AIZAWL THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

BACHELOR OF DIVINITY (2023-2024)

Liberation and Formation of the Identity of the People of God: A Study of Pentateuch

Topic : Exegetical/theological explanations of ‘In you all the families of the earth shall
be blessed’ in Genesis 12 account.
Submitted to : Rev. Dr. F.H.Liansangzuala
Submitted by : Vanlalnunmawia, BD II, Roll No. 1, Lalpeksanga, BD II, Roll No. 3,
Vanlalhriatpuia, BD II, Roll No. 4.

INTRODUCTION:

The book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It is rightly called the book of
beginnings for it contains the beginning of the universe, humans, other creatures, sin, etc. It was
mostly believed to be written by Moses. It contains many accounts of the patriarchs and their
descendants. How they are called by God and how they are guided and led. We see the call of
Abram/Abraham and the circumstances in Genesis 12. The following will deal with the exegetical
and theological explanation of Genesis 12:1-3, and mainly focused on verse 3b ‘In you all the families
of the earth shall be blessed.’

The Text:
Genesis 12:1-3 (NRSV): 1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and
your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2I will make you of a great
nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless
those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed.” (emphasis added).
. . . and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you. (NIV)
. . . and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name. (NET)

The Context & Genre:

Genesis 1-11 is called the primeval history and Gen. 12-50 the patriarchal history or
narrative. Gen. 1- 11:26 the primeval history and 11:27- 50 the patriarchal story to be precise. The
selected passage is the beginning of the new section. It started right off with the story of Abraham.
The rest of the book is about the story of his descendants and their relationship with God. The story
of Abraham opens without an identifying formula or preliminary observation of the type that
introduces the Noah narrative. The patriarch bursts upon the scene of history with astounding
suddenness. The first seventy-five years of his life are passed over in total silence. God’s call comes
in an instant, without forewarning or preparation. It is brief and compelling in its demands, and
Abram’s immediate response marks the true beginning of his life.1

1
Nahum M.Sarna. The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989),
88.
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 The story of Abraham has two introductions. The one, 11:27-32, consisting of
genealogical material with some itenary notes, serves as a transition. It is continued in 12:4a, which
forms a conclusion to 12:1-3. The genealogical material, 12:4b-5 (P), appears in very much the same
way as in 11:27-32; vv. 5c (P and J) and 6-9 (J) report Abraham’s movements in Canaan, serving as
a transition to the narrative in 12:10-20.2 Interpreters universally consider vv 1-3 to provide the key
for the rest of Genesis, indeed the Pentateuch.

Form/ Structure/ Setting of Gen. 11:27- 12:1-9

Genesis 11:27, beginning with the genealogy of Abraham’s father provide the starting
point for the story of Abraham. 11:27-32 makes it clear that his family had already begun a journey
to Canaan from their home in “Ur of the Chaldeans.”3
Hence, the beginning of this unit is clear, i.e., 11:27. “This is the family history of
Terah,” opens the Abraham cycle, which is not completed until 25:11. Most commentators make
11:27-32 the first section of the Abraham cycle and 12:1-9 the second. 11:27-32 deals primarily with
the family background, while 12:1-9 focuses on the divine promises.4
12:1 presupposes some knowledge of Abram’s identity, and the command “Go by
yourself from your country” implies some understanding of the location of his original homeland.
This information is supplied in 11:27-32. Therefore, it seems unlikely that 12:1-3 was ever an
independent, self- standing introduction to the Abraham stories.
The structure may be analyzed as follows:
11:27a Heading : “This is the family history…”
27b- 30 Terah’s family 27b his sons
28 death of Haran
29-30 his other sons’ marriages
11:31 Terah’s journey from Ur to Harran
11:32 Terah’s death

12:1-9 continues the journey begun in 11:31. This section is divided into two main parts:
A Divine word vv 1-3
B Abram’s response vv 4-9
Both subdivided into three paragraphs:
A Divine word v1 command
v2 promise
v3 promise
B Response vv 4-5 journey
vv 6-7 journey
vv 8-9 journey5

2
Claus Westermann, Genesis 12-36: A Commentary (London: SPCK, 1985), 145. Translated by John J.Scullion.
3
Probably the ancient centre about 70 miles south of modern Baghdad. Chaldea was a less ancient name of
Babylonia from neo-Babylonian times. New interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 422. Ur of the
Chaldeans is the city of Uru in southern Babylonia, the remains of which have been discovered in the mounds of ‘el-
Mukayyar on the right bank of Euphrates. See The Interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1952), 567.
4
Gordon, J. Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary: Genesis 1-15 (Waco, Texas: Word Books Publisher, 1987),
267.
5
Gordon, J. Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary: Genesis 1-15 . . . , 268-269.
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 It is somewhat surprising at first sight that the stories of Abraham are headed “This is
the family history of Terah.” It is the characteristic of the patriarchal narratives that the heading should
mention the father, while the story focuses on the sons.6

Exegesis of Gen. 12:3

‘All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you’ – This rendering understands
Hebrew ve-nivrekhu as reflexive. People will take you on good fortune as the desired measure when
invoking a blessing on themselves. A more likely translation of the verb is as a passive: “shall be
blessed through- because of- you.” God’s promises to Abram would then proceed in three stages from
the particular to the universal: a blessing on Abram personally, a blessing (or curse) on those with
whom he interacts, and a blessing on the entire human race.7 Whether to translate it as passive,
reflexive or receptive is one challenge which cannot be yet solved. There are scholars who, with good
arguments about the possibility of the translation. Shall be blessed or shall bless themselves. The stem
is Niphal which is reflexive but often passive.

Be Blessed. The form of the Hebrew verb here is ambiguous. It is properly a reflexive
although it is used as a passive. Hence RSV ‘Bless themselves’. Another form, exclusively reflexive,
is used at 22:18, 26:4, although AV translates this also as passive. Probably the reflexive meaning
should be preserved in both sets of passages and the distinction we make may not have been so
apparent to the Hebrew mind. For in ‘blessing themselves’, i.e. calling upon themselves the divine
gift to Abram, the nations would manifest the beginning of faith as they perceived the source of
Abram’s blessing. Thus, they would enter into relationship with God through Abram, and share in his
blessing. The verb for “shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3 NKJV) has a niphal stem, which makes the verb
passive. That is, Abraham was not the active agent of blessing. Rather he was only the channel. Hence,
the one who is the agent of the blessing is the “seed” of Abraham (cf. Gen. 3:7).8

We shall give emphasis on the terms “bless”, “blessing”, or “blessed” and “families”.
The terms for blessing abound in the Old Testament (OT), occurring over 600 times. These terms are
related to the word meaning “to kneel”, since in earlier times one would kneel to receive a blessing.
In the OT, ceremonial blessings were received within the institutions of the family, society,
government and religious practice (Gen. 14:19; 27:27-29; 49:25-26’ Lev. 9:22; Deut. 10:8; 21:5; I
Sam. 2:20; 2 Sam 6:18; I Kgs. 8:14, 55). Three common themes are present in formal OT blessing.
First, the greater blesses the lesser (cf. Heb. 7:6-7); second, the blessing is a sign of special favour
that is intended to result in prosperity and success (Deut. 28:3-7); and third, the blessing is actually
an invocation for God’s blessing (Gen. 28:3).9

The Hebrew word for “families” is ‫( משפתה‬misphāhā). It means a clan; family

connection of individuals; and could also be used in a wider sense for people, and nations. Bowie,

6
Thus, “This is the family history of Isaac” (25:19) introduces the stories of Jacob and Esau. “The family history
of Jacob” (37:2) heads the Joseph story. In these cases, it is clear that it is because Isaac was the head of the extended
family that the stories of Jacob and Esau have this introductory formula.
7
Nahum M.Sarna. The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis . . . , 89.
8
A.S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50: Abraham and His Heirs (London: SCM Press Ltd, 1962), 26,27.
9
Carole L. Telman, “The Abrahamic Covenant: The Five Old Testament Covenants . . . , 1-4.
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quoting Johannes Pederson, states that family (misphāhā) is the designation of those who are of the
same kind and have the same essential features. Also, these families are subunits who make up the
nations apart from the Israelite nation. Above all, we can infer from God’s promised blessing to
Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that God’s promised blessing to Abraham is not limited to him and his
posterity, but reaches its goal only when it includes all the families of the earth. 10

Two distinct ideas are present in the use of the term “blessing” in the OT. First, a
blessing was a public declaration of a favoured status with God. Second, the blessing endowed power
for prosperity and success. Thus, modern versions of the Bible translate “bless” in the OT as “praise”
or “extol” when it is a personal response of an individual towards God as a result of being blessed by
God (Ps. 103:2). In the Bible passage under focus, the Hebrew word for “blessing is ‫( ברכה‬beracah)
and that for “to bless” or “bless” is ‫( ברך‬barak). They are translated as eulogia and eulogeo
respectively in the Septuagint. ‫( ברכה‬beracah) does not merely signify “blessing” or “a blessing”, but
also “being blessed” or “being filled with blessing”, as well as the concrete blessings which ensue,
for example, good fortune and power.11

Theological explanations:

When God called him, Abram moved out in faith from Ur to Haran and finally to
Canaan. God then established a covenant with Abram, telling him that he would find a great nation.
Not only would this nation be blessed, God said, but other nations of the earth would be blessed
through Abram’s descendants. Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, was to follow God an
influence those with whom it came in contact. Through Abram’s family tree, Jesus Christ was born
to save humanity. Through Christ, people can have a personal relationship with God and be blessed
beyond measure.12

John Calvin commented that the passage can be interpreted in a way that God
pronounces that all the nations should be blessed in his servant Abram because Christ was included
in his loins. 13 The idea was never fully grasped even by the prophets. Perhaps it was not yet been
fulfilled. But the power that may someday establish it did come into clear and final light in Christ,
who lived and died not to be a saviour of only one nation, but for all (Acts 17:26).14 God’s choice of
Abram served as an initially exclusive move for the sake of a maximally inclusive end.15

There are two conditions in vv. 1-3, the first, 1-2a showed that Abram will be the
recipient of blessing, and the second 2b-3 showed that he will be a means of blessing, a mediator of
blessing. The first part state that Abram will be blessed with a great nation and name. But the latter
part talked about not individual nation but all the families of the earth. But that depends on how they

10
Carole L. Telman, “The Abrahamic Covenant: The Five Old Testament Covenants” BOT 939 IND Sp. St
November 2, 2019, 1-4.
11
Carole L. Telman, “The Abrahamic Covenant: The Five Old Testament Covenants . . . , 1-4.
12
_______Life Application Study Bible: NIV (Grand Rapids: Michigan: Zondervan,2005), 23.
13
John Calvin, Commentaries on the First Book of Moses called Genesis, Vol.I (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker
Book House, 1984), 346-347.
14
George Arthur Buttrick, Nolan B. Harmon, eds. The Interpreter’s Bible: Volume 1 (Nashville: Abingdon-
Cokesbury Press, 1952), 575.
15
Leander E. Keck, ed. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary (Nashville: Abingdon Press,1994), 424.
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relate to Abraham.16 Although Abram is called be a blessing to others, much depends on how they
will treat him. The text speaks of those who bless (plural) but of him who dishonours (singular),
emphasizing that many more will be blessed than cursed. This promise that the nations will be blessed
through Abraham is later reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob. ‘In you’ This may simply indicate “by means
of you” but more likely this expression designates Abram as the covenantal representative for a
people. To be ‘in’ some person is to be a member of the group that person represents.17

From the earliest indication of the reference to the Abrahamic blessing in the Old
Testament, it seems the blessing resides solely within the nation of Israel who are the physical
descendants of Abraham. But progressively within the Old Testament itself, the blessing is
transmitted to non-Israelites who are in right relationship with Yahweh, the God of Israel: He who
has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He
shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation (Psalm 24:4-5)
and “blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord” (Jer. 17:7 NKJV).18

It is important to note that Abram made no promises back to YHWH when he received
all these promises. This covenant is depicted simply as a binding promise – or, better, a promissory
oath – on the part of God. No particular conditions are attached to it. True, it is assumed that Abraham
would continue to trust God and walk before him in righteousness and obedience, and the point is
now and then made that Abraham did so (e.g., 22:16; 26:5). But the giving of the promise itself is not
made subject to conditions. There is no list of commandments that Abraham must obey, or obligations
that he must fulfilled, if it is to be made good.19

REFLECTIVE CONCLUSION:

The patriarchal narratives began with the accounts of Abraham. God called
him and instructed him to went out from his native land. God also promised that he will bless him
and will be a means of blessing for all nations. The Bible did not give reasons for the call of Abram
and why God chose him. But it is evidently seen that Abraham and his descendants will be a blessing
for all clans of the world. Due to the archaic-ness of the Hebrew language, it is difficult to exactly
bring out the true meaning of the text. But from careful study we can conclude that the text, “in you
all the families of the earth shall be blessed” to mean as all the nations will have a chance to know
God through Abraham and his descendants, especially through Jesus Christ.

16
T. Desmond Alexander, David W. Baker. Eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (Downers Grove,
Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2003)
17
Dr. J.I. Packer, Dr. Wayne Grudem, Dr. Ajith Fernando, eds., ESV Global Study Bible (Wheaton, Illinois:
Crossway, 2012), 52,53.
18
G. N. Toryough, Samuel O. Okanlawon,“The Blessing Of Abraham: Seeking An Interpretive Link Between
Genesis 12:1-3 And Galatians 3:13-16” Ilorin Journal of Religious Studies, (IJOURELS) Vol.4 No.1, 2014, pp.123-
136.
19
G. N. Toryough, Samuel O. Okanlawon,“The Blessing Of Abraham: Seeking An Interpretive Link Between
Genesis 12:1-3 And . . . pp.123-136.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

_______Life Application Study Bible: NIV. Grand Rapids: Michigan: Zondervan,2005.

Alexander, T. Desmond, David W. Baker. Eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. Downers
Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2003.

Buttrick, George Arthur, Nolan B. Harmon. Eds. The Interpreter’s Bible: Volume 1. Nashville:
Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1952.

Calvin, John. Commentaries on the First Book of Moses called Genesis, Vol.I. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Baker Book House, 1984.

Herbert, A.S. Genesis 12-50: Abraham and His Heirs. London: SCM Press Ltd, 1962.

Keck, Leander E. Ed. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Nashville: Abingdon Press,1994.

Packer, Dr. J.I, Dr. Wayne Grudem, Dr. Ajith Fernando. Eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton,
Illinois: Crossway, 2012.

Sarna, Nahum M. The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication
Society, 1989.

Telman, Carole L. “The Abrahamic Covenant The Five Old Testament Covenants” BOT 939 IND
Sp. St November 2, 2019, 1-4.

Toryough, G. N., Samuel O. Okanlawon “The Blessing Of Abraham: Seeking An Interpretive Link
Between Genesis 12:1-3 And Galatians 3:13-16” Ilorin Journal of Religious Studies,
(IJOURELS) Vol.4 No.1, 2014, pp.123-136

Wenham, Gordon, J. Word Biblical Commentary: Genesis 1-15. Waco, Texas: Word Books Publisher,
1987.

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