Contradictions and Paradoxes in Genesis 17:16

Check out Contradictions Catalog of Genesis 17:16 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts Genesis 17:16. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to the author of Genesis, God is promising to bless Sarah by giving her a baby boy, and from her, many nations and kings will come. This means Sarah will be very important and many people will be her family.

Genesis 17:16: And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother] of nations; kings of people shall be of her. [she...: Heb. she shall become nations]

Contradiction with Genesis 21:12

Genesis 17:16 states that Sarah will be a mother of nations, yet Genesis 21:12 suggests that Abraham's descendants will be named through Isaac, implying a narrower scope than "nations."

Genesis 21:12: And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Contradiction with Judges 11:1-2

Genesis 17:16 promises Sarah will be the mother of nations, yet in Judges 11:1-2, Jephthah is ostracized as the son of a harlot, highlighting a contradiction in familial unity or acceptance.

Judges 11:1-2: Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he [was] the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. [Jephthah: Gr. Jephthae] [an harlot: Heb. a woman an harlot]

Contradiction with 1 Kings 11:1-2

Genesis 17:16 prophesies Sarah as a mother of kings, while 1 Kings 11:1-2 discusses Solomon's foreign wives, implying the dilution of the nation's unity.

1 Kings 11:1-2: But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, [and] Hittites; [together...: or, beside]

Contradiction with Matthew 1:2-3

Genesis 17:16 discusses Sarah's descendants as leaders, but Matthew 1:2-3 lists a genealogy including Judah and his brothers, where leadership roles shift away from Sarah's immediate line.

Matthew 1:2-3: Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
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