Seed not Seeds? Offspring not Offsprings?

Galatians 3:8

•             And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (ESV)

At the surface this may seem like no big deal.  Until you start to read Genesis to find the exact reference that Paul was quoting.  It isn’t as though Paul wrote in his text “As it says in Genesis 22:18, Moses wrote…”  Chapters and verses were added only within the last 1,000 years. 

I would guess that Gen 12:3 is considered the most common reference because Paul is using this passage as an argument that the promise of blessing came before the covenant and before the requirement for circumcision.  Again, however, I have to wonder if, because the exact words he used are not the exact words of any one passage in Genesis, but instead close to many, perhaps he is not quoting as much as he is referencing an overall general meaning of several passages given in Genesis. 

Paul’s reference could be located in a few places in Genesis (12:3, 18:18, 22:18, 26:4).  My ESV bible and my wife’s NIV list 12:3 as the cross reference.  While Gen 12:3 is a possibility, I couldn’t help but wonder if Paul was quoting a different passage because of a point he makes just a few sentences later comparing the singular or plural use of the word seed or offspring.

Galatians 3:16

•             Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (KJV)

•             Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. (ESV)

I did not do a thorough count of how many times God used the word offspring when talking to Abraham, however, it is used several times.  The problem with the translation is that the Hebrew root word for seed is zera.  {A quick side note that I made myself chuckle at the pun of “root word for seed” – I’m thankful God gave me a sense of humor.}  The root word zera can be singular or plural, just like the English words seed or offspring.  When translating or reading, it is imperative to understand the context of the word.

There is one more thing to consider when digging for scripture references that I had never encountered until this week with this particular word and phrase.  The term that Jesus used in Matthew 5:18, “jot and tittle” actually has meaning in the written Hebrew language.  A tittle is actually the small dots and tick marks, or hanging marks that are used when writing in Hebrew.  Jot is actually the Hebrew letter yodh, which, when written is the smallest physical letter.

When using BibleHub (http://www.biblehub.com) to review the differences between the Hebrew words for seed, these two instances stuck out to me. 

בְזַרְעֲךָ֔ – Gen 22:18 – “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

בְזַרְעֲךָ֔ – Gen 26:4 – “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed”

If you carefully analyze the writing, including the “tittles” and marks around this Hebrew word, wə•zar•‘ă•ḵā this version of the word is only used twice in all scripture, which I copied above.  (http://biblehub.com/hebrew/vezaracha_2233.htm)  Interestingly, BibleHub has it listed three times, however, upon careful analysis of the Hebrew writing shows that the word used in Genesis 17:9 { וְזַרְעֲךָ֥ } it is apparent that the writing of the word is different than the other two occurances.

I have two main points, which if you’re still reading, I commend you because for most, this would be considered ridiculously meticulous and unnecessary when studying the Bible.

My first point is that I find it thoroughly interesting that this version of the Hebrew word seed or offspring is only used twice, and both times in reference to blessing all the nations of the earth. 

My second point is that I also find it very interesting that Paul meticulously points out the difference between the singular use of the word seed during his discussion of the promise. 

Could Paul have been pointing to these two unique uses of the word when he was comparing the use of the word seed vs seeds? Is the meaning within the unique visual "tittles" used when the Hebrew word was written?  I do not know nearly enough about the Hebrew language to even feel concrete in my answer, however, I don't think the scriptures are full of coincidences.  I believe every tiny mark has a very specific and deeply profound meaning.  Only One knows all, and He gives us understanding along the way.