Galatians 3:16

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

and to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed; He doth not say, `And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, `And to thy seed,' which is Christ;

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἐρρήθησαν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ. Οὐ Λέγει, Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν· ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐφʼ ἑνός, Καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, ὅς ἐστιν Χριστός.

Transliteration

Now to Abraam were errēthēsan the epangeliai and to the spermati of him. Not he Legei, 'And to the spermasin,' as of many; but as of one, 'And to the spermati of you,' who estin Christos.

Grammar Details

• *Abraam*: dative, masculine, singular - Abraham
• *errēthēsan*: aorist, passive, indicative, 3rd person, plural - were spoken/said
• *epangeliai*: nominative, feminine, plural - promises
• *spermati*: dative, neuter, singular - seed/offspring
• *Legei*: present, active, indicative, 3rd person, singular - He says/it says
• *spermasin*: dative, neuter, plural - seeds/offspring (plural)
• *estin*: present, active, indicative, 3rd person, singular - is
• *Christos*: nominative, masculine, singular - Christ/Messiah/Anointed One

Word Meanings

• *errēthēsan*: were spoken/were said/were promised
• *epangeliai*: promises/announcements
• *spermati*: seed/offspring/descendant
• *Legei*: He says/it says/Scripture says
• *spermasin*: seeds/offspring (plural)/descendants
• *Christos*: Christ/Messiah/Anointed One

Referenced Verses

• Gen 12:7 : 7 And Jehovah appeareth unto Abram, and saith, `To thy seed I give this land;' and he buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, who hath appeared unto him.
• Rom 4:13 : 13 For not through law `is' the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, of his being heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith;
• Rom 4:16 : 16 Because of this `it is' of faith, that `it may be' according to grace, for the promise being sure to all the seed, not to that which `is' of the law only, but also to that which `is' of the faith of Abraham,
• Gen 49:10 : 10 The sceptre turneth not aside from Judah, And a lawgiver from between his feet, Till his Seed come; And his `is' the obedience of peoples.
• Luke 1:55 : 55 As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed -- to the age.'
• Acts 3:25 : 25 `Ye are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made unto our fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall be blessed all the families of the earth;
• Gen 12:3 : 3 And I bless those blessing thee, and him who is disesteeming thee I curse, and blessed in thee have been all families of the ground.'
• Rom 12:5 : 5 so we, the many, one body are in Christ, and members each one of one another.
• 1 Cor 12:12 : 12 For, even as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, so also `is' the Christ,
• 1 Cor 12:27 : 27 and ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
• Gal 3:8 : 8 and the Writing having foreseen that by faith God doth declare righteous the nations did proclaim before the good news to Abraham --
• Gal 3:27-29 : 27 for as many as to Christ were baptized did put on Christ; 28 there is not here Jew or Greek, there is not here servant nor freeman, there is not here male and female, for all ye are one in Christ Jesus; 29 and if ye `are' of Christ then of Abraham ye are seed, and according to promise -- heirs.
• Eph 4:15-16 : 15 and, being true in love, we may increase to Him `in' all things, who is the head -- the Christ; 16 from whom the whole body, being fitly joined together and united, through the supply of every joint, according to the working in the measure of each single part, the increase of the body doth make for the building up of itself in love.
• Eph 5:29-30 : 29 for no one ever his own flesh did hate, but doth nourish and cherish it, as also the Lord -- the assembly, 30 because members we are of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones;
• Eph 5:32 : 32 this secret is great, and I speak in regard to Christ and to the assembly;
• Col 2:19 : 19 and not holding the head, from which all the body -- through the joints and bands gathering supply, and being knit together -- may increase with the increase of God.
• Col 3:11 : 11 where there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian, servant, freeman -- but the all and in all -- Christ.
• Gen 13:15-16 : 15 for the whole of the land which thou are seeing, to thee I give it, and to thy seed -- to the age. 16 And I have set thy seed as dust of the earth, so that, if one is able to number the dust of the earth, even thy seed is numbered;
• Gen 15:5 : 5 and He bringeth him out without, and saith, `Look attentively, I pray thee, towards the heavens, and count the stars, if thou art able to count them;' and He saith to him, `Thus is thy seed.'
• Gen 17:7-8 : 7 `And I have established My covenant between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee, to their generations, for a covenant age-during, to become God to thee, and to thy seed after thee; 8 and I have given to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, the whole land of Canaan, for a possession age-during, and I have become their God.'
• Gen 21:12 : 12 and God saith unto Abraham, `Let it not be wrong in thine eyes because of the youth, and because of thy handmaid: all that Sarah saith unto thee -- hearken to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to thee.
• Gen 22:17-18 : 17 that blessing I bless thee, and multiplying I multiply thy seed as stars of the heavens, and as sand which `is' on the sea-shore; and thy seed doth possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and blessed themselves in thy seed have all nations of the earth, because that thou hast hearkened to My voice.'
• Gen 26:3-4 : 3 sojourn in this land, and I am with thee, and bless thee, for to thee and to thy seed I give all these lands, and I have established the oath which I have sworn to Abraham thy father; 4 and I have multiplied thy seed as stars of the heavens, and I have given to thy seed all these lands; and blessed themselves in thy seed have all nations of the earth;
• Gen 28:13-14 : 13 and lo, Jehovah is standing upon it, and He saith, `I `am' Jehovah, God of Abraham thy father, and God of Isaac; the land on which thou art lying, to thee I give it, and to thy seed; 14 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.