The Meaning of Genesis 28:14 Explained

Genesis 28:14

KJV: And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

YLT: and thy seed hath been as the dust of the land, and thou hast broken forth westward, and eastward, and northward, and southward, and all families of the ground have been blessed in thee and in thy seed.

Darby: And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

ASV: And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thy seed  shall be as the dust  of the earth,  and thou shalt spread abroad  to the west,  and to the east,  and to the north,  and to the south:  and in thee and in thy seed  shall all the families  of the earth  be blessed. 

What does Genesis 28:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 28:10-22 - Jacob's Vision At Bethel
This is the Ladder chapter, in which a wayward, weak man is seen holding fellowship with the Eternal God, who loves us, notwithstanding our unworthiness, and desire to lead us into a life of power and blessedness. It is all wonderful! Notice the four Beholds! Genesis 28:12-15. Sunset. Overtaken on a moor by the swift fall of the Oriental night, Jacob had no alternative than to sleep in the open. But he slept to see! Night. There is an open way between heaven and earth for each of us. The movement of the tide and circulation of the blood are not more regular than the inter-communication between heaven and earth. Jacob may have thought that God was local: now he found Him to be omnipresent. Every lonely spot was His house, filled with angels. Morning. Worship, consecration, the vows of God. Put down thy foot on God's promises. He will do more than He has said. Thou shalt come to thy Father's house in peace.
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Chapter Summary: Genesis 28

1  Isaac blesses Jacob, and sends him to Padan-aram
6  Esau marries Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael
10  Jacob journeys, and has a vision of a ladder
18  The stone of Bethel
20  Jacob's vow

What do the individual words in Genesis 28:14 mean?

And shall be your descendants like the dust of the earth and you shall spread abroad to the west and the east and the north and the south And shall be blessed in you all the families of the earth and in your seed
וְהָיָ֤ה זַרְעֲךָ֙ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה וְצָפֹ֣נָה וָנֶ֑גְבָּה וְנִבְרֲכ֥וּ בְךָ֛ כָּל־ מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָ֖ה וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ

וְהָיָ֤ה  And  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
זַרְעֲךָ֙  your  descendants 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
כַּעֲפַ֣ר  like  the  dust 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וּפָרַצְתָּ֛  and  you  shall  spread  abroad 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: פָּרַץ  
Sense: to break through or down or over, burst, breach.
יָ֥מָּה  to  the  west 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
וָקֵ֖דְמָה  and  the  east 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, third person feminine singular
Root: קֶדֶם 
Sense: east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime.
וְצָפֹ֣נָה  and  the  north 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
וָנֶ֑גְבָּה  and  the  south 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: נֶגֶב  
Sense: south-country, Nekeb, south.
וְנִבְרֲכ֥וּ  And  shall  be  blessed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
בְךָ֛  in  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת  the  families 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מִשְׁפָּחָה  
Sense: clan, family.
הָאֲדָמָ֖ה  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ  and  in  your  seed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.