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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0;"/><title>Topical Bible: The Offspring</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_offspring.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/newtopical.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/topical/vmenus/genesis/12-7.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/bmcde/o/offspring.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/topical/">Topical</a> > The Offspring</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/topical/t/the_officials'_verdict.htm" title="The Officials' Verdict">◄</a> The Offspring <a href="/topical/t/the_offspring_of_evildoers.htm" title="The Offspring of Evildoers">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse">Jump to: <a href="#sub" title="Subtopics">Subtopics</a> • <a href="#rel" title="Related Terms">Terms</a></div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><a name="te" id="te"></a><div class="vheading2">Topical Encyclopedia</div>The term "offspring" in the Bible is often used to denote descendants or progeny, both in a literal and a spiritual sense. It is a concept that appears throughout the Scriptures, highlighting themes of lineage, inheritance, and the fulfillment of God's promises.<br><br><b>Old Testament Context</b><br><br>In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word often translated as "offspring" is "zera," which can mean seed, descendants, or progeny. This term is first introduced in the context of God's promise to Abraham. In <a href="/genesis/12-7.htm">Genesis 12:7</a> , God promises, "To your offspring I will give this land." This promise is foundational, as it establishes the covenant relationship between God and Abraham's descendants, the Israelites.<br><br>The concept of offspring is also significant in the context of the Abrahamic Covenant. In <a href="/genesis/15-5.htm">Genesis 15:5</a> , God reassures Abraham, "Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Then He told him, 'So shall your offspring be.'" This promise underscores the innumerable descendants that would come from Abraham, emphasizing the vastness of God's blessing.<br><br><b>Messianic Prophecy</b><br><br>The notion of offspring takes on a messianic dimension in the prophecy of the "seed" of the woman in <a href="/genesis/3-15.htm">Genesis 3:15</a> , where God declares to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." This verse is often interpreted as the first messianic prophecy, foretelling the coming of Christ, who would ultimately defeat sin and Satan.<br><br><b>New Testament Fulfillment</b><br><br>In the New Testament, the Greek word "sperma" is used similarly to denote offspring or seed. The fulfillment of the Old Testament promises concerning offspring is seen in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. <a href="/matthew/1.htm">Matthew 1:1</a> begins, "This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." This genealogy establishes Jesus as the rightful heir to the promises made to Abraham and David, affirming His messianic role.<br><br>The Apostle Paul further elaborates on the concept of offspring in <a href="/galatians/3-16.htm">Galatians 3:16</a> , stating, "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, 'and to seeds,' meaning many, but 'and to your seed,' meaning One, who is Christ." Here, Paul identifies Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, emphasizing the singular "seed" through whom all nations would be blessed.<br><br><b>Spiritual Offspring</b><br><br>Beyond physical lineage, the New Testament expands the concept of offspring to include spiritual descendants. Believers in Christ are considered the spiritual offspring of Abraham. <a href="/galatians/3-29.htm">Galatians 3:29</a> declares, "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise." This spiritual lineage transcends ethnic boundaries, uniting all believers as part of God's covenant family.<br><br><b>Conclusion</b><br><br>The theme of offspring in the Bible is rich with theological significance, encompassing God's promises to the patriarchs, the messianic hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and the inclusion of all believers as spiritual descendants. Through the concept of offspring, Scripture reveals God's unfolding plan of redemption and His faithfulness to His covenant promises.</div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="sub" id="sub"></a><div class="vheading2">Subtopics</div><p class="pspc"><a href="/topical/o/offspring.htm">Offspring</a></p><a name="rel" id="rel"></a><div class="vheading2">Related Terms</div><p class="pspc2"><a href="/topical/o/offspring's.htm">Offspring's (1 Occurrence)</a></p><p class="pspc2"><a href="/topical/o/offspring.htm">Offspring (186 Occurrences)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/topical/t/the_officials'_verdict.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="The Officials' Verdict"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="The Officials' Verdict" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/topical/t/the_offspring_of_evildoers.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="The Offspring of Evildoers"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="The Offspring of Evildoers" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div> <div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"><script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></div></td></tr></table></div></div></div> <br /><br /> <div align="center"> <div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>