“In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

The Hebrew of this text, rendered literally, is “And will-be-blessed in thee all peoples of the land.” And of Genesis 22:18, “And will-bless-themselves in seed of thee all nations of the earth.”

The latter is often carelessly translated. In both cases the verb has the letter “vav” (ו) prefixed, which is a conjunction (in this case, “and”). The root verb is barak, which is “to bless.” In 12:3 it is prefixed with “nun” (נ)which designates the passive. In 22:18 it is prefixed with “hith” (ﬣﬨ), which designates the reflexive case. Rotherham so translates it, and the ASV notes it in the margin.

The other three times this word is used in the same tense and case is Genesis 26:4 (word for word the same as 22:18), Deuteronomy 29:19, and Jeremiah 4:2,

“… and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself …” and “… thou shalt swear, As Jehovah liveth, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”

The word is used reflexively, but in the future tense, in Isaiah 65:16, “So that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.”

It remains for us to understand what it means for nations to bless themselves. The simplest would seem to be that Genesis 12:3 is saying heaven will bless earth, and 22:18 is saying that the peoples of earth will bless one another. Thus, these two versions of the Abrahamic promise are not contradictory, but complementary.

— Br. James Parkinson

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