Genesis 17 · Verse 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.
Genesis 17:20, King James Version

Genesis 17:20 in other translations

BSBAs for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
WEBAs for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAs 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;
DARBYAnd for Ishmael I have heard thee: behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will very greatly multiply him; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
BBEAs for Ishmael, I have given ear to your prayer: truly I have given him my blessing and I will make him fertile and give him great increase; he will be the father of twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Genesis 17:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 17:19-20

19-20. 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.

Read the full comment on Genesis 17:19-20 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 20 Twelve princes shall he beget, etc. - See the names of these twelve princes, Gen 25:12-16. From Ishmael proceeded the various tribes of the Arabs, called also Saracens by Christian writers. They were anciently, and still continue to be, a very numerous and powerful people. "It was somewhat wonderful, and not to be foreseen by human sagacity," says Bishop Newton, "that a man's whole posterity should so nearly resemble him, and retain the same inclinations, the same habits, and the same customs, throughout all ages! These are the only people besides the Jews who have subsisted as a distinct people from the beginning, and in some respects they very much resemble each other 1. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, are descended from Abraham, and both boast of their descent from the father of the faithful. 2. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, are circumcised, and both profess to have derived this ceremony from Abraham. 3. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, had originally twelve patriarchs, who were their princes or governors. 4. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, marry among themselves, and in their own tribes. 5. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, are singular in several of their customs, and are standing monuments to all ages of the exactness of the Divine predictions, and of the veracity of Scripture history. We may with more confidence believe the particulars related of Abraham and Ishmael when we see them verified in their posterity at this day. This is having, as it were, ocular demonstration for our faith." See Bp. Newton's Second Dissertation on the Prophecies, and See note on Gen 16:12.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 17:15-22

Here is the promise made to Abraham of a son by Sarai, in whom the promise made to him should be fulfilled. The assurance of this promise was the change of Sarai's name into Sarah. Sarai signifies my princess, as if her honour were confined to one family only; Sarah signifies a princess. The more favours God confers upon us, the more low we should be in our own eyes. Abraham showed great joy; he laughed, it was a…

Read the full comment on Genesis 17:15-22 →

Genesis 17:20 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּֽלְיִשְׁמָעֵ֘אלu.le.yish.ma.'eLand to IshmaelH3458
שְׁמַעְתִּיךָ֒she.ma'.ti.KhaI have heard youH8085
הִנֵּ֣ה\׀hi.Nehhere!H2009
בֵּרַ֣כְתִּיbe.Rakh.tiI will blessH1288
אֹת֗וֹ'o.To<obj.> himH853
וְהִפְרֵיתִ֥יve.hif.rei.Tiand I will make fruitfulH6509
אֹת֛וֹ'o.To<obj.> himH853
וְהִרְבֵּיתִ֥יve.hir.bei.Tiand I will multiplyH7235
אֹת֖וֹ'o.To<obj.> himH853
בִּמְאֹ֣דbim.'Odwith muchnessH3966
מְאֹ֑דme.'OdmuchnessH3966
שְׁנֵים\־she.neim-two [plus]H8147
עָשָׂ֤ר'a.SartenH6240
נְשִׂיאִם֙ne.si.'ImprincesH5387
יוֹלִ֔ידyo.Lidhe will fatherH3205
וּנְתַתִּ֖יוu.ne.ta.Tivand I will make himH5414
לְג֥וֹיle.Goyinto a nationH1471
גָּדֽוֹל\׃ga.DolgreatH1419

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 17:20

  • Genesis 21:18

    Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

  • Genesis 21:13

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

  • Genesis 25:12-18

    Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham: And 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, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: …

  • Genesis 16:10-12

    And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I have blessed.
16:10-12
twelve.
25:12-18
and I.
21:13,18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 17:19

    And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

  • 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.

  • Genesis 17:21

    But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

Read all of Genesis 17

Genesis 17:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y en cuanto á Ismael, también te he oído: he aquí que le bendeciré, y le haré fructificar y multiplicar mucho en gran manera: doce príncipes engendrará, y ponerlo he por gran gente.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et, à l’égard d’Ismaël, je t’ai exaucé: voici, je l’ai béni, et je le ferai fructifier et multiplier extrêmement; il engendrera douze chefs, et je le ferai devenir une grande nation.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und um Ismael habe ich dich erhört: Siehe, ich habe ihn gesegnet und werde ihn fruchtbar machen und ihn sehr, sehr mehren; zwölf Fürsten wird er zeugen, und ich werde ihn zu einer großen Nation machen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Super Ismaël quoque exaudivi te: ecce, benedicam ei, et augebo, et multiplicabo eum valde: duodecim duces generabit, et faciam illum in gentem magnam.