When the ram has been offered and the knife has been set down, the blessing arrives. In Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 22:17, the Aramaic preserves the double Hebrew intensifier — barekh avarechecha, harbeh arbeh — blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply.
Two images carry the promise. The stars of heaven — kochvei shemaya — for the spiritual reach of Israel. The sand on the seashore — chala d'al sefei yama — for the physical endurance of Israel through time.
These two metaphors together are the covenant's full shape. Stars are few, brilliant, seen only at night. Sand is ordinary, countless, ground by waves. Israel is both. Holy and ordinary. Cosmic and earthbound.
Then the promise turns concrete: thy sons shall inherit the cities before their enemies. The Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan often sharpens blessings into historical predictions. The descendants of Abraham will not only be numerous — they will inherit territory, walls, gates.
The Maggidim noticed that this blessing was given only after the Akeidah. Before the test, there was a promise. After the test, there was a sealed covenant. The takeaway: heaven's deepest promises come after, not before, the moment you give everything back. Stars and sand are reserved for those who have nothing left to withhold.