Genesis 35:11 says, "And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.'"
This is the New International Version; however, the Amplified Bible (AMP) translates Genesis 35:11 to be "And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall be born of your loins.'"
As we can see, the concept of kings being born out of the fruit of loins is connected to individuals bearing children to become nations and kings.
Understanding Difficult Passages
Genesis 35:11 is one of the more difficult passages to understand because of the way it is worded. Some older and newer translations use "fruit of my loins;" however, some other translations translate this phrase into something that is more understandable for us in the modern day.
The ESV translated this passage to be "And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.'" The broader context of this verse can be understood by its surrounding context.
Within the broader context of Genesis 35, we can see how it covers the topic of Jacob returning to Bethel. Jacob and his entire family were traveling to Bethel to build an altar for God (Genesis 35:1-2).
Jacob successfully travels to Bethel with his family and builds the altar for God. After Jacob returns from Paddan Aram, God blesses him and renames him Israel (Genesis 35:10).
The Lord then tells Jacob that a nation will come from him, and his descendants will be kings (Genesis 35:11). This is shown to be true as Jacob, now Israel, becomes father to the 12 tribes of Israel. Many kings would come from his line, including Jesus.
After the Lord tells this to Israel, He also tells him that he will give him the land he gave to Abraham and Isaac. God then leaves, and Israel places a stone pillar where God talked with him (Genesis 35:12-15).
He wanted to mark it as a special place in Bethel because it was a sacred place where God spoke with him. Despite Jacob starting out as a deceiver, through God, Jacob became Israel and faithfully served God.
The significance of "the fruit of my loins" is its connection to how Israel was going to be the father of many descendants and kings. As mentioned, Jesus is the most important king to descend from Israel as He descends from the tribe of Judah.
Judah is one of the 12 sons of Israel. The other sons of Israel included Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Joseph's tribe becomes the two half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. From each of these tribes, there were kings and many nations.
God is always faithful, including this promise He made to Israel. Kings would be born of Israel, even though Israel did many bad things in his past. The transition of Jacob to Israel is a perfect example of God's transforming powers.
Earlier in Jacob's life, he was a deceiver and trickster. He would decide anyone to get what he wanted, including tricking his own brother for his birthright. Despite his trickery, Jacob himself didn't go without being tricked, as he was tricked by his future father-in-law.
Even with Jacob's negative past, God still made a great nation come from Israel, and his name carried on through future generations. No longer do people see Jacob as a deceiver, but rather, they see him as the father of the 12 tribes. It was through Israel that kings came.
Some were good kings, such as David; however, there were bad kings, also. Mankind still had and has free will, which is why some chose to be good kings, and some chose to be bad kings. Whether good or bad, king, they all automatically come from God since God is the giver of life.
Fruit of My Loins in the Bible
The aspect of "the fruit of my loins" is also connected with God telling Jacob to be fruitful and to increase in number. The act of being fruitful would lead to many nations and descendants from his family line.
Many times throughout the Bible, individuals are told to be fruitful and to multiply. The main reference goes back to Adam and Eve. Unlike modern times, having children and increasing in number was seen as a good thing.
In this way, Israel's fruit was children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Israel’s family line kept increasing and continuing because of the great blessing of the Lord. God chose Israel to be the father of the future nations because of His own purpose.
By God choosing Jacob, it shows us that none of us are ever too far gone from God. As mentioned, Jacob was a deceiver to many, yet God still chose him. In the same way, we are all sinners in need of salvation, and God chooses each of us.
God sent His Son into the world to die for our sins because He loves us so much (John 3:16-17). Even though we were not divinely chosen as Jacob was, God still chooses us today to join His family. He equally loves all people and desires for all people to know Him.
It can be easy to think God loves some people and then ignores others, but this isn't true. God loves all people and predestines all of us to come to know Him. However, it is up to us if we are going to accept His free gift of salvation.
Similar to how Jacob accepts the blessing from God, we, too, need to accept the blessing of having the opportunity to place faith in Jesus. Salvation is open to all people, which means all people can be saved.
While we won't all give birth to kings and nations as Israel's family did, we are all children of the one true King, Jesus Christ. By placing faith in Jesus, we become children of God, and we will get to experience eternal life with Him forever.
Just as Jacob was given multiple chances, God also gives us multiple chances throughout our lives to come to know Him. We can either choose to accept Him and accept the blessing as Jacob did, or we can choose to ignore His call for salvation in our lives.
By choosing to accept Jesus, we will have true freedom and the sure hope of being with Jesus when we pass away.
What Does This Mean?
Therefore, the significance of "the fruit of my loins" is the matter of God blessing Jacob with nations and kings to be born through him. God blessed Jacob by renaming him Israel and giving him 12 sons, who became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Through the blessings of God, many loyal kings were descended from Israel and made great strides for God. The most famous and the only eternal King was also born through Israel's line, Jesus.
For further reading:
What if Christian Couples Can’t ‘Be Fruitful and Multiply’?
What Is the Significance of the Twelve Tribes of Israel in the Bible?
Why Did God Choose the 12 Sons of Jacob to Set the Foundation of Israel?
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