A Biblical Reflection on Genesis 12:3
"I will bless those who bless you." Few verses are quoted more often in debates about Christians and Israel. Palestinian theologians read it very differently.
In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to leave his homeland and promises: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." For millions of evangelical Christians, especially in the United States, the verse is a direct instruction about the modern State of Israel: support Israel and be blessed.
The Christian Zionist reading
In this reading, the promise to Abraham passes to the Jewish people and, by extension, to the State of Israel. Political support for Israeli governments therefore becomes a religious duty, and criticism of them a spiritual danger. The idea is central to Christian Zionist organisations and is frequently cited by politicians.
A Palestinian theologian's response
Palestinian Christian theologians, notably Rev. Naim Ateek, founder of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem, have offered a different reading. They make three points:
- Universal blessing. The verse's climax is universal: all peoples will be blessed. The promise is about God's purpose for the whole of humanity, not the privileging of one nation over others.
- Justice as the test. The prophets consistently tie God's favour to justice. Blessing cannot be claimed while others are dispossessed.
- The New Testament. Paul's letters describe Abraham's heirs as all who share his faith (Galatians 3), which, on this reading, rules out equating the promise with a modern state.
Ateek has told how church leaders visiting Israeli officials spoke truth to power about Palestinian rights, and argues that this is what faithfulness to Genesis 12:3 requires.
A continuing debate
The disagreement is not only academic. It shapes how churches vote on divestment, how politicians talk about Israel and how Western Christians see Palestinian Christians, whose communities are among the oldest in the world. Reading Genesis 12:3 carefully, both sides agree, matters.