Genesis 28:14

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.

📖 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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 And I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.
• Gen 13:14 : 14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
• Gen 13:16 : 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also shall be numbered.
• Gen 18:18 : 18 Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
• Gen 22:18 : 18 And in your descendants shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice.
• Gen 26:4 : 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these countries; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
• Acts 3:25 : 25 You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
• Gal 3:8 : 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles through faith, preached beforehand the gospel unto Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all nations be blessed.'
• Gal 3:16 : 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,' which is Christ.
• Eph 1:3 : 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ:
• Rev 7:4 : 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.
• Rev 7:9 : 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and languages, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palm branches in their hands;
• Gen 32:12 : 12 And you said, I will surely do you good, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
• Gen 35:11-12 : 11 And God said to him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be from you, and kings shall come from your body; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your descendants after you I will give the land.
• Num 23:10 : 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!
• Deut 12:20 : 20 When the LORD your God enlarges your border, as He has promised you, and you say, I want to eat meat, because your soul desires to eat meat; you may eat meat, whatever your soul desires.
• Ps 72:17 : 17 His name shall endure forever; his name shall continue as long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed.
• Matt 8:11 : 11 And I say to you, that many will come from the east and west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.