Galatians 3:16 BSB — MannaFest

Galatians 3:16

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

KJV

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

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Commentary

2 voices

Jerome

Commentary on Galatians (420)

(V. 15 seqq.) Brothers, I speak in human terms: yet no one rejects or adds to a man's covenant, which has been confirmed. The promises were made to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say, 'and to seeds,' referring to many, but referring to one, 'and to your seed,' who is Christ. Now I say this: the covenant, which was confirmed by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate the promise, so as to abolish it.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

And he gives us a very surprising exposition of this. We should have thought it had been meant only of the people of the Jews. "Nay," says the apostle, "it is in the singular number, and points at a single person-- that seed is Christ, " So that the covenant is still in force; for Christ abideth for ever in his person, and in his spiritual seed, who are his by faith.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

Now to Abraham and his seed - The promise of salvation by faith was made to Abraham and his posterity. He saith not, And to seeds - It was one particular kind of posterity which was intended: but as of one - which is Christ; i.e. to the spiritual head, and all believers in him, who are children of Abraham, because they are believers, Gal 3:7. But why does the apostle say, not of seeds, as of many?

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

This verse is parenthetical. The covenant of promise was not "spoken" (so Greek for "made") to Abraham alone, but "to Abraham and his seed"; to the latter especially; and this means Christ (and that which is inseparable from Him, the literal Israel, and the spiritual, His body, the Church).

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

29 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
τῷ	tō	<the>	G3588 →
δὲ	de	And	G1161 →
Ἀβραὰμ	Abraam	to Abraham	G11 →
ἐρρέθησαν	errethēsan	were spoken	G2046 →
αἱ	hai	the	G3588 →
ἐπαγγελίαι	epangeliai	promises	G1860 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
τῷ	tō	to the	G3588 →
σπέρματι	spermati	seed	G4690 →
αὐτοῦ.	autou	of him.	G846 →
οὐ	ou	Not	G3756 →
λέγει·	legei	it does say;	G3004 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
τοῖς	tois	<the>	G3588 →
σπέρμασιν	spermasin	to seeds	G4690 →
ὡς	hōs	as	G5613 →
ἐπὶ	epi	of	G1909 →
πολλῶν	pollōn	many	G4183 →
ἀλλ᾽	all᾽	but	G235 →
ὡς	hōs	as	G5613 →
ἐφ᾽	eph᾽	of	G1909 →
ἑνός·	henos	One;	G1520 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
τῷ	tō	to the	G3588 →
σπέρματί	spermati	seed	G4690 →
σου	sou	of you	G4771 →
ὅς	hos	who	G3739 →
ἐστιν	estin	is	G1510 →
Χριστός.	Christos	Christ.	G5547 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
leads to
- Galatians 3:29
  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
- Genesis 28:14
  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through…
- Romans 9:8
  So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
- Genesis 22:17–18
  I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
- Psalms 2:8
  Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
Through
Luke 1:55
as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
leads to
- Genesis 17:19
  But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after…
- Psalms 105:6–10
  O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
- Galatians 3:16–17
  The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

Featured studies on this passage

On Galatians 3:16

The Covenants

Six covenants in succession, cumulative rather than replacing. Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, New. Each narrowing the line of promise while widening the scope of fulfillment.

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On Galatians 3:16

The Seed Promise

The Bible's oldest and longest prophecy, traced through twelve progressive narrowings from Eden to Bethlehem — each stop eliminating candidates until only one person could fulfill it.

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On Galatians 3:16

The Law as Tutor, MannaFest

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On Galatians 3:16

The Seed

Paul names the word, names its number, and names the referent. Everything downstream of Genesis in the messianic reading is legitimate because of this verse, not because Genesis says it.

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Walks through Galatians 3

The Abrahamic Covenant: Genesis 12 · 15 · 17, MannaFest

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Walks through Galatians 3

The Bronze Serpent

Christ's own chosen picture of his death. A four-moment story across 1,400 years: sin and plague, command and cure, idolatry and smashing, crucifixion and fulfillment.

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About Galatians

The Crucifixion — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Galatians: the study guide →Read chapter 3 →The featured study →

PersonPatriarchsAbrahamCalled out of Ur, the father of all who believe, justified by faith, and the friend of God through whose seed all nations are bles…

Covenant
Paul reads Abraham's "seed" as singular, naming it Christ

Continue: Galatians 3 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Galatians

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Galatians