¹⁶ and said, “I swear by myself,^(A) declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,^(B)

⁷ The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:^(A) “I will never forget^(B) anything they have done.^(C)

The Certainty of God’s Promise

¹³ When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,^{(A) 14} saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”^{[a](B) 15} And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.^(C)

¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.^{(D) 17} Because God wanted to make the unchanging^(E) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,^(F) he confirmed it with an oath.