Verse

Genesis 17:8

ESV And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
NIV The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.'
NASB And I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.'
CSB And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing--all the land of Canaan--as a permanent possession, and I will be their God."
NLT And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.'
KJV And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

What does Genesis 17:8 mean?

In the previous verse, God revealed to Abraham that the covenant He is describing would extend to Abraham's offspring through all the generations to follow. Now God makes clear that includes the promise of "all" the land of Canaan. Abraham's descendants would possess it forever. It is this covenant promise from God, sometimes called the Abrahamic Covenant, by which Israel would claim and later conquer and possess the land of Canaan.

God concludes by saying, "I will be their God." Throughout the rest of Genesis and the rest of the Bible, God will claim His right to be Israel's God both in blessing and judgment. Much of Israel's suffering in the Old Testament occurs when they fail to honor God, either in their worship or their actions (Jeremiah 7:13; Malachi 1:6–7). And yet, despite those failings, and despite God's correction, He will maintain His promises. The descendants of Abraham, through Isaac and his son Jacob, will be the nation of Israel: God's chosen people—forever (Malachi 3:6).
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