King James Version

Genesis 13:16

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

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Hebrew

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וְשַׂמְתִּ֥יvesamtiand putשׂוּםconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “and put”, a completed action in a sequenceH7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)[idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase]…אֶֽתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).זַרְעֲךָ֖zarakhaseedזֶרַעnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “seed”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2233seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity[idiom] carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-time.כַּעֲפַ֣רkaafaras dustעָפָרpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “as dust”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6083dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth, mudashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish.הָאָ֑רֶץhaaretsthe earthאֶרֶץdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.אֲשֶׁ֣רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…אִםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…יוּכַ֣לyukhalbe ableיָכֹלverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be able”, an unfinished actionH3201to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might)be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.אִ֗ישׁisha certainאִישׁnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “a certain”, the ordinary formH376a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phra…לִמְנוֹת֙limnotto appointמָנָהpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to appoint”, the to-form of the verbH4487properly, to weigh out; by implication, to allot or constitute officially; also to enumerate or enrollappoint, count, number, prepare, set, tell.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).עֲפַ֣רafardustעָפָרnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “dust”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6083dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth, mudashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish.הָאָ֔רֶץhaaretsthe earthאֶרֶץdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.גַּֽםgamalsoגַּםparticle, affirmation — “also”H1571properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...andagain, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and, but, either...or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea.זַרְעֲךָ֖zarakhaseedזֶרַעnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “seed”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2233seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity[idiom] carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-time.יִמָּנֶֽהyimanehappointמָנָהverb, niphal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “appoint”, an unfinished actionH4487properly, to weigh out; by implication, to allot or constitute officially; also to enumerate or enrollappoint, count, number, prepare, set, tell.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then may thy seed also be numbered.

Young’s Literal Translation

And I have set thy seed as dust of the earth, so that, if one is able to number the dust of the earth, even thy seed is numbered;

World English Bible

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted.

Darby Translation

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if any one can number the dust of the earth, thy seed also will be numbered.

Douay-Rheims

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: if any man be able to number the dust of the earth, he shall be able to number thy seed also.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And I will make thy seed like the dust of the earth; if any one is able to number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed be numbered.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ποιήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου, ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τῆς γῆς· εἰ δύναταί τις ἐξαριθμῆσαι τὴν ἄμμον τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐξαριθμηθήσεται.