Genesis 17:20

Genesis 17:20

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

a. NLT: As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

b. NIV: And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

c. YLT: 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;

d. Amplified Bible: And as for Ishmael, I have heard and heeded you: behold, I will bless him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. [Fulfilled in Gen. 25:12-18.]

e. Septuagint: And concerning Ismael, behold, I have heard thee, and, behold, I have blessed him, and will increase him and multiply him exceedingly; twelve nations shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

f. Stone Edition Chumash: But regarding Ishmael I have heard you: I have blessed him, will make him fruitful, and will increase him most exceedingly; he will beget twelve princes and I will make him a great nation.

1. “And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee…”

a. as for Ishmael [3458 * Yishma’el] [Strong: from 8085 and 410; God will hear; Jishmael, the name of Abraham's oldest son, and of five Israelites:--Ishmael.]

b. I have heard thee [8085 * shama] [Strong: a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.]

1). Abraham loved Ishmael very much and he did not want Ishmael to miss out on the blessing of God. His heart’s cry was, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” Here God assures Abraham that Ishmael would be taken care of.

2. “…Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget…”

a. I have blessed him [1288 * barak] [Strong: a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason):--X abundantly, X altogether, X at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, X greatly, X indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, X still, thank.]

b. will make him fruitful [6509 * parah] [Strong: a primitive root; to bear fruit (literally or figuratively):--bear, bring forth (fruit), (be, cause to be, make) fruitful, grow, increase.]

c. will multiply him [7235 * rabah] [Strong: a primitive root; to increase (in whatever respect):--(bring in) abundance (X -antly), + archer (by mistake for 7232), be in authority, bring up, X continue, enlarge, excel, exceeding(-ly), be full of, (be, make) great(-er, -ly, X -ness), grow up, heap, increase, be long, (be, give, have, make, use) many (a time), (any, be, give, give the, have) more (in number), (ask, be, be so, gather, over, take, yield) much (greater, more), (make to) multiply, nourish, plenty(-eous), X process (of time), sore, store, thoroughly, very.]

d. him exceedingly [3966 * m’od] [Strong: from the same as 181; properly, vehemence, i.e. (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; especially when repeated):--diligently, especially, exceeding(-ly), far, fast, good, great(-ly), X louder and louder, might(-ily, -y), (so) much, quickly, (so) sore, utterly, very (+ much, sore), well.]

e. twelve [‘asar] [Strong: for 6235; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also (ordinal) -teenth:--(eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-, six-, thir-)teen(-th), + eleven(-th), + sixscore thousand, + twelve(-th).]

1). twelve [8147 *  shnayim] [Strong: dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also (as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, + twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.]

f. princes [5387 * nasiy] [Strong: from 5375; properly, an exalted one, i.e. a king or sheik; also a rising mist:--captain, chief, cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour.]

g. shall he beget [3205 * yalad] [Strong: a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).]

1). God promised Abraham that He would make Ishmael a great nation

a). Genesis 25:12-18 “Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

25:13 Now these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

25:14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

25:15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kademah:

25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

25:17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

25:18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.”

2). A few years later when the strife between Sarah and Hagar and Ishmael came to a head, God reassured Abraham that because Ishmael was his seed that he would become a nation.

a). Genesis 21:12, 13 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

21:13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

3). These verses are critical for more than one reason.

a). They establish that the Abrahamic Covenant would be with Isaac.

b). These verses also distinguish between the “seeds”, showing that the seed in Genesis 17:8 does not mean the Arab world. It means in a prophetic sense, through Christ out of the Jewish nation.

3. “…and I will make him a great nation.”

a. I will make him [5414 * nathan] [Strong: a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.):--add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, + cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander, strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to) God, yield.]

great [1419 * gadol] [Strong: a great [1419 * gadowl] [Strong: from 1431; great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent:--+ aloud, elder(-est), + exceeding(-ly), + far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing,-er,-ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, X sore, (X ) very.]  

b. nation [1471 * gowy] [Strong: apparently from the same root as 1465 (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts:--Gentile, heathen, nation, people.]

1). It isn’t a coincidence that all that oil is under Arab lands. It is a fulfillment of God’s blessing on Ishmael.