and your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies. 18 And through your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.'
• Gen 25:12-18 : 12 This is the account of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, and Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and encampments: twelve princes, according to their tribes. 17 These are the years of Ishmael's life: one hundred thirty-seven years. He breathed his last, died, and was gathered to his people. 18 Ishmael's descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt as you go toward Assyria. He lived in hostility toward all his brothers.
• Gen 31:11-13 : 11 In the dream, the angel of God said to me, 'Jacob!' And I replied, 'Here I am.' 12 He said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, and spotted, because I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now leave this land immediately and return to the land of your birth.'
• Gen 32:24-30 : 24 After he had sent them across the stream, he also sent over all his possessions. 25 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 26 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was dislocated as they wrestled. 27 Then the man said, 'Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.' But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.' 28 The man asked him, 'What is your name?' 'Jacob,' he answered. 29 Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.' 30 Jacob said, 'Please tell me your name.' But he replied, 'Why do you ask my name?' Then he blessed him there.
• Gen 48:15-16 : 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said, 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,' 16 'The Angel who redeemed me from all harm, may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.'
• Exod 3:2-6 : 2 The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that the bush was burning with fire, but it was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this remarkable sight—why the bush is not burning up.' 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And Moses replied, 'Here I am.' 5 God said, 'Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.' 6 Then he said, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' At this, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
• Judg 2:1-3 : 1 The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, 'I brought you up from Egypt and led you to the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, I will never break my covenant with you forever.' 2 But you must not make a covenant with the people who live in this land. Instead, you are to break down their altars. Yet you have not obeyed me. What is this that you have done?' 3 So now I say, 'I will not drive them out before you. They will become thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.'
• Judg 6:11 : 11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
• Judg 6:16 : 16 The Lord said to him, 'I will be with you, and you will strike down Midian as if it were one man.'
• Judg 6:21-24 : 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared from his sight. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, 'Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!' 23 But the Lord said to him, 'Peace be with you. Do not be afraid; you will not die.' 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it 'The Lord is Peace.' To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
• Judg 13:16-22 : 16 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Even if you detain me, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord." (Manoah did not know he was an angel of the Lord.) 17 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your words come true?" 18 The angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." 19 So Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord, and He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife watched. 20 When the flame rose from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell facedown to the ground. 21 The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that he was the angel of the Lord. 22 Manoah said to his wife, "We are sure to die, because we have seen God!"
• Ps 83:6-7 : 6 For they have consulted together with one mind; they have made a covenant against you. 7 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
• Isa 63:9 : 9 In all their distress, he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and compassion, he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
• Hos 12:3-5 : 3 The LORD has a charge against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him for his deeds. 4 In the womb, he grasped his brother’s heel; and in his strength, he struggled with God. 5 He struggled with the angel and prevailed. He wept and pleaded for favor. He found Him at Bethel, and there He spoke with us.
• Zech 2:8-9 : 8 He said to him, 'Run and tell that young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited as a city without walls because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.' 9 'And I will be a wall of fire around her,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be the glory within her.'
• Mal 3:1 : 1 Behold, I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Suddenly, the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—behold, he is coming,
• John 1:18 : 18 No one has ever seen God; the one and only Son, who is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.
• Acts 7:30-38 : 30 After forty years had passed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was amazed at what he saw. As he approached to look more closely, he heard the voice of the Lord say, 32 'I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look closely. 33 Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.' 34 'I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning. I have come down to rescue them. Now come, I will send you to Egypt.' 35 This same Moses, whom they had rejected by saying, 'Who made you ruler and judge?'—this is the one God sent as ruler and deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This is the one who led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the same Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.' 38 This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; he received living words to pass on to us.
• 1 Tim 6:16 : 16 He alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has seen Him or can see Him. To Him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
• Gen 21:16 : 16 Then she went and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said to herself, 'I cannot watch the boy die.' And as she sat there, she began to weep loudly.
• Gen 21:18 : 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.'