Time And Fulfillment

Ἐμνήσθη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαθήκης αὐτοῦ λόγου οὗ ἐνετείλατο εἰς χιλίας γενεάς, ὃν διέθετο τῷ Αβρααμ καὶ τοῦ ὅρκου αὐτοῦ τῷ Ισαακ καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὴν τῷ Ιακωβ εἰς πρόσταγμα καὶ τῷ Ισραηλ διαθήκην αἰώνιον. Ἐπιστήσας ἀκριβῶς τίς ἦν ὁ λόγος ὄν ἐνετείλατο εἰς πολλὰς γενεὰς ἐξικνούμενον, οὐ γὰρ ἐτῶν ἀριθμον, ἀλλὰ τὸ διηνεκὲς αἰνίττεται καὶ τὸ πληθὸς, ὡς τὸ ἑπτάκις, Στεῖρα ἔτεκεν ἑπτὰ, τουτέστι πολλὰ, καὶ Ἑπτάκις πεσεῖται ὁ δίκαιος, καὶ ἀναστήσεται· εὑρήσεις αὐτὸν εἰρημένον οὕτως πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, Καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς. Καὶ, Ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σπέρματί σου πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ πληπαραπλήσια καὶ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ ἐπηγγελμένα καὶ ὁμοσθέντα περί τε τῆς γῆς καὶ τοῦ πληθυσμοῦ τοῦ σπέρματος. Ταῦτα δὲ πετὰ πλείστας ὅσας γενεὰς ἐπληροῦτο διὰ τῆς ἐπιφανείας Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ, γενομένου Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Εἰσέτι τε νῦν ἐνεργεῖ καὶ διαμένει ἡ ἐπαγγελία, μέχρις οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ. Οὗτος οὖν μετὰ μακρὸν αἰῶα, καὶ μετὰ πλείστας σφόδρα γενεὰς, τὰς γὰρ χιλιάδας ἀντὶ τῶν πολλῶν περείληφε, καὶ ταύτας ἐπλήρου τὰς πρὸς τοὺς πατριάρχας ἐπαγγελίας, διὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμων Ἰησοῦ καὶ διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εὐλογίαν δεδωρημένος. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΔ´ Source: Migne PG 23.1304d-1305b

He was mindful of his covenant forever, the word which He commanded for a thousand generations, which he made to Abraham, and his oath to Isaac, and He appointed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting testament... 1 If you would correctly understand what the word means which He commanded to pass on through many generations, note that it is not the count of the years that is indicated by the number, but an unbroken continuation, as for instance with 'seven', when it is said, 'The sterile one shall bear seven,' 2 that is, 'many,' and likewise in 'the righteous man falls seven times and rises up.' 3 With that same understanding so attend to what was said to Abraham 'And all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves in you,' 4 and 'All the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in your seed. And I shall greatly multiply your seed.' 5 You may find a similar promise receiving confirmation with Isaac, concerning the land and the multiplication of seed. 6 And these things have been fulfilled after many generations in the advent of Christ who rose from the seed of Abraham, and even to this time the promise is vigorous and persistant, until the fullness of the Gentiles shall have entered in. Here, then, after so long a time, and after very many generations, for we understand the 'thousand' to mean 'many', those promises given to the Patriarchs were fulfilled through our Saviour Jesus and through His teaching, with every people partaking of the blessing of Abraham. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 104 1 Ps 104.8-10 2 1 Kings 2.5 3 Prov 24.16 4 Gen 12.3 5 Gen 22.17-18 6 Gen 26.1-5