Genesis 15

Genesis 15 General Notes

Special concepts in this chapter
Inheritance

In the ancient Near East, a person's children inherited the property and land of their parents. Abraham doubted the fulfillment of God's covenant because he did not have any children to whom to give his land. This showed a lack of faith. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#inherit and /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#fulfill,/WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#covenant and /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#faith)

Fulfilling a promise

In the ancient Near East, two people performed a similar sacrifice by dividing animals in half. It was a way to say to the other person, "may this happen to me if I do not fulfill my promise." The event recorded here indicates that God will fulfill his promise and only he is responsible for bringing it about. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#fulfill and /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#promise)

God's covenant with Abraham

God made a covenant with Abram. This covenant was not conditioned upon anything that Abraham needed to do, but the fulfillment of its promises is conditioned upon the actions of each generation of his descendants. This covenant has not yet been fulfilled in its entirety.

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Genesis 15:1

After these things

"These things" refers to when the kings fought and Abram rescued Lot.

the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear

The idiom "the word of Yahweh came to" is used to introduce a special message from God. Alternate translation: "Yahweh gave a message to Abram in a vision. He said, 'Fear" or "Yahweh spoke this message to Abram in a vision: 'Fear" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

shield ... reward

God used these two metaphors to tell Abram about his character and his relationship to Abram. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metaphor)

I am your shield

Soldiers use a shield to protect themselves from their enemies. Alternate translation: "I will protect you like shield" or "I am your shield to protect you" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metaphor)

I am ... your very great reward

Possible meanings are 1) "I myself will be all that you need" or 2) "I will give you all you need."

reward

the result of a person's actions. This seems to be a metonym for the gracious blessing God would give Abram. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)

Genesis 15:2

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Genesis 15:3

Abram said, "Since you have given me

"Abram continued speaking and said, 'Since you have given me'"

Genesis 15:4

Then, behold

The word "behold" emphasizes the fact that the word of Yahweh came to Abraham again.

the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This

The idiom "The word of Yahweh came to" is used to introduce a special message from God. See how you translated this idiom in Genesis 15:1. Alternate translation: "Yahweh gave him a message. He said, 'This" or "Yahweh spoke this message to him: 'This" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

This man

This refers to Eliezer of Damascus.

the one who will come from your own body

"the one that you will father" or "your very own son." Abram's own son would become his heir.

Genesis 15:5

number the stars

"count the stars"

So will your descendants be

Just as Abram would not be able to count all the stars, he would not be able to count all his descendants because there would be so many.

Genesis 15:6

He believed Yahweh

This means he accepted and trusted what Yahweh said was true.

he counted it to him as righteousness

"Yahweh counted Abram's belief as righteousness" or "Yahweh considered Abram righteous because Abram believed him"

Genesis 15:7

I am Yahweh, who brought you out of Ur

Yahweh was reminding Abraham of what he had already done so that Abraham would know that Yahweh had the power to give Abram what he promised him.

to inherit it

"to receive it" or "so that you will possess it"

Genesis 15:8

how will I know

Abram was asking for more proof that Yahweh would give him the land.

Genesis 15:9

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Genesis 15:10

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Genesis 15:11

the carcasses

"the dead bodies of the animals and birds"

Abram drove them away

"Abram chased the birds away." He made sure the birds did not eat the dead animals.

Genesis 15:12

Abram fell sound asleep

This is an idiom. Alternate translation: "Abraham slept deeply" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

a deep and terrifying darkness

"an extreme darkness that terrified him"

overwhelmed him

"surrounded him"

Genesis 15:13

strangers

people who are at home in one place but have to live in another place

will be enslaved and oppressed

This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "the owners of that land will enslave your descendants and oppress them" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)

Genesis 15:14

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Yahweh continued to speak to Abram while Abram dreamed.

I will judge

Here "judge" is a metonym for what will happen after God makes the judgment. Alternate translation: "I will punish" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)

that they will serve

The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "that your descendants will serve" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

abundant possessions

This is an idiom. Alternate translation: "many possessions" or "great wealth" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

Genesis 15:15

you will go to your fathers

This is a polite way of saying "you will die." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-euphemism)

fathers

The word "fathers" is a synecdoche for all ancestors. Alternate translation: "ancestors" or "ancestral fathers" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-synecdoche)

you will be buried in a good old age

"you will be very old when you die and your family buries your body"

Genesis 15:16

In the fourth generation

Here one generation refers to a lifespan of 100 years. "After four hundred years"

they will come here again

"your descendants will come back here." Abraham's descendants would come to the land where Abram was then living, the land that Yahweh had promised to give to him.

has not yet reached its limit

"is not yet complete" or "will get much worse before I punish them"

Genesis 15:17

behold

The word "behold" here alerts us to pay attention to the surprising information that follows.

a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces

God did this to show Abram that he was making a covenant with him.

passed between the pieces

"passed through between the two rows of animal pieces"

Genesis 15:18

covenant

In this covenant God promises to bless Abram, and he will continue to bless him as long as Abram follows him.

I hereby give this land

By saying this, God was giving the land to Abram's descendants. God was doing this then, but the descendants would not go into the land until many years later.

Genesis 15:19

the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites

These are the names of groups of people who lived in that land. God would allow Abraham's descendants to conquer these people and take their land. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)

Genesis 15:20

the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites

These are the names of groups of people who lived in that land. God would allow Abraham's descendants to conquer these people and take their land. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)

Genesis 15:21

the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites

These are the names of groups of people who lived in that land. God would allow Abraham's descendants to conquer these people and take their land. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)