Genesis 16:10

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;'

📖 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

Referenced Verses

• Gen 17:20 : 20 As to Ishmael, I have heard thee; lo, I have blessed him, and made him fruitful, and multiplied him, very exceedingly; twelve princes doth he beget, and I have made him become a great nation;
• Gen 21:13 : 13 As to the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he `is' thy seed.'
• Gen 22:15-18 : 15 And the messenger of Jehovah calleth unto Abraham a second time from the heavens, 16 and saith, `By Myself I have sworn -- the affirmation of Jehovah -- that because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only one -- 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 25:12-18 : 12 And these `are' births of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, hath borne to Abraham; 13 and these `are' the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their births: first-born of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, 14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, 15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: 16 these are sons of Ishmael, and these their names, by their villages, and by their towers; twelve princes according to their peoples. 17 And these `are' the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years; and he expireth, and dieth, and is gathered unto his people; 18 and they tabernacle from Havilah unto Shur, which `is' before Egypt, in `thy' going towards Asshur; in the presence of all his brethren hath he fallen.
• Gen 31:11-13 : 11 and the messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here `am' I. 12 `And He saith, Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and see -- all the he-goats which are going up on the flock `are' ring-straked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to thee; 13 I `am' the God of Bethel where thou hast anointed a standing pillar, where thou hast vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and turn back unto the land of thy birth.'
• Gen 32:24-30 : 24 And Jacob is left alone, and one wrestleth with him till the ascending of the dawn; 25 and he seeth that he is not able for him, and he cometh against the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh is disjointed in his wrestling with him; 26 and he saith, `Send me away, for the dawn hath ascended:' and he saith, `I send thee not away, except thou hast blessed me.' 27 And he saith unto him, `What `is' thy name?' and he saith, `Jacob.' 28 And he saith, `Thy name is no more called Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast been a prince with God and with men, and dost prevail.' 29 And Jacob asketh, and saith, `Declare, I pray thee, thy name;' and he saith, `Why `is' this, thou askest for My name?' and He blesseth him there. 30 And Jacob calleth the name of the place Peniel: for `I have seen God face unto face, and my life is delivered;'
• Gen 48:15-16 : 15 And he blesseth Joseph, and saith, `God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked habitually: God who is feeding me from my being unto this day: 16 the Messenger who is redeeming me from all evil doth bless the youths, and my name is called upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and they increase into a multitude in the midst of the land.'
• Exod 3:2-6 : 2 and there appeareth unto him a messenger of Jehovah in a flame of fire, out of the midst of the bush, and he seeth, and lo, the bush is burning with fire, and the bush is not consumed. 3 And Moses saith, `Let me turn aside, I pray thee, and I see this great appearance; wherefore is the bush not burned?' 4 and Jehovah seeth that he hath turned aside to see, and God calleth unto him out of the midst of the bush, and saith, `Moses, Moses;' and he saith, `Here `am' I.' 5 And He saith, `Come not near hither: cast thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place on which thou art standing is holy ground.' 6 He saith also, `I `am' the God of thy father, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob;' and Moses hideth his face, for he is afraid to look towards God.
• Judg 2:1-3 : 1 And a messenger of Jehovah goeth up from Gilgal unto Bochim, 2 and saith, `I cause you to come up out of Egypt, and bring you in unto the land which I have sworn to your fathers, and say, I do not break My covenant with you to the age; and ye -- ye make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land -- their altars ye break down; and ye have not hearkened to My voice -- what `is' this ye have done? 3 And I also have said, I do not cast them out from your presence, and they have been to you for adversaries, and their gods are to you for a snare.'
• Judg 6:11 : 11 And the messenger of Jehovah cometh and sitteth under the oak which `is' in Ophrah, which `is' to Joash the Abi-Ezrite, and Gideon his son is beating out wheat in the wine-press, to remove `it' from the presence of the Midianites;
• Judg 6:16 : 16 And Jehovah saith unto him, `Because I am with thee -- thou hast smitten the Midianites as one man.'
• Judg 6:21-24 : 21 And the messenger of Jehovah putteth forth the end of the staff which `is' in His hand, and cometh against the flesh, and against the unleavened things, and the fire goeth up out of the rock and consumeth the flesh and the unleavened things -- and the messenger of Jehovah hath gone from his eyes. 22 And Gideon seeth that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah, and Gideon saith, `Alas, Lord Jehovah! because that I have seen a messenger of Jehovah face to face!' 23 And Jehovah saith to him, `Peace to thee; fear not; thou dost not die.' 24 And Gideon buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and calleth it Jehovah-Shalom, unto this day it `is' yet in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrites.
• Judg 13:16-22 : 16 And the messenger of Jehovah saith unto Manoah, `If thou detain me -- I do not eat of thy bread; and if thou prepare a burnt-offering -- to Jehovah thou dost offer it;' for Manoah hath not known that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah. 17 And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `What `is' thy name? when thy words come to pass, then we have honoured thee.' 18 And the messenger of Jehovah saith to him, `Why `is' this -- thou dost ask for My name? -- and it `is' Wonderful.' 19 And Manoah taketh the kid of the goats, and the present, and offereth on the rock to Jehovah, and He is doing wonderfully, and Manoah and his wife are looking on, 20 and it cometh to pass, in the going up of the flame from off the altar toward the heavens, that the messenger of Jehovah goeth up in the flame of the altar, and Manoah and his wife are looking on, and they fall on their faces to the earth, 21 and the messenger of Jehovah hath not added again to appear unto Manoah, and unto his wife, then hath Manoah known that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah. 22 And Manoah saith unto his wife, `We certainly die, for we have seen God.'
• Ps 83:6-7 : 6 Tents of Edom, and Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Hagarenes, 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with inhabitants of Tyre,
• Isa 63:9 : 9 In all their distress `He is' no adversary, And the messenger of His presence saved them, In His love and in His pity He redeemed them, And He doth lift them up, And beareth them all the days of old.
• Hos 12:3-5 : 3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he was a prince with God, 4 Yea, he is a prince unto the Messenger, And he overcometh `by' weeping, And he maketh supplication to Him, At Bethel He doth find him, And there He doth speak with us, 5 Even Jehovah, God of the Hosts, Jehovah `is' His memorial.
• Zech 2:8-9 : 8 For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: After honour He hath sent me unto the nations who are spoiling you, For he who is coming against you, Is coming against the daughter of His eye. 9 For lo, I am waving my hand against them, And they have been a spoil to their servants. And ye have known that Jehovah of Hosts hath sent me.
• Mal 3:1 : 1 Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts.
• John 1:18 : 18 God no one hath ever seen; the only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father -- he did declare.
• Acts 7:30-38 : 30 and forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai a messenger of the Lord, in a flame of fire of a bush, 31 and Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him, 32 I `am' the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. `And Moses having become terrified, durst not behold, 33 and the Lord said to him, Loose the sandal of thy feet, for the place in which thou hast stood is holy ground; 34 seeing I have seen the affliction of My people that `is' in Egypt, and their groaning I did hear, and came down to deliver them; and now come, I will send thee to Egypt. 35 `This Moses, whom they did refuse, saying, Who did set thee a ruler and a judge? this one God a ruler and a redeemer did send, in the hand of a messenger who appeared to him in the bush; 36 this one did bring them forth, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years; 37 this is the Moses who did say to the sons of Israel: A prophet to you shall the Lord your God raise up out of your brethren, like to me, him shall ye hear. 38 `This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who is speaking to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who did receive the living oracles to give to us;
• 1 Tim 6:16 : 16 who only is having immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no one of men did see, nor is able to see, to whom `is' honour and might age-during! Amen.
• Gen 21:16 : 16 And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, `Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.
• Gen 21:18 : 18 rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with thy hand, for for a great nation I set him.'