Genesis 17 · Verse 3

Genesis 17:3

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Genesis 17:3, King James Version

Genesis 17:3 in other translations

BSBThen Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
WEBAbram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,
ASVAnd Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
YLTAnd Abram falleth upon his face, and God speaketh with him, saying,
DARBYAnd Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying,
BBEAnd Abram went down on his face on the earth, and the Lord God went on talking with him, and said,
WebsterAnd Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

What does Genesis 17:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. Abram fell on his face--the attitude of profoundest reverence assumed by Eastern people. It consists in the prostrate body resting on the hands and knees, with the face bent till the forehead touches the ground. It is an expression of conscious humility and profound reverence.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 And Abram fell on his face - The eastern method of prostration was thus: the person first went down on his knees, and then lowered his head to his knees, and touched the earth with his forehead. A very painful posture, but significative of great humiliation and reverence.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 17:1-6

The covenant was to be accomplished in due time. The promised Seed was Christ, and Christians in him. And all who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abram, being partakers of the same covenant blessings. In token of this covenant his name was changed from Abram, "a high father," to Abraham, "the father of a multitude." All that the Christian world enjoys, it is indebted for to Abraham and his Seed.

Read the full comment on Genesis 17:1-6 →

Genesis 17:3 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.

וַיִּפֹּ֥לvai.yi.Poland he fellH5307
אַבְרָ֖ם'av.RamAbramH87
עַל\־'al-onH5921
פָּנָ֑יוpa.Navface hisH6440
וַיְדַבֵּ֥רvay.da.Berand he spokeH1696
אִתּ֛וֹ'i.Towith himH854
אֱלֹהִ֖ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
לֵאמֹֽר\׃le.Mor<to> sayingH559

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

Cross references for Genesis 17:3

  • Genesis 17:17

    Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

  • Judges 13:20

    For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

  • Matthew 17:6

    And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

  • Joshua 5:14

    And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

  • Numbers 16:45

    Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

  • Revelation 1:17

    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

  • 1 Kings 18:39

    And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

  • Ezekiel 1:28

    As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

  • Ezekiel 3:23

    Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

  • Numbers 16:22

    And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

  • Exodus 3:6

    Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

  • Numbers 14:5

    Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
17; Ex 3:6; Le 9:23,24; Nu 14:5; 16:22,45; Jos 5:14; Jud 13:20
1Ki 18:39; Eze 1:28; 3:23; 9:8; Da 8:17,18; 10:9; Mt 17:6; Re 1:17

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

Context

  • Genesis 17:2

    And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

  • Genesis 17:3

    And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

  • Genesis 17:4

    As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

Read all of Genesis 17

Genesis 17:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces Abram cayó sobre su rostro, y Dios habló con él diciendo:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Abram tomba sur sa face, et Dieu parla avec lui, disant:
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da fiel Abram auf sein Angesicht, und Gott redete mit ihm und sprach:
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Cecidit Abram pronus in faciem.