Gen 22:18 | NETfull | STEP | Because you have obeyed me, all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.’”

Genesis 22:18

18 Because you have obeyed me, ^{▼▼ In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.} ^{▼▼ Because you have obeyed me. Abraham’s obedience brought God’s ratification of the earlier conditional promise (see Gen 12:2).} all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ^{▼▼ Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)} using the name of your descendants.’”