A Multitude of Nations - His Plan All Along

Jew and Gentile as One New Man

In Genesis 17:4–5, God declares to Abraham:

“You shall be the father of a multitude of nations.”

This covenant promise was not fulfilled through Ishmael or Abraham’s other sons, but through Isaac, the son of promise. The seed of covenant blessing was narrowed to Isaac, and from Isaac to Jacob, establishing the line of Israel. The promise was not simply about one family, but about a destiny that would expand into multitudes of peoples.

According to recent estimates, the global Jewish population is roughly 15.8 million people. Given that the world population is about 8 billion today, that means Jews make up approximately 0.2% of the global population. I wouldn’t call that a multitude of nations! So, where are these missing multitudes that make up many nations? Where are the ones that were promised to be as the sand on the seashore or the stars in the sky?

A promise of a “multitude of nations” was promised to Abraham and then it was repeated to Jacob.

In Genesis 35:11, God speaks to Jacob:

“A nation and a company of nations shall come from you.”

Here, the covenant is clarified: Israel would be ONE nation, but from Jacob’s descendants would arise a “company of nations.” This phrase anticipates something much larger —it points to dispersion, multiplication, and global impact.

The key to understanding this expansion lies in Genesis 48:19, when Jacob blesses Ephraim:

“His offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

Ephraim, representing the northern kingdom of Israel, would later be scattered among the nations after the Assyrian exile. They would never return to the land in large numbers, as the southern kingdom of Judea did after their exile. Hosea’s prophecies describe this dispersion and loss of identity: the house of Israel became “not My people” (Hosea 1:9), yet God promised restoration—

“Yet the number of Bnei-Yisrael will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. Instead of ‘You are not My people’ being said to them, they will be called ‘Children of the living God.’ Then the descendants of Judah and descendants of Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint themselves one head and they will go up from the land. For the day of Jezreel will be great.” Hosea 2:1-2 (TLV).

Through Ephraim’s scattering, the covenant bloodline was sown into the nations, preparing the way for a global family. A global family which included gentiles (because they lost their identity and mixed with the nations).

Jacob’s blessing over Joseph further expands this vision:

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall” (Genesis 49:22).

The imagery of a vine growing beyond boundaries symbolizes Israel’s influence extending beyond its borders. Joseph’s descendants, particularly Ephraim, would overflow into other lands, carrying covenant identity into foreign nations.

The dispersion of the northern kingdom was not merely judgment—it was providence. It was God’s plan for the nations! By scattering Israel, God ensured that the covenant seed would mingle among the nations. This prepared the way for the ultimate inclusion of the gentiles. What began as one nation became a multitude, fulfilling the promise to Abraham and Jacob.

Through Yeshua the Messiah, the ultimate “seed” of Abraham, the scattered are gathered, and the nations are grafted in. Paul explains in Romans 11:17–24 that gentiles are like wild olive branches grafted into the cultivated olive tree of Israel. The natural branches (Israel) and the grafted branches (gentiles) together form one tree, nourished by the same root—the covenant promises of God to Abraham and Jacob (Israel). Notice that both “trees” are olive trees. One is cultivated (the Jews) and one is a “wild, uncultivated” olive tree (gentiles). Olive trees are often symbolic of the nation of Israel in scripture.

Paul also affirms in Romans 8 that those led by the Spirit are sons of God, heirs of the promise. Thus, the multitude of nations is not only physical descendants of Ephraim, and other tribes of the northern kingdom, but also spiritual heirs through Messiah.

Of Messiah it is recorded:

“Leaving Natzeret, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations— the people sitting in darkness have seen a great light, and those sitting in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:13-16 (TLV).

Messiah Yeshua spent most of His earthly ministry in the Galilee- the area of the former northern kingdom.

In conclusion, the phrase “multitude of nations” is prophetic. It was God’s plan all along for the inclusion of the gentiles.

• Abraham was promised it.

• Jacob was assured of it.

• Ephraim embodied it through dispersion.

• Joseph’s blessing symbolized it.

• Yeshua fulfilled it by grafting the nations into Israel’s covenant.

God’s plan was never limited to one ethnic people but was always aimed at a global family. Through dispersion and redemption, the covenant has expanded from one nation into a multitude of nations, united in Messiah. Jew and gentile as one new man! Praise His Glorious Name!

Blessings,

Leisa