Genesis 28:14

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. Through you and your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְהָיָ֤ה זַרְעֲךָ֙ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה וְצָפֹ֣נָה וָנֶ֑גְבָּה וְנִבְרֲכ֥וּ בְךָ֛ כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָ֖ה וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ

Transliteration

wə-hāyâ zarʿăkā like-ʿăpar the-ʾāreṣ û-pāraṣtā yāmmâ wā-qēdəmâ wə-ṣāpōnâ wā-negbâ wə-nibrəkû in-you all-mišpəḥōt the-ʾădāmâ and-in-zarʿekā

Grammar Details

• *wə-hāyâ*: waw conjunction + qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - and will be
• *zarʿăkā*: noun, masculine singular + 2nd masculine singular suffix - your seed/offspring
• *ʿăpar*: noun, masculine singular construct - dust of
• *ʾāreṣ*: noun, feminine singular + definite article - the earth
• *û-pāraṣtā*: waw conjunction + qal perfect 2nd masculine singular - and you will spread
• *yāmmâ*: noun, masculine singular + directional heh - westward
• *wā-qēdəmâ*: waw conjunction + noun, masculine singular + directional heh - and eastward
• *wə-ṣāpōnâ*: waw conjunction + noun, masculine singular + directional heh - and northward
• *wā-negbâ*: waw conjunction + noun, masculine singular + directional heh - and southward
• *wə-nibrəkû*: waw conjunction + niphal perfect 3rd common plural - and will be blessed
• *mišpəḥōt*: noun, feminine plural construct - families/clans of
• *ʾădāmâ*: noun, feminine singular + definite article - the ground/earth
• *zarʿekā*: noun, masculine singular + 2nd masculine singular suffix - your seed/offspring

Word Meanings

• *hāyâ*: will be/shall become
• *zarʿăkā*: your seed/your offspring/your descendants
• *ʿăpar*: dust/soil/dirt
• *ʾāreṣ*: earth/land/ground
• *pāraṣtā*: you will spread/you will break forth/you will expand
• *yāmmâ*: westward/seaward/to the sea
• *qēdəmâ*: eastward/to the east
• *ṣāpōnâ*: northward/to the north
• *negbâ*: southward/to the south
• *nibrəkû*: will be blessed/will find blessing/will gain blessing
• *mišpəḥōt*: families/clans/tribes
• *ʾădāmâ*: ground/soil/earth

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And your descendants shall be as 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: and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  and thy seed{H2233} shall be as the dust{H6083} of the earth,{H776} and thou shalt spread abroad{H6555} to the west,{H3220} and to the east,{H6924} and to the north,{H6828} and to the south:{H5045} and in thee and in thy seed{H2233} shall all the families{H4940} of the earth{H127} be blessed.{H1288}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And thy seed{H2233} shall be as the dust{H6083} of the earth{H776}, and thou shalt spread abroad{H6555}{(H8804)} to the west{H3220}, and to the east{H6924}, and to the north{H6828}, and to the south{H5045}: and in thee and in thy seed{H2233} shall all the families{H4940} of the earth{H127} be blessed{H1288}{(H8738)}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And thy seed shalbe as the dust of the erth: And thou shalt spreade abrode: west east north and south. And thorow the and thy seed shall all the kynreddes of the erth be blessed.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  and thy sede shal be as ye dust of ye earth. And thou shalt sprede forth towarde the west, east, north, and south: and thorow the and thy sede shall all the kynreds vpon earth be blessed.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And thy seede shall be as the dust of the earth, & thou shalt spread abroad to the West, and to the East, & to the North, & to the South, and in thee and in thy seede shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And thy seede shalbe as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spreade abrode to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south: and in thee, and in thy seede, shall all the kynredes of the earth be blessed.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and thy seed hath been as the dust of the land, and thou hast broken forth westward, and eastward, and northward, and southward, and all families of the ground have been blessed in thee and in thy seed.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Your seed will be like the dust of the earth, covering all the land to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south: you and your seed will be a name of blessing to all the families of the earth.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. And so all the families of the earth may receive blessings through you and through your descendants.

Referenced Verses

• Gen 12:3 : 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.
• Gen 13:14 : 14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look to the north, south, east, and west.
• Gen 13:16 : 16 I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, your descendants could also be counted.
• Gen 18:18 : 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all nations of the earth will be blessed.
• Gen 22:18 : 18 And through your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.'
• Gen 26:4 : 4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and give them all these lands, and through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
• Acts 3:25 : 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham: 'Through your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed.'
• Gal 3:8 : 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.'
• Gal 3:16 : 16 Now to Abraham the promises were spoken, and to his seed. It does not say, 'and to seeds,' as if referring to many, but, 'and to your seed,' meaning one, who is Christ.
• Eph 1:3 : 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
• Rev 7:4 : 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
• Rev 7:9 : 9 After this, I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
• Gen 32:12 : 12 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from Esau, for I am afraid of him. He might come and strike me, the mothers, and the children.
• Gen 35:11-12 : 11 God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed a community of nations, will come from you, and kings will come from your own body." 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and I will also give it to your descendants after you.
• Num 23:10 : 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like theirs!
• Deut 12:20 : 20 When the Lord your God enlarges your territory as He has promised, and you say, 'I want to eat meat,' because you desire to eat it, you may eat it whenever you desire.
• Ps 72:17 : 17 May his name endure forever; as long as the sun shines, may his name be continued. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.
• Matt 8:11 : 11 I tell you, many will come from the east and the west and will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.