Genesis 17:18 BSB — MannaFest

Genesis 17:18

And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee!

KJV

And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

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Commentary

3 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

O that Ishmael might live before thee! - Abraham, finding that the covenant was to be established in another branch of his family, felt solicitous for his son Ishmael, whom he considered as necessarily excluded; on which God delivers that most remarkable prophecy which follows in Gen 17:20, and which contains an answer to the prayer and wish of Abraham: And as for Ishmael I have heard thee; so that the object of Abraham’s prayer was, that his son Ishmael might be the head of a prosperous and potent people.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The great thing we should desire of God for our children is that they may live before him, that is, that they may be kept in covenant with him, and may have grace to walk before him in their uprightness. Spiritual blessings are the best blessings, and those for which we should be most earnest with God, both for ourselves and others.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

O that Ishmael might live before thee--natural solicitude of a parent. But God's thoughts are not as man's thoughts [Isa 55:8]. The blessings of the covenant are reserved for Isaac, but common blessings were abundantly promised to Ishmael; and though the visible Church did not descend from his family, yet personally he might, and it is to be hoped did, enjoy its benefits.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

8 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר	vai.Yo.mer	and he said	H559 →
אַבְרָהָ֖ם	'av.ra.Ham	Abraham	H85 →
אֶל־	'el-	to	H413 →
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים	ha.'E.lo.Him	<the> God	H430 →
ל֥וּ	lu	if	H3863 →
יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל	yish.ma.'El	Ishmael	H3458 →
יִחְיֶ֥ה	yich.Yeh	he will live	H2421 →
לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃	le.fa.Nei.kha	<to> before you	H6440 →

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
Jeremiah 32:39
I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
leads to
- Ezekiel 11:19–20
  And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
- Acts 4:32
  The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned.
Through
Acts 2:39
This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
leads to
- Isaiah 44:3
  For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.
- Romans 8:30
  And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
- Genesis 17:7–8
  I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Joel 2:32
  And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by…
Through
Psalms 4:6
Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
leads to
- Psalms 80:19
  Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts; cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
- Numbers 6:26
  may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’

Featured studies on this passage

On Genesis 17:18

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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Walks through Genesis 17

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

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Circumcision of the Heart

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Names of God

God reveals himself by name. Each name given in a specific historical moment, in response to a specific situation. Twenty-eight names along a revelation timeline — from Elohim at creation to YHWH-Shammah at the restored city — closing with Jesus' "I AM."

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Walks through Genesis 17

Sarah: Mother of Nations · MannaFest

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Walks through Genesis 17

The Twelve Tribes

The promise narrows to one wrestling man, then opens into twelve tribes whose names are cut into the gates of heaven.

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About Genesis

The Creation of Light — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Genesis: the study guide →Read chapter 17 →The featured study →

Continue: Genesis 17 →

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 Genesis

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Genesis