The Meaning of Genesis 12:3 Explained

Genesis 12:3

KJV: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

YLT: And I bless those blessing thee, and him who is disesteeming thee I curse, and blessed in thee have been all families of the ground.'

Darby: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

ASV: and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will bless  them that bless  thee, and curse  him that curseth  thee: and in thee shall all families  of the earth  be blessed. 

What does Genesis 12:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 12:1-9 - God's Call And Promise To Abram
God's commands are always associated with promises. Count the shalls and wills here. He does not give His reasons, but He is lavish of His promises. The keynote of Abram's life was Separation. Step by step, until country, kindred, Lot, worldly alliances and fleshly expedients were one by one cast aside and he stood alone with God! Though he knew not whither he went, the father of the faithful obeyed, and crossed the wide and perilous deserts. It was this absolute and unquestioning obedience that endeared him to God. Let us ever obey and step out, though it seems as though there were nought but seething mist. We shall find it solidify under the tread of faith. Read Romans 4:16; Hebrews 11:8. Notice the combination of the Tent and Altar. The tent-life is natural to the man whose portion is God; and where he pitches his tent he will rear his altar. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 12

1  God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ
4  He departs with Lot from Haran, and comes to Canaan
6  He journeys through Canaan,
7  which is promised to him in a vision
10  He is driven by famine into Egypt
11  Fear makes him feign his wife to be his sister
14  Pharaoh, having taken her from him, is compelled to restore her
18  Pharaoh reproves Abram, whom he dismisses

What do the individual words in Genesis 12:3 mean?

And I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse and shall be blessed in you all the families of the earth
וַאֲבָֽרֲכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה

וַאֲבָֽרֲכָה֙  And  I  will  bless 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ  those  who  bless  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖  and  him  who  curses  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קָלַל  
Sense: to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light.
אָאֹ֑ר  I  will  curse 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָרַר  
Sense: to curse.
וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ  and  shall  be  blessed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
בְךָ֔  in  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת  the  families 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מִשְׁפָּחָה  
Sense: clan, family.
הָאֲדָמָֽה  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.