Thematic Bible


Thematic Bible



When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, "I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I'm always with you, and be blameless. I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers." Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. read more.
"Look, I've made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations. I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you. I'll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. I will be their God." God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant." God told Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai any longer, because her name is to be Sarah. I will bless her. Furthermore, I will give you a son from her. I will bless her, so that nations, kings, and people will come from her." Abraham fell to the ground, laughed, and told himself, "Can a child be born to a 100-year-old man? Can a 90-year-old Sarah give birth?" So Abraham responded to God, "If only Ishmael would live in constant awareness that you're always with him!" But God replied, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son, and you are to name him Isaac. I'll confirm my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his descendants. And as for Ishmael, I've heard you. I'll bless him, and he'll have many descendants. I will multiply him greatly, he'll father twelve tribal leaders, and I'll cause his descendants to become a great nation. Now as to Isaac, I'll confirm my covenant with him, to whom Sarah will give birth as your son at this time next year." With that, God finished talking to Abraham, and ascended, leaving him.

You will remain true to Jacob, and merciful to Abraham, as you promised our ancestors long ago. Verse ConceptsGuaranteePledgesPerforming The TruthGod Swearing BlessingsGod Speaking Of OldGod Showed His Lovingkindnessdevotion

the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. Verse ConceptsAbraham, New Testament ReferencesGod Swearing Blessings

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the Law, but through the righteousness produced by faith. Verse ConceptsImputed RighteousnessGod's Promise To AbrahamRighteous By FaithPromisesTrust In Relationships

For I tell you that the Messiah became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth in order to confirm the promises given to our ancestors, Verse ConceptsCertaintyPatriarchsGod's Promise To AbrahamSalvation For Israelvindication

For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore an oath by himself, since he had no one greater to swear by. He said, "I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants."

In the same way, Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." You see, then, that those who have faith are Abraham's real descendants. Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the gentiles by faith, it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, "Through you all nations will be blessed." read more.
Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the one who believed. Certainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law!" Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the Law, because "The righteous will live by faith." But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, "The person who keeps the commandments will have life in them." The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!" This happened in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Brothers, let me use an example from everyday life. Once an agreement has been ratified, no one can cancel it or add conditions to it. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn't say "descendants," referring to many, but "your descendant," referring to one person, who is the Messiah. This is what I mean: The Law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant that God ratified previously. The promise was never nullified. For if the inheritance comes about through the Law, it no longer comes about through the promise. But it was through a promise that God so graciously gave it to Abraham.


For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. Now the slave woman's son was conceived through human means, while the free woman's son was conceived through divine promise. This is being said as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. The one woman, Hagar, is from Mount Sinai, and her children are born into slavery. read more.
Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery along with her children. But the heavenly Jerusalem is the free woman, and she is our spiritual mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, you childless woman, who cannot give birth to any children! Break into song and shout, you who feel no pains of childbirth! For the children of the deserted woman are more numerous than the children of the woman who has a husband." So you, brothers, are children of the promise, like Isaac. But just as then the son who was conceived according to the flesh persecuted the son who was conceived according to the Spirit, so it is now. But what does the Scripture say? "Drive out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman must never share the inheritance with the son of the free woman." So then, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.

When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, "I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I'm always with you, and be blameless. I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers." Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. read more.
"Look, I've made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations. I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you. I'll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. I will be their God." God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."

When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, "I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I'm always with you, and be blameless. I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers." Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. read more.
"Look, I've made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations. I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you. I'll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. I will be their God." God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant." God told Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai any longer, because her name is to be Sarah. I will bless her. Furthermore, I will give you a son from her. I will bless her, so that nations, kings, and people will come from her." Abraham fell to the ground, laughed, and told himself, "Can a child be born to a 100-year-old man? Can a 90-year-old Sarah give birth?" So Abraham responded to God, "If only Ishmael would live in constant awareness that you're always with him!" But God replied, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son, and you are to name him Isaac. I'll confirm my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his descendants. And as for Ishmael, I've heard you. I'll bless him, and he'll have many descendants. I will multiply him greatly, he'll father twelve tribal leaders, and I'll cause his descendants to become a great nation. Now as to Isaac, I'll confirm my covenant with him, to whom Sarah will give birth as your son at this time next year." With that, God finished talking to Abraham, and ascended, leaving him.

The LORD told Abram, "You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father's house and go to the land that I'm going to show you. I'll make a great nation of your descendants, I'll bless you, and I'll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you, but I'll curse the one who curses you, and through you all the people of the earth will be blessed."

and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you." That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God's children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants. For this is the language of the promise: "At this time I will return, and Sarah will have a son." read more.
Not only that, but Rebecca became pregnant by our ancestor Isaac. Yet before their children had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's plan of election might continue to operate according to his calling and not by actions), Rebecca was told, "The older child will serve the younger one." So it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

He remembers his eternal covenant every promise he made for a thousand generations, like the covenant he made with Abraham, and his promise to Isaac. He presented it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant. read more.
He said: "I will give Canaan to you as the allotted portion that is your inheritance."

I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as resident aliens for a time. Also, I've heard the groaning of the Israelis whom the Egyptians have forced to labor for them, and I've remembered my covenant. Therefore, tell the Israelis, "I am the LORD. I'll bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I'll deliver you from their bondage. I'll redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. read more.
I'll take you for my own people, and I'll be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I'll bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I'll give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"

You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, whom you brought from Ur of the Chaldeans and to whom you gave the name Abraham. You found him faithful in your sight; you made a covenant with him and you gave the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites to his descendants. And you have kept your word, because you are righteous.

When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, "I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I'm always with you, and be blameless. I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers." Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. read more.
"Look, I've made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations. I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you. I'll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. I will be their God." God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant." God told Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai any longer, because her name is to be Sarah. I will bless her. Furthermore, I will give you a son from her. I will bless her, so that nations, kings, and people will come from her." Abraham fell to the ground, laughed, and told himself, "Can a child be born to a 100-year-old man? Can a 90-year-old Sarah give birth?" So Abraham responded to God, "If only Ishmael would live in constant awareness that you're always with him!" But God replied, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son, and you are to name him Isaac. I'll confirm my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his descendants. And as for Ishmael, I've heard you. I'll bless him, and he'll have many descendants. I will multiply him greatly, he'll father twelve tribal leaders, and I'll cause his descendants to become a great nation. Now as to Isaac, I'll confirm my covenant with him, to whom Sarah will give birth as your son at this time next year." With that, God finished talking to Abraham, and ascended, leaving him.

He is the LORD our God; his judgments extend to the entire earth. He remembers his eternal covenant every promise he made for a thousand generations, like the covenant he made with Abraham, and his promise to Isaac. read more.
He presented it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant.


The LORD spoke to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as an inheritance." But he replied, "Lord GOD, how will I know that I will inherit it?" The LORD responded, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." read more.
So Abram brought him all these animals and cut each of them in half, down the middle, placing the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut the birds in half. When birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun began to set, Abram was overcome with deep sleep, and suddenly a frightening and terrifying darkness descended on him. Then the LORD told Abram, "You can be certain about this: Your descendants will be foreigners in a land that isn't theirs. They will be slaves there and will be oppressed for 400 years. However, I will judge the nation that they serve, and later they will leave there with many possessions. Now as for you, you'll die peacefully, join your ancestors, and be buried at a good old age. Your descendants will return here in the fourth generation, since the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet run its course." When the sun had fully set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a fiery torch passed between the animal pieces. That very day the LORD made this covenant with Abram: "I'm giving this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River

I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers." Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. "Look, I've made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. read more.
Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations. I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you. I'll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. I will be their God." God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."

He has shown mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. He granted us deliverance from our enemies' grip so that we could serve him without fear read more.
and be holy and righteous before him all of our days.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn't say "descendants," referring to many, but "your descendant," referring to one person, who is the Messiah. Verse ConceptsAbrahamBlessings, To AbrahamChrist, The Seed OfMission, Of IsraelScripture, Inerrancy OfProphecies Concerning ChristChildren Of AbrahamChrist's OriginGod's Promise To AbrahamThe promises of GodPromises concerningDescendants of

"Woe to the one who quarrels with his makers, a mere potsherd with the potsherds of the earth! Woe to the one who says to the one forming him, "What are you making?' or "Your work has no human hands?'! Verse ConceptsCriticism, amongst believersArguingClaySurrenderingPresumptionPotteryAuthority, Belonging To GodAnimositySuing GodWoe To The WickedMan's Relationship With His Creatorstriving

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets in his hand, and he did not know that the skin of his face was ablaze with light because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelis saw Moses and immediately noticed that the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. When Moses called to them, Aaron and the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and he spoke to them. read more.
Afterwards all the Israelis came near and he gave them everything the LORD told him on Mount Sinai as commandments. When Moses finished speaking with them he put a veil over his face, and then whenever Moses would come in the LORD's presence to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he left the LORD's presence. When he went out, he would tell the Israelis what he had been commanded. The Israelis would see the face of Moses and that the skin of his face shone; then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with God.

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground." Verse ConceptsGesturesAdoration, Of GodBarefeetHoliness, As Set Apart For GodReverence, And ObedienceSandalsStandingSacred PlacesGodly ReverenceShoesReverence To GodNot Coming Near To GodHoly Land

Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. Verse ConceptsFacesBowingProstrationReverence, And ObedienceThe RainbowRainbow

When morning came on the third day, there was thunder and lightning, with a heavy cloud over the mountain, and the very loud sound of a ram's horn. All the people in the camp trembled. Moses brought the people from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the base of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the LORD had come down in fire on it. Smoke went up from it like smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. read more.
As the sound of the ram's horn grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer with thunder. When the LORD came down on Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. The LORD told Moses, "Go down and warn the people so they don't break through to look at the LORD, and many of them perish. Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves. Otherwise, the LORD will attack them." Moses told the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai because you warned us: "Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.'" The LORD told him, "Go down, and come back up with Aaron, but the priests and the people must not break through to go up to the LORD. Otherwise, he will attack them."

Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and scream, "You are the Son of God!" Verse Conceptsdemons, Kinds ofSaid To Be The ChristBowing Before Messiah

Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. Verse ConceptsFacesBowingProstrationReverence, And ObedienceThe RainbowRainbow