Preface: God graciously grants to Abram and his descendants a massive amount of land. Abram questions how he knows this is true, and God grants him an unusual experience.

This should be the most extensive examination of Genesis 15 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 15:

Introduction

         vv.     1–6           Abram’s Great Vision of the Revealed God

         vv.     7–21         God Reassures Abram with a Covenant

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         Introduction and Overview of the Patriarchs (College Press)

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 15

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 15

         Introduction         The Abrahamic Timeline for Genesis 15

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Genesis 15

         v.       1              Genesis 15:1 Graphic

         v.       2              Translations that Reveal Abram’s Reticence to Believe

         v.       2              Refuting the Claims of the American English Bible Regarding Abram’s Children

         v.       5              Abram Looking at the Stars (a graphic)

         v.       5              Genesis 15:5 (graphic)

         v.       5              Large Numbers and Abram

         v.       6              Genesis 15:6 Graphic

         v.       6              Genesis 15:6 in the New Testament

         v.       9              Illustration from Genesis 15 by James Padgett

         v.      12              A deep sleep fell upon Abram and a horror seizes him by Gerard Hoet 1728 (a graphic)

         v.      13              The AEB on Why Much of the Popular Bible Chronology is Wrong!

         v.      15              Shalom (a graphic)

         v.      16              Do the Numbers Make Sense?

         v.      16              An Example of Four-Generation Degeneracy

         v.      16              God Speaking to Abram (a graphic)

         v.      17              Genesis 15:17 Graphic

         v.      20              Various Expositors Cover the Hittites

         Summary            Chapter Summary

         Summary            An Abbreviated Exegesis of Genesis 15

         Addendum          “Lucky Guesses” found in Genesis (thus far)

         Addendum          What is Incontrovertible about the History of the Bible

         Addendum          What We Learn from Genesis 15

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 15

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 15

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Genesis 15

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 15

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 15

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An Introduction to Genesis 15

I ntroduction: Genesis 15 is one of the more unusual chapters in the book of Genesis, even though one verse from this chapter is quoted many times in the New Testament. God comes to Abram and we sense a little push-back from Abram. Up until this point in time, Abram has half-obeyed God on a couple of occasions, but he has more or less done what God required of him; and, at the beginning of this chapter, Abram appears to be wholly and completely in the plan of God. He is in the Land of Promise, where God told him to go, and he has separated from Lot, and yet, he did not abandon Lot when Lot needed him most.

In the previous chapter, Abram went to war against one of the greatest armies of the ancient world and literally changed the course of history with 318 citizen-soldiers. He met with the king of Sodom and with the priest of Salem. But in this chapter, God comes to Abram, saying, “Do not fear, Abram; I am your Shield and your great reward.” Abram, instead of reviewing the tremendous events of Genesis 14 in his head, and agreeing with God; he sounds rather impertinent. He says to God, “Just what are you going to give me, seeing that I have no children, and all that I have will probably be inherited by one of my young servants.” But God assures Abram that his son, the son of promise, will come from him directly. And then God takes Abram outside to look at the stars and He tells him, “Just like the number of stars in the sky, so your descendants (lit., seed) will be.” Then we have the marvelous, oft-quoted verse, And Abram believed Y^ehowah and it was credited to him as righteousness.

God then reminds Abram that He brought Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees; so Abram then asks God, “How do I know that I will take possession [of this land]?” Then, in answer to Abram’s question, God sends Abram off to gather up some sacrificial animals, and Abram lays them out and they are attacked by birds, and Abram drives these birds away.

Then Abram falls into a deep sleep, as the sun is setting, and God tells him what will happen to his seed in Egypt, and how they will be oppressed for 400 years, but that the 4^th generation would return to this land, when the iniquity of the Amorite is full. God then verifies this covenant by walking between the pieces of meat offered to Him; and had promised Abram a very large chunk of land, extending from the River of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Abrahamic Timeline for Genesis 15

Normally when dividing a chapter up into its component parts, I find this to be the easiest thing in the world to do. Certainly, various scholars disagree on these divisions, but rarely are they dramatically different. This chapter, however, was difficult to divide up. Either the chapter would be divided into sections of individual verses or pairs of verses, as many did; or it could be taken as a whole (which was a more reasonable approach, in my opinion).

Where God and Abram are is rather difficult to determine. In v. 1, God’s Word comes to Abram in a vision. However, during this vision, God takes Abram outside (v. 5). Are they really outside? Does Abram simply perceive them as being outside? I would say that the clear reading of Scripture must override any theory; and the clear reading of Scripture is, God takes Abram outside and they look at the stars, indicating that this is all taking place at night.

Then God calls for a sets of sacrifices to be offered to him. Is it still night? Abram rounds up these sacrifices, and lays them out, and drives birds of prey away. Because the sun is said to set in v. 12, we must assume that vv. 8–11, for the most part, take place during the day. Despite the first and the second nights, which seem to be required here, there is no feeling of a passage of time (apart from v. 1a). We could reasonably say that the sun begins to go down in v. 12 and it has gone down in v. 17. However, then in v. 18, we have the phrase, in that day. Now, even though there is no requirement for the word day to refer to a time of daylight, the covenant made in vv. 18–21 to not appear to be given as the next event after v. 17 (most of the time, a series of wâw consecutives followed by imperfect verbs gives us a successive passage of time). So vv. 18–21 appear to be a covenant given to Abram on that day, but not necessarily after the other things which God said to him.

In any case, attempts will be made to construct some sort of a timeline; but there is no clear timeline offered by Scripture. The events of this chapter reasonably occur after Genesis 14 and before Genesis 16; but they seem to be almost outside of time with the way that these events are presented.

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Abram's Great Vision of the Revealed God

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_genesis.html and first published in 1862.

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        After these words, when the kings had gathered together, and had fallen before Abram; and four kings had been slain, and nine hosts brought back, Abram reasoned in his heart, and said, Woe to me, because I have received the reward of my appointments in this world, and have no portion in the world to come. Or peradventure the brethren and friends of those who have been slain will combine in legions and come against me; or that at that time there was found with me the reward of a little righteousness, so that they fell before me; but the second time reward may not be found with me, and by me the name of the Heavens may be profaned. Thereupon was the word (pithgama) of the Lord with Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not; for if these men should gather together in legions and come against thee, My Word (Memra) will be thy shield: and also if these fall before thee in this world, the reward of thy good works shall be kept, and be prepared before Me in the world to come, great exceedingly.

Jerusalem targum                  After these words, when all the kings of the lands, and the sultans of the provinces, had gathered together, and had made war against Abram the Just, and had fallen before him, and he had slain of them four kings, and had brought back nine hosts, did Abram the Just reason in his heart, and say, Woe, now, to me, because I have received the reward ordained in the present world, and have no portion in the world to come. Or peradventure the brethren and kindred of the slain who have fallen before me, who are in their cities and provinces, will combine in great legions, and come against me; or peradventure there were in my hand a few commandments in the former times, so that they fell before me when they had risen up against me; or it may be that righteousness was found in me at the former times, that they fell before me, but at the second time it may not be found, and the Heavenly Name will be profaned in me. Then was the word of prophecy from the Lord unto Abram the Righteous, saying, Fear not, Abram, though they should gather together and come against thee with many legions, My Word shall be thy reward and thy shield in this world, and a protector over thee all the days of the world to come. And though I deliver up thy adversaries before thee in this world, the reward of thy good works is prepared for thee also before Me in the world to come.

Latin Vulgate                          Now when these things were done, the word of the Lord came to Abram by a vision, saying: Fear not, Abram, I am thy protector, and thy reward exceeding great.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        After the words the these was the word of Y^ehowah unto Abram in the vision to say, “Do not fear, Abram, I [am] a shield to you; your reward—great very.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AFTER these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram; I am your shield, and your reward is exceedingly great.

Septuagint (Greek)                And after these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your shield. Your reward shall be very great.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           God's covenant with Abram

After these events, the Lord's word came to Abram in a vision, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your protector [Or shield or benefactor]. Your reward will be very great."

Contemporary English V.       Later the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, "Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly."

Easy English                          The promises in the *covenant, 15:1-6

After that, the *Lord spoke to Abram. The *Lord spoke in a *vision.

`Do not be afraid, Abram. I am protecting you. I will give a very big reward to you.'.

Easy-to-Read Version            After all these things happened, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision [Like a dream. God gave messages to his special people by letting them see and hear things in visions.]. God said, “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will defend you. And I will give you a great reward.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         After this, Abram had a vision and heard the LORD say to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward."

The Message                         After all these things, this word of GOD came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield. Your reward will be grand!"

New Berkeley Version           Following these events the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Have no fear, Abram; I am your Shield; your reward is marvelously rich.

New Century Version             God's Agreement with Abram

After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: "Abram, don't be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward."

New Life Version                    After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a special dream, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your safe place. Your reward will be very great."

New Living Translation           The Lord's Covenant Promise to Abram

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great."

The Voice                               Some time passed. One day, the word of the Eternal One came to Abram through a vision-a kind of waking dream.

Eternal One: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am always your shield and protector. Your reward for loyalty and trust will be immense.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          After that, Jehovah sent word to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Don't be afraid, Abram; for, I am your shield, and You will have a huge reward.'

New Advent (Knox) Bible       It was after this that the Lord sent word to Abram in a vision, Have no fear, Abram, I am here to protect thee; thy reward shall be great indeed.

New American Bible (2002)   Some time after these events, this word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great."

New American Bible (2011)   The Covenant with Abram. [Genesis 15:1-21] In the first section (vv. 1-6), Abraham is promised a son and heir, and in the second (vv. 7-21), he is promised a land. The structure is similar in both: each of the two promises is not immediately accepted; the first is met with a complaint (vv. 2-3) and the second with a request for a sign (v. 8). God's answer differs in each section-a sign in v. 5 and an oath in vv. 9-21. Some scholars believe that the Genesis promises of progeny and land were originally separate and only later combined, but progeny and land are persistent concerns especially of ancient peoples and it is hard to imagine one without the other.

Some time afterward, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: Do not fear, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great.

NIRV                                      God Makes a Covenant With Abram

Some time later, Abram had a vision. The Lord said to him,

"Abram, do not be afraid.

I am like a shield to you.

I am your very great reward."

New Jerusalem Bible             Some time later, the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram! I am your shield and shall give you a very great reward.

Today’s NIV                          God's Covenant With Abram

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.+t +u" I have no idea what these symbols mean at the end of this verse.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      After these words, the word of Yahweh was to Abram in a glimpse, saying, "Fear not, Abram. I am a shield to you, and will multiply your wage a hundredfold!"

Bible in Basic English             After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.

Conservapedia                       After all these happenings, the word of the LORD came to Abram by means of a vision. He told him, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your Shield. Your reward will be absolutely tremendous."

The Expanded Bible              God's Covenant with Abram

After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: "Abram, don't be afraid. I will ·defend [^Lbe a shield to] you, and ·I will give you a great reward [^Lyour reward will be great]."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 The Ever-Living appears to Abram, with a Promise

It was after these events that the Ever-living spoke to Abram in a vision, saying, " Be not afraid. Abram; I am your Shield, your abundant reward ; I will greatly enrich you."

NET Bible®                             The Cutting of the Covenant

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield [The noun "shield" recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.] and the one who will reward you in great abundance [Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).] [Abram has just rejected all the spoils of war, and the Lord promises to reward him in great abundance. In walking by faith and living with integrity he cannot lose.]." When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

NIV, ©2011                             The Lord's Covenant With Abram

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram [1Sa 15:10; 2Sa 7:4; 1Ki 6:11; 12:22; Jer 1:13; Eze 3:16; Da 10:1] in a vision [Ge 46:2; Nu 12:6; 24:4; Ru 1:20; Job 33:15]:

"Do not be afraid [Ge 21:17; 26:24; 46:3; Ex 14:13; 20:20; 2Ki 6:16; 2Ch 20:15, 17; Ps 27:1; Isa 7:4; 41:10, 13-14; 43:1, 5; Jer 1:8; Hag 2:5], Abram.

I am your shield [Or sovereign] [Dt 33:29; 2Sa 22:3, 31; Ps 3:3; 5:12; 18:2; 28:7; 33:20; 84:11; 119:114; 144:2; Pr 2:7; 30:5],

your very great reward [Or shield; / your reward will be very great] [Ps 18:20; 37:25; 58:11; Isa 3:10]."

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Some time later the word of ADONAI came to Avram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Avram. I am your protector; your reward will be very great."

exeGeses companion Bible   THE COVENANT OF YAH VEH TO ABRAM

After these words,

so be the word of Yah Veh to Abram in a vision,

saying, Awe not, Abram! I am your buckler

and your mighty abounding hire.

Kaplan Translation                 The Pact Between Halves

After these events, God's word came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not Abram, I am your shield. Your reward is very great.' The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Exodus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           After these things the Devar Hashem came unto Avram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Avram; I am thy mogen, and thy exceeding great sachar (reward).

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield [The reference is to the Lord as Abram's King.], your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.

Concordant Literal Version    After these matters came the word of Yahweh to Abram in a vision, saying, "You must not fear, Abram! I am your Shield, your exceedingly increased Hire.

Context Group Version          After these things the word of YHWH came to Abram in a vision, saying, Don't be afraid, Abram: I am your shield, [ and ] your exceeding great reward.

English Standard Version      God's Covenant with Abram

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not [ch. 26:24; Dan. 10:12; Luke 1:13, 30], Abram, I am your shield [Ps. 3:3; 18:2; 84:11; 119:114]; your reward shall be very great."

Green’s Literal Translation    After these things the Word of Jehovah came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not fear, Abram; I am your shield, your reward will increase greatly.

NASB                                     Abram Promised a Son

After these things the word of the Lord [Gen 15:4; 46:2; 1 Sam 15:10] came to Abram in a vision, saying,

"Do not fear [Gen 21:17; 26:24; Is 41:10], Abram,

I am a shield [Deut 33:29] to you;

Your reward [Or Your very great reward] [Num 18:20; Ps 58:11] shall be very great."

New King James Version       God's Covenant with Abram

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

Syndein/Thieme                     {Note: Abram has grown afraid. Probably he is afraid of counter attacks by Chedorlaomer or consequences of rebuking the 'rewards' of the king of Sodom. This chapter is a great declaration of the principal of 'do not worry' - rely on the Lord.}

{Verses 1-7: First Cure for Worry - Word of God}

After these sayings/things {dabar}, the word {dabar} of Jehovah/God came unto Abram in a vision, saying {'amar}, "Fear not, Abram, I {God} am your shield, {you're worried about Chedorlaomer coming back, why worry? I am your shield} and your exceeding great reward {maybe the king of Sodom is maligning him for rebuking the reward. And, maybe Abram was thinking about all that money kind of Sodom offered you? Why worry? I will reward you.}." {Note: This was God's solution to his anxiety and worry. It still applies to us today. Put your faith in God and His communication to you. Today is through His Word.}.

Third Millennium Bible            After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram. I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward."

Young’s Updated LT             After these things has the word of Jehovah been unto Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you, your reward is exceeding great.”

The gist of this verse:          God comes to Abram in a vision and tells him not to be afraid, as God is his protection and God will give him a great reward.

Translation: After these things, the word of Y^ehowah came [lit., was] to Abram in a vision,...

The things which came before was Abram leading a raid against the eastern armies, and he saved Lot and many of the people of Sodom. All that Abram did showed great wisdom and bravery. This was a great victory in all respects.

After these things refers to the events of Genesis 14, which was about Abram rescuing Lot, who had been captured and taken hostage in a war between alliances of kings. In that chapter, Abram met with Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem) and gave him a tenth of everything. Then Abram declined to keep all of the goods and people which he took from the eastern alliance of kings.

At this point, there are two possible theories as to what is going on in Abram’s head. He may be somewhat concerned that he just defeated one of the greatest armies from the east. When Sodom decided to rebel against them, that army came into Sodom with allies and beat Sodom down. Abram defeated that army with a small company of men, surprise and momentum carrying the day. But, does Abram had, somewhere in his mind, what if they decide to come back?

The other things that Abram might be thinking—and he can think both of these things, even though they are somewhat contradictory—is, “Let’s get a move-on with your plan, God. You have made me promises, and that is great; but I don’t have a son. Are these promises going to be confirmed in a slave born in my house?”

So, it is possible that Abram has had both of these thoughts, and that both his fear of the future as well as his desire to see God’s promises come to pass, occur on alterative days or even in alternative moments. Certainly you have had fears and uncertainties occur for you at various times; and, near the same time, have also had thoughts concerning God’s plan in your life. That is what appears to be true for Abram.

This suggests some instability—and sometimes we are a bit unstable after a great victory. So, what does God offer Abram, to steer him in the right direction? Bible doctrine.

After these things occurred, the word of Y^ehowah came to Abram in a vision. We know very little about the visions and meetings between God and His people. The word words indicate that there is content; there is more to this contact than a groovy feeling.

Although God does come to Abram a number of times, you will note that Abram goes for long period of time—over a decade sometimes—between these encounters.

After these things, the word of Y^ehowah came [lit., was] to Abram in a vision,... This is the first time that we are told exactly how God spoke to Abram (He may have used other methods before). Even here, it is vague. We do not know if these words are audible, although that would be likely; and we do not know if they are disembodied. What is Abram actually seeing in this vision? It also appears as though this begins as a vision, but continues in reality. That is, Abram goes into some kind of a trance, and then God, while continuing to communicate with him, brings him out of the trance and back into the real world. This word for vision is found only four times in the OT: here, Num. 24:4,16 and Ezekiel 13:7. In the latter case, it is used of false visions. When such a word is used so infrequently over approximately 4000 years of human history, then we should not expect to have similar visions on a regular basis. That's known as being in a psychotic state rather than being in a divine rapture. If you go into a trance and hear voices, it is either your very vivid imagination at best, and demonic communication at worst. God does not have to speak to us in visions; He speaks to us through His Word. You do not have to over-think every second of the day and wonder if you should drive down beltway 8 or if God wanted you to take FM 1960 instead. People will disregard Bible class, entertain gross sin in their lives, and then be disappointed that God does not tell them what to do in their daily lives for trivial matters. If you ar regularly attending Bible class, rebounding and dealing with God's known mandates for your life, you do not need God coming to you in a vision and revealing some trivial piece of guidance to you.

Translation: ...saying, “Do not fear, Abram...

We begin with the content of what God says to Abram. God tells Abram not to be afraid, which is reasonable and something which we hear often when God speaks to anyone. However, these words may suggest that Abram is giving some thought to his recent war with the kings of the east, and that God is saying this with the intention of Abram to refocus his attention from that war.

After God tells Abram not to fear, using the Qal imperfect. This means that Abram is to continue in a state of non-fear). There are no more verbs. In the Hebrew, word-for-word, it reads, I shield to you; your reward great exceedingly. I am would be the subject and the very for both phrases (the shield and the reward) because I is in a grammatical position of great emphasis. The normal way to phrase this would have been to not even use the personal pronoun but to use the first person singular Qal perfect (or imperfect) of the absolute statues quo verb to be. We would expect to find hâvâʾ (הָוָא) [pronounced haw-VAW], hâvâh (הָוָה ) [pronounced haw-VAW] or hâyâh (הָיָה) [also pronounced haw-VAW]. However, instead, we find the personal pronoun I in the emphatic position, indicating a very strong I am should be here. For this reason, it should be the subject and verb for shield and for reward.

Translation:...—I [am] your shield...

God claims to be a shield to Abram, indicating that Abram is protected by God. This should be clear after the previous chapter. If Abram is giving any thought at all to his conflict with the kings of the east, he needs to think about that situation in context. The context is, he and his little army should not have stood a chance against the great army out of the east, but, because God is his shield, he was able to defeat them.

Notice the time frame; Abram has gone off and fought against the four strongest kings of that region and has recovered his nephew Lot. This required courage and strength and divine guidance. After this is over, then God tells Abram "I am your shield." This is a also a promise to us. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are protected by God in many ways:

□       He is our shield (Genesis 15:1)

□       He is our wall of fire (Zechariah 2:5)

□       He has provided guardian angels for us (Genesis 32:24 Exodus 14:19 Dan. 3:28 6:22 Psalm 91:11

□       If we desire to know the Truth, God will guide us into all Truth (John 16:13)

Here is how Abram should reason—If God is able to take his little army of 300+ men and defeat the great army of the east; then God is certainly able to give Abram a child. If God can and does the greater for Abram; then God is able to do the lesser.

As we have assumed for a long while, Abram believes in Jehovah, and this is the basis of his salvation. That will come out in this chapter. Also, Abram lived a life after salvation, which involved knowing the Word of God and then acting in accordance with that truth. The end result is, Abram enjoyed great spiritual victories, which will be translated into great eternal rewards.

With this apparition of God, we are given a little more information. What comes to Abram is the Word of Y^ehowah (Jehovah), Whom we know as Jesus Christ (John 1:14). He comes to Aram in a vision, which is a fairly rare word, occurring only 4 times in the entire Old Testament. The word is machăzeh (מַחֲזֶה) [pronounced mahkh-uhz-EH], and it means vision. Strong’s #4236 BDB #303. It is related to the much more common word châzâh (חָזָה) [pronounced khaw-ZAW], which means to see, to behold, to look upon; to see [God], therefore, to enjoy His favor, to know Him. Strong’s #2372 BDB #302. Therefore, Abram is likely in a state where he is seeing something which is not necessarily there (that is, if there was anyone around Abram, they would not be able to see what he is seeing). We might even say this is an hallucination, as long as we understand, this is really happening and this is really God.

In our physical world, there are things which we can see, hear and/or touch. However, outside of this physical realm is a great spiritual realm. Now, I know when I interact with other people, I am interacting with their souls—however, I am not able to actually see their souls. As a teacher, I interacted with 20–30 different souls every hour, and I had to be cognizant of the variety of personalities within my classroom in order to manage the classroom. I could see the manifestations of these various souls, but I could not ever see the actual soul of any student.

Similarly, I also have a relationship with God and there is this great spiritual world which, in this life, I am unable to see. Perhaps God made Abram able to see into this spiritual realm to some a limited degree.

Or in the alternative, think about your dreams—you see things which are not physically there. Your mind is powerful enough to concoct images which appear to be real to you. Some people who take various drugs see things which are not physically there. So, all we can do, when we come to a word like this, is speculate. Abram is able to see Jesus Christ, in His preincarnate form. Apart from this being visual to Abram, we do not know anything else.

When it comes to things like this, people get goofy, and they think, once they reach some spiritual state, that they are going to, now and again, have visions of God or Jesus. Here it is, in the Bible, and so they think, therefore, they ought to experience these visions as well. There are 4 things which they never take into consideration: (1) Given the billions of people who have lived on the earth, only a tiny fraction of a percentage of them have really seen Jesus Christ (Jehovah Elohim) in a vision; (2) what God is about to reveal to Abram is significant, not just to Abram, but to the entire human race; (3) those who claim to have had visions or want to have visions are usually idiots (and their best friends, if they have any, can confirm this); and (4) the canon of Scripture had not been closed yet in the time of Abram; therefore, God was still revealing Himself in person, in visions and in dreams.

We do not need to have a vision or a dream in order to figure out our lives. We do not need to have some vision or some dream about God in order to figure out what we ought to do tomorrow, or next year or for the rest of our lives. It is all in the Bible; we have the written Word of God in its totality. Therefore, what will a vision do for us? Will it reveal to us some aspect of God that no one has known before? Is there some hidden secret about salvation or spiritually which is not found in the Word of God, that God needs to reveal to you personally? Is it so important tomorrow that you take 59 to work, rather than cutting down West Lake Houston Parkway, and taking the beltway from there, that God needs to come to you in a vision? Are you that insane or that egotistical?

When God appeared to Abram, these were times of great significance. Abram is the father of the Jewish race, and much of human history is related to the Jewish people who would come from Abram’s seed. This is a matter of importance even today.

Translation:...[and] your exceedingly great reward.”

God is also a great reward to Abram. This is quite fascinating because Abram took nothing from this war with the kings of the east. He allowed the people and possessions of Sodom to return to the king of Sodom; and he took none of the booty, since he did not want it to be said that he became rich because of this fight.

Genesis 15:1 Graphic; from Wall Paper 4 God; accessed November 29, 2013.

Abram, operating from truth in his soul, without God having to tell him, passed up the reward given to him by the king of Sodom. God indicates that what he did was correct. God tells Abram that He is his great reward. Abram does not need to depend upon man for blessing and reward. It is important when something occurs in the Bible, when something is said, that we note who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and what is the context. Here God is speaking to Abram after a great spiritual victory.

What Abram has a vision of is, Jesus Christ, in a preincarnate form. Jesus Christ is the Word of Jehovah. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1–3, 14).

These appearances of Jesus Christ to Abram are quite amazing. This marks the 4^th time that God has come to Abram. This is very unusual for God to appear to anyone, and even more unusual to appear to one person so many times. In his generation, Abram was certainly unique in this regard.

What is even more amazing is, Abram recognized the spiritual authority of Melchizedek in the previous chapter. There was no spiritual standoff where Abram challenged Melchizedek, saying, “I have seen God on 3 occasions; how many times have you spoken face to face with Him?” Abram paid a tithe to Melchizedek, so, whatever took place between them must have been quite significant.

At this point in time, Abram probably has access to about 10 or 12 chapters of the book of Genesis, a small portion of which he may have written himself. He probably also had the book of Job. That is obviously not the complete Word of God. As previously discussed, much of this may have been passed along to him by Melchizedek (which is uniquely speculative on my part).

And, even though the Seed of the Woman is revealed as far back as Genesis 3, Abram is going to find out (eventually) that this promise made to Adam and the woman so long ago was going to be fulfilled in his line. Let me remind you that Abram still has no natural son at this time.

This is significant. We find out in this chapter that Abram, who is nearly too old to have a son, will have a son. He is clearly not siring children through Sarai. They had been married at least a decade and perhaps several decades; and yet she has not given birth to any children. In later revelations, it will be revealed that this line will lead to Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind.

Now, put this revelation side-by-side a vision in which some doofus claims to have seen God and read what he says about his vision, and you will walk away, after talking to such a one, thinking, “What a load of meaningless tripe;” [other words may have occurred to you]. “This guy has got nothing but an ego-trip going for him.” I recall one such person who claimed to have numerous encounters with Jesus Christ, including having a splash fight with Jesus in some river in heaven. Do you grasp just how insignificant and meaningless this experience is, compared to Abram finding out that from him will come a people whose number will be like the sand by the sea or the stars in the sky; within which people will the blessing of God be? All that Abram hears directly from God still has meaning for us today; and the Jews are still with us. 4000 years later, this impacts our lives; 4000 years later, the seed of Abraham have a significant impact upon the world. So, when you compare illusionary splash fights with Jesus as over against God’s Word being promised to Abram of what would occur in the future; which seems like a vision of God and which seems like Doofus-insanity?

Let me give you a simple application: if you meet any person who claims to have seen God, or claims to converse with God (apart from normal prayer) or claims to be a prophet, then it is time to back away and to remove that person from your circle of acquaintances. If he talks about splash fights with Jesus, then I would make a run for it.

The power of God is in His Word (Hebrews 4:12), not in visions or face to face meetings with God. Our interest ought to be upon the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16); our spiritual life ought to be about the renovation of our thinking (Romans 12:1–2); our focus ought to be growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2Peter 3:18). We ought not to chase after unique “spiritual” experiences and things which titillate the emotions; in fact, we are told to avoid those whose God is their emotions (Romans 16:17–18 Philip. 3:18–19). The key to the Christian life is having the correct doctrine, not having some grandiose experience (Romans 16:17 Ephesians 4:14 1Timothy 4:6–7, 15–16 6:3–5 2Timothy 4:2–4 Titus 1:7–9 2:1 2John 2:9–10). One of the most important passages in this regard is 2Peter 1:16–21; wherein Peter speaks of a real and legitimate experience which he had—seeing the glorified Jesus Christ with his own eyes—and yet, more important than this, and more accurate than this is, the word of prophecy which Peter was teaching. If a real and legitimate experience of seeing the glorified Christ is subordinate to the more certain word of prophecy, then how much less meaningful is some contemporary vision of God today?

People desire an experience like this for 2 reasons: it titillates their emotions and they now have a religious experience that none of their friends have. This same person might be listening to almost no Bible doctrine; they may entertain various gross sins in their lives (e.g., pride, anger, jealousy); they might, from their ignorance, be making all kinds of absurd applications, and then think that God ought to appear in their lives and guide them in incredibly trivial matters. Such people live in the midst of the perfect storm of ignorance and arrogance.

Gen 15:1 After these things the Word of Y^ehowah came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

Genesis 15:1 After these things, the word of Y^ehowah came [lit., was] to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram—I [am] your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 15:1 After these things, the word of Jehovah came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, because I am your shield as well as your exceedingly great reward.” (Kukis paraphrase)

The first thing that God says to Abram is, “Fear not;” and it means just that. I don’t care who you are, the thought of having a conversation with the Lord of Glory ought to give you some pause. You ought not to be thinking, it’s cool. The idea of having any encounter with God ought to make you uncomfortable if not outright afraid, because you know what you are like and you know what God is like. So Abram, who was far more important to the scheme of things than you or I, would have been struck with fear to speak to God (more accurately, to have God speak to him). It does not matter that God has spoken to Abram before; Abram should be taken aback, and God reassures him by saying, “Fear not.”

God gives Abram 2 assurances, the first being, “I am your shield.” As believers, we are protected by God; we are protected by a wall of fire. If you are in fellowship and you are growing spiritually, then you need not fear because God is your shield; He is your Protector.

Revealing Himself as Abram’s shield is quite apropos, because Abram was just in a battle with a huge professional army—an army which Abram defeated with a comparatively small company of men.

God also assures Abram that his reward will be great. Recall that Genesis 14 was an incredible chapter, rich with meaning and content, and all the Abram did was correct. Abram recognized that he needed to rescue his nephew Lot. He used good strategy and tactics in order to defeat an army which was perhaps 10–100 times the size of his own army. Abram was fearless in making such an attack. He met Melchizedek and recognized his spiritual authority, and paid him a tithe. However, at the same time, Abram refused to take any of the spoils of victory because he had made a vow to God that he would not.

Furthermore, we have such great doctrines as the Doctrine of Redemption and the Slave Market of Sin Illustration to come out of that chapter, as well as the seeds to the Stages of National Discipline, all found within Genesis 14 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Therefore, God would reward Abram for his correct actions throughout Genesis 14, as this is one of the greatest and most overlooked chapters in all of Scripture.

The Word of Y^ehowah came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." Having heard this, You or I might have said, “That’s great. Thanks.” Not Abram. Back in Genesis 12:2–3, God promised him: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." God told Abram to go the land of Canaan (which would become Israel), and when Abram got there, God told him, “To your offspring [seed] I will give this land.” God expands on this promise in Genesis 13:14–17.

——————————

However, it is going to become clear that Abram has something else on his mind.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And Abram said, Lord God, great blessings hast Thou given me, and great (are they which it is) before Thee to give me: nevertheless, what profit is to me, when I pass from the world without children, and Eliezer the manager (bar pharnasath, the son of sustenance) of my house, by whose hands signs were wrought for (or to) me in Darmasek, expects to be my heir?

Jerusalem targum                  And Abram said, Before Thee I supplicate mercy, O Lord God. Manifold blessings Thou hast given me, and many hast Thou before Thee still to give: nevertheless, what profit have I who go from the world childless, and Eliezer, the son of my house, by whose hands signs were wrought for me in Damasek, expecteth in himself to be my heir?

Latin Vulgate                          And Abram said: Lord God, what wilt thou give me? I shall go without children: and the son of the steward of my house is this Damascus Eliezer.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Abram, “My Adonai Y^ehowah, what will You give to me and I go childless and a son of acquisition of my house, he [is of] Damascus, Eliezer.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And Abram said, O LORD God, what will thou give me, for I will die childless, and Eliezer of Damascus, one of my household, will be my heir?

Septuagint (Greek)                And Abram said, Master and Lord, what shall You give me? Seeing I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus is my heir.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           But Abram said, "Lord God, what can you possibly give me, since I still have no children? The head of my household is Eliezer, a man from Damascus [Heb uncertain]."

Contemporary English V.       But Abram answered, "LORD All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own.

Easy English                          But Abram said, `*Lord God, what will you give to me? I am still without a child. Eliezer from Damascus will have all my goods.'

Easy-to-Read Version            But Abram said, “Lord God, there is nothing you can give me that will make me happy. Why? Because I have no son. So my slave Eliezer from Damascus will get all the things I own after I die.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         But Abram answered, "Sovereign LORD, what good will your reward do me, since I have no children? My only heir is Eliezer of Damascus.

The Message                         Abram said, "GOD, Master, what use are your gifts as long as I'm childless and Eliezer of Damascus is going to inherit everything?"

New Berkeley Version           Abram said, “O, Lord God, what can You give me, since I am ending life childless and my ehir is this Eliezer of Damascus.”

New Century Version             But Abram said, "Lord God, what can you give me? I have no son, so my slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die."

New Life Version                    Then Abram said, "O Lord God, what will You give me? For I have no child. And the one who is to receive what belongs to me is Eliezer of Damascus."

New Living Translation           But Abram replied, "O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.

The Voice                               Abram: Eternal Lord, what could You possibly give to me that would make that much of a difference in my life? After all, I am still childless, and Eliezer of Damascus stands to inherit all I own [Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.].

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then Abram said: 'O Almighty Jehovah; What can You give me, since I'm about to die without a son? EliEzer of Damascus, the home-born son of my [slave girl girl] Masek of Damascus, is my heir.'

The AEB interprets this in this manner: The Greek word that is often translated as concubine is pallake.

According to Wikipedia, 'A concubine is generally a woman in an ongoing, matrimonial-like relationship with a man, whom she cannot marry for a specific reason. The reason may be because she is of lower social rank than the man (including slave status) or because the man is already married. Generally, only men of high economic and social status have concubines. Many historical rulers maintained concubines as well as wives.

'Historically, concubinage was frequently voluntary (by the woman and/or her family's arrangement), as it provided a measure of economic security for the woman involved. Today, concubinage is reserved for the most apex alphas who can maintain a de facto harem with concurrent long term relationships.

'In opposition to those laws, traditional Western laws do not acknowledge the legal status of concubines, rather only admitting monogamous marriages. Any other relationship does not enjoy legal protection, making the woman essentially a mistress.'

In patriarchal times, concubines were usually slaves; and as the result, their offspring were referred to as 'home-born' or 'native-born servants' (see Ecclesiastes 2:7). AbraHam, for example, was known to have more than a hundred of such offspring (see Genesis 14:14). And although many have written to argue this conclusion; note God's instructions to AbraHam, when He was making the Agreement with him involving circumcision (Genesis 17:12): 'All of your male children must be circumcised by you when they are eight-days old, throughout all your generations. [This includes all the] servants who are born in your house, and those who are bought with money (the sons of aliens who are not your seed).' Notice that those who are 'home-born' are differentiated from those who are not the seed of AbraHam.

Kukis note: I include commentary like this for a variety of reasons. Most of the information contained herein will be refuted below.

Beck’s American Translation “Lord GOD,” Abram asked, “what will You give me? I’m leaving no children, and Eliezer of Damascus will get the property of my household.

Christian Community Bible     Abram said, “My Lord Yahweh, where are your promises? I am still childless and all I have will go to Eliezer of Damascus.

God’s Word™                         Abram asked, "Almighty LORD, what will you give me? Since I'm going to die without children, Eliezer of Damascus will inherit my household.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       But Abram answered, Lord God, what can this gift of thine be? I must go the way of childless men; Damascus here, the son of Eliezer, is but the son of my steward [The meaning of this verse is obscure both in the Hebrew text and in the versions; it seems likely that there has been a corruption in the manuscripts. As the text stands, Damascus must be the name of a person, not of a place, and the words `Damascus (of) Eliezer' will probably imply that Eliezer was his father.];...

New American Bible (2002)   But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?"

New American Bible (2011)   But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what can you give me, if I die childless and have only a servant of my household, Eliezer of Damascus?"

NIRV                                      But Abram said, "Lord and King, what can you give me? I still don't have any children. My servant Eliezer comes from Damascus. When I die, he will get everything I own."

Today’s NIV                          But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, why give to me? I go childless, and the son of my house, he's its steward, Eliezer of Damascus!"

Bible in Basic English             And Abram said, What will you give me? for I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me.

Conservapedia                       Abram said, LORD God, what reward are you going to give me? I have no issue, and the manager and first-in-line of my estate is this Damascene, Eliezer."

The Expanded Bible              But Abram said, "Lord God [^CHebrew Adonai Yahweh; combination of covenant name YHWH (2:4) with common Hebrew word for "sir," "lord," or "master"], what can you give me? I ·have no son [am childless], so my ·slave [servant] Eliezer from Damascus [^Ca major city in Syria] will ·get everything I own after I die [be my heir; ^Ca household servant would take care of a childless couple in their old age and in turn inherit their possessions]."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 But Abram replied, " Mighty God, why should You give to me, when I go childless? And the possessor of my house will be Eliezerof Damascus? "

HCSB                                     But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"

NET Bible®                             But Abram said, "O sovereign Lord [The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master, Lord”). Since the tetragrammaton (YHWH) usually is pointed with the vowels for the Hebrew word אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “master”) to avoid pronouncing the divine name, that would lead in this place to a repetition of אֲדֹנָי. So the tetragrammaton is here pointed with the vowels for the word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) instead. That would produce the reading of the Hebrew as “Master, God” in the Jewish textual tradition. But the presence of “Master” before the holy name is rather compelling evidence that the original would have been “Master, Lord,” which is rendered here “sovereign Lord.”], what will you give me since [The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.] I continue to be [Heb "I am going."] childless, and my heir [Heb "the son of the acquisition of my house."] [For the custom of designating a member of the household as heir, see C. H. Gordon, "Biblical Customs and the Nuzu Tablets," Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 2:21-33.] is [The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb "to be" (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).] Eliezer of Damascus [The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.]?"

New Heart English Bible        Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"

NIV, ©2011                             But Abram said, "Sovereign Lord [ver 8; Isa 49:22; Jer 44:26; Eze 5:11; 16:48], what can you give me since I remain childless [Ac 7:5] and the one who will inherit [The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus [S Ge 14:15]?"

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Avram replied, "ADONAI, God, what good will your gifts be to me if I continue childless; and Eli'ezer from Dammesek inherits my possessions?

exeGeses companion Bible   And Abram says, Adonay Yah Veh,

what give you me - seeing I go barren

and the son of the holdings of my house

is this Eli Ezer of Dammeseq?

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, seeing that I shall die childless, and the one in charge of my household is Dammesek Eliezer!”

Kaplan Translation                 Abram said, 'O Lord, God, what will you give me if I remain childless? The heir [Ben Meshek in Hebrew. It can also denote a steward or caretaker. (See Radak, Sherashim, s.v. Meshek, Shakak).] to my household will be Damascus Eliezer [He may have been called this because he was from Damascus, or because he led the chase to Damascus (Bereshith Rabbah 44). In Hebrew it is Dameshek, and some say it is a title given to the one in charge of a household or a teacher (Yoma 28b; cf. Amos 3:12).].'

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Avram said, Adonoi Hashem, what wilt Thou give me, since I go childless, and the Ben Meshek of my Bais is this Eliezer of Dameshek (Damascus)?.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And Abram said, Lord God, what can You give me, since I am going on [from this world] childless and he who shall be the owner and heir of my house is this [steward] Eliezer of Damascus?.

Concordant Literal Version    And saying is Abram, "My Lord Yahweh, what are You giving to me, when I am going heirless, and the son running about my house, he is Damascus Eliezer?

Context Group Version          And Abram said, O Lord YHWH, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the son of the inheritance of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?.

English Standard Version      But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Green’s Literal Translation    And Abram said, Lord Jehovah, what will You give to me since I am going childless and the son of the inheritance of my house is Eleazar of Damascus?

NASB                                     Abram said, "O Lord God [Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord], what will You give me, since I am [Lit go] childless, and the heir of my house [Lit son of acquisition] is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Syndein/Thieme                     {Complaining Follows Worry}

And Abram said {'amar}, " 'Adonay/Lord Jehovah/God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the 'son' {ben} of my household {meaning his current heir is the 'foreman of ranch' who grew up in his household} is this Eliezer of Damascus?"

Webster’s Bible Translation  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus?

World English Bible                Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Young’s Updated LT             And Abram says, “Lord Jehovah, what will You give to me, and I am going childless? and an acquired son in my house is Demmesek Eliezer.”

The gist of this verse:          Abram asks God, “What will you give me, seeing that I am without a genetic heir?”

Translation: Abram then said, “Y^ehowah my Adonai,...

Abram finds himself speaking to God, and he speaks to God, the Revealed Lord, calling Him Y^ehowah my Adonai. Although this is a vision, Abram is fully cognizant of what God has said and where Abram is right now. No doubt, you have had dreams, and, after you wake up, unless you make an attempt to remember and write them down, they are gone. Here, Abram is clear-headed about the vision during the vision and after the vision.

Bear in mind, God spoke to Abram in visions and in dreams because there was barely a Word of God at this time. We have the complete Word of God now, and there is no reason to think that God must appear to you to give you special instructions or guidance. That is not necessary in the Church Age.

Abram has no child at this point, so Abram doesn’t say, “Thank you, Lord, for what You intend to bless me with.” Instead, Abram says this:

Translation: ...what will You give to me,...

God has just told Abram that He is his exceedingly great reward. Well, Abram gives this about 3 seconds thought and realizes that (1) he is an old man; (2) he does not have a son to inherit anything that is promised him; and (3) there does not appear on the horizon that he will have such a son.

God has made many promises to Abram, and Abram here cuts God short, asking, “Okay, what sort of a promise are you going to give me this time? Oh, by the way, I have no sons.”

God has made many promises to Abram, but they all hinge upon that line of promise, a son to come from Abram. This son will be Isaac; but he is representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, Abram does not know for certain that there will be such a son. He is expecting a son through the normal course of action; and no son is forthcoming. If he and Sarai were going to have children, this would have happened by now; but she has been barren

Translation:...[seeing] that I continue [lit., go] childless.

Abram is rather impertinent here. “Oh, what kind of things will you give to me now, to be fulfilled through my son? Oh, by the way, I have no son.”

However, Abram’s focus upon a son is what God wants. There is no son yet, but everything which God has promised depends upon this son. That is a parallel which God wants.

Abram, although blessed in almost every way, is over-thinking on his progeny. God has specifically promised him that his seed will be like the dust of the earth and has indicated, by divinely intervening to recover Sarai from the Egyptians that Sarai will bear the child (or children) which will result in descendants galore. God has just led him into battle, has made Abram victorious; God has blessed Abram in every way; God is Abram's shield and his reward. Furthermore, it isn't that Abram wants just one more thing which God has not given him; God has promised Abram a son. Abram will have descendants. He will not go childless. God, Who has done everything else for Abram, has already promised a child to Abram, so Abram does not need to whine about being childless. God is cognizant of that and God has a plan for Abram's life and a child will be born to Abram in God's time, not Abram's because God's timing is perfect.

The birth of Isaac is quite important—the timing and the way in which he will be born will make the birth of Isaac typical of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Translation: The son of acquisition of my house [that is, my only heir]—[is] Eliezer [of] Damascus.”

The son of acquisition of my house could be shortened to heir. Abram is telling God, “I do not have an heir; I have Eliezer of Damascus—he is the closest thing to an heir. And, in case you don’t know, he is not my son.”

Abram does have one person that he favors as a son, Eliezer of Damascus, who, perhaps, was born as they traveled through or near Damascus. We know nothing about this person other than, insofar as Abram is concerned, he is the only person who is close to being an heir of his.

God wants Abram to be focused upon a natural-born son. His heir cannot be a slave, as this harms the analogy or the type. Abram’s heir must be his actual son. This is why Jesus was born into the human race. We cannot be saved by someone completely outside of the human race. We must understand that Jesus was tempted in all points just as we are. Hebrews 4:15

Gen 15:2 But Abram said, "O Lord Y^ehowah, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Genesis 15:2 Abram then said, “Y^ehowah my Adonai, what will You give to me, [seeing] that I continue [lit., go] childless. The son of acquisition of my house [that is, my only heir]—[is] Eliezer [of] Damascus.” (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 15:2 Abram then said, “Jehovah, my Lord, what can You really give me, seeing that I go childless, my only heir being Eliezer of Damascus.” (Kukis paraphrase)

What Abram says is rather impertinent. It is almost, “What are you going to promise to give me this time? Oh, by the way, I don’t have a child yet. My heir is Eliezer, and he’s from Damascus” (indicating that Eliezer is pretty far removed from being Abram’s actual seed, which is the word which God used).

Bear in mind, nearly a decade has passed since God first spoke to Abram (compare Gen 12:4 and 16:16). Abram is still young enough to father a child, but his years are running out. So, Abram, having heard God make promises to him on 3 previous occasions is now becoming somewhat impatient with God.

There are times when ancient saints say this or that to God, and my jaw drops. But what Abram is saying has some legitimacy, at least from the view of a man. God made Abram a promise. God promised Abram that the entire world would be blessed through his seed, and yet, he has no seed. God promised him that his seed would be like the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16), and yet, here is Abram, without seed one to his name. It is almost as if Abram is saying, “So, what are You going to promise me this time? Oh, by the way, I don’t have that son yet, who You already promised me.”

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And Abram said, Behold, to me Thou hast not given a son; and, behold, the manager of my house will be my heir.

Latin Vulgate                          And Abram added: But to me thou hast not given seed: and lo my servant born in my house, shall be my heir.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Abram, “Behold to me; You have not given seed and behold, a son of my house is taking possession of me.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And Abram said, Behold, thou hast given me no son; and, behold, one of the members of my household will be my heir.

Septuagint (Greek)                And Abram said, I am grieved since You have given me no seed, but my home-born servant shall succeed me.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           He continued, "Since you haven't given me any children, the head of my household will be my heir."

Contemporary English V.       You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything."

Easy English                          Abram said again, `Look! You have not given me a child. When I die, a slave will have all my goods. That is, a slave that was born in my house.’

Easy-to-Read Version            Abram said, “You have given me no son. So a slave born in my house will get everything I have.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property."

The Message                         Abram continued, "See, you've given me no children, and now a mere house servant is going to get it all."

New Century Version             Abram said, "Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will inherit everything I have."

New Life Version                    Abram said, "Because You have not given me a child, one born in my house will be given all I have.

The Voice                               Since You have not given me the gift of children, my only heir will be one of the servants born in my household.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And Abram continued: 'I'm so very sad, because You haven't given me a seed. So, the home-born [of my slave girl] will be my heir.'

Beck’s American Translation You have given me no children,” Abram added: “so a member of my household will get my property.”

New Advent (Knox) Bible       ...to me (Abram added) thou hast given no children, so that all the heir I have is a slave born in my house

New American Bible (2002)   Abram continued, "See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir."

New American Bible (2011)   Abram continued, "Look, you have given me no offspring, so a servant of my household will be my heir."

NIRV                                      Abram continued, "You haven't given me any children. So a servant in my house will get everything I own."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      Abram said, "You never gave me a seed here, a son as heir to my house!"

Bible in Basic English             And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.

Conservapedia                       Abram repeated: "Look, You haven't provided any children for me, and someone born in my household will inherit my estate."

The Expanded Bible              Abram said, "Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will ·inherit everything I have [be my heir]."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 And Abram continued, " Look at me; You have not given me offspring, so that the steward of my house will become my heir."

NET Bible®                             Abram added [Heb "And Abram said."], "Since [The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).] you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir [Heb "is inheriting me."]!"

NIV, ©2011                             And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant [Ge 24:2, 34] in my household [S Ge 12:5] will be my heir."

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           You haven't given me a child," Avram continued, "so someone born in my house will be my heir."

exeGeses companion Bible   And Abram says, Behold, you give me no seed!

And behold, a son of my house supersedes me!

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               Abram said further, “Since You have granted me no offspring, my steward will be my heir.”

Kaplan Translation                 Abram continued, 'You have given me no children. A member of my household will inherit what is mine.'

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Avram said, See, to me Thou hast given no zera; and, hinei, one born in my bais is my yoresh (heir).

The Scriptures 1998              And Aram said, “See, You have given me no seed, and see, one born in my house is my heir!”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And Abram continued, Look, You have given me no child; and [a servant] born in my house is my heir.

Concordant Literal Version    And saying is Abram, "Behold! To me no seed have You given. And behold! A son of my household is to enjoy my tenancy.

English Standard Version      And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir."

NASB                                     And Abram said, "Since [Lit Behold] You have given no offspring [Lit seed] to me, one [Lit and behold, a son of] born [Gen 14:14] in my house is my heir."

New RSV                               And Abram said, `You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.'

Syndein/Thieme                     {Blaming Follows Worry and Complaining - Abram is Blaming the Lord}

And Abram said, "Behold, You have given me no seed. And, lo, one born in my house {Eliezer} is my heir."

World English Bible                Abram said, "Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir."

Young’s Updated LT             And Abram says, “Lo, to me You have not given seed, and lo, a domestic does heir me.”

The gist of this verse:          Abram complains that God has not given him seed, therefore, one of the domestics born into his household would be his heir.

Translation: Abram then said, “Listen to me:...

Abram is speaking to God within a dream; and he asks God to listen to him.

Translation: ...You have not given an offspring [to me],...

God has made all of these promises to Abram, but these promises are essentially dependent upon Abram having a child. He has no children, and he points this out to God—just in case God missed this little fact.

You may have noticed the commentary in the previous verse where the AEB suggests that this Damascus Eliezer might have been Abram’s son, but by some mistress or slave woman. This verse tells us that is not the case. Abram is complaining here that God has given him no seed. The implication is, Abram has no natural sons.

Have you ever noticed that there are some people who obviously think that you are stupid so they say the same thing twice in slightly different ways so that you are able to get the point? This is what Abram was doing to God; he states the same thing twice: I am childless because God did not give me a child, and therefore, the best that I have got as an heir is some person born in my household (and that person born probably to a slave). Oh, and by the way, God, did you know that I am childless because God did not give me a child, and therefore, the best that I have got as an heir is some person born in my household (and that person born probably to a slave). Abram says this as if God doesn't know the score and needs ot be told twice what to do. In some relationships, I believe this is called nagging. Abram has gone from great spiritual victory in one fell swoop to being a nag.

Translation: ...so observe, a son of my house will be my heir [lit., is possessing me].”

A son of my house simply refers to someone who has been born on Abram’s compound. Abram is concerned about this. What meaning is it for God to make all of these promises, all of which are based upon Abram having a son—and he does not have a son.

Again, the young man mentioned earlier is called a son of my house; he is not called a son of my mistress or a son of my slave girl. So the interpretation suggested by the American English Bible back in v. 2—that such a one would be Abram’s natural son—is simply wrong.

Gen 15:3 And Abram said, "Listen, You have given me no offspring [seed], and a member of my household will be my heir."

Genesis 15:3 Abram then said, “Listen to me: You have not given an offspring [to me], so observe, a son of my house will be my heir [lit., is possessing me].” (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 15:3 Abram then said to God, “Listen—you have not given me a son; therefore, someone who was simply born in my house will be my heir.” (Kukis paraphrase)

Do you understand what Abram is saying? He is explaining to God his circumstances in detail. “You have made promises to me, but I don’t have a son; and this guy—totally unrelated to me—will be my heir. So, what will You promise me this time?” He is speaking to God as if God did not fully understand the first thing that Abram said, so now he is explaining the implication of the first statement. He essentially repeats the first statement, so that God fully understands:

"O Lord Y^ehowah, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? Listen, You have given me no offspring [seed], and a member of my household will be my heir."

God promised Abram a son, and Abram does not have a son. God promised Abram a great inheritance for his seed, and he has no seed. Some random employee is slated to inherit what Abram has. “Look, You have not given me a child; the only heir I have is some person in my household who is not remotely related to me.”

As Abram becomes older, discussion have been had and possibly provisions have been made as to who would inherit his possessions. Recall that Abram was very wealthy. Therefore, some thought had to be given to what would happen to Abram’s wealth if he passed away or died in battle. Someone would have to take over; someone would have to run the show. So, in some way, Abram had determined that this would be Eliezer of Damascus.

Abram with 300+ men, and maybe some additional help, just defeated the greatest army in the world at that time. Abram just changed human history with this victory. Abram just met Melchizedek and possibly was given the Word of God. Abram just enjoyed the greatest week of his life, which could only have come about by God running interference for Abram, and yet, he does not get it.

The illustration I have heard R. B. Thieme, Jr. give is, a quarterback may be the fasted man on the gridiron and able to throw a 60 yard pass and hit a dime; but he is not going to advance one foot without good blocking. Most of the people in the stands have their eye on the quarterback and the ball, but he cannot move an inch without blockers. Does Abram think that he just defeated the greatest army of his day, and that God had nothing to do with it. Does he think that running into Melchizedek was some fluke event?

As we are finding out, God speaking to Abram is a lot like Bible class: there is a lot of review with some new stuff thrown in. God will clarify for Abram a misapplication of the doctrine that he knows, God will give Abram another illustration, and God will even offer a little proof (apologetics, if you will), taking Abram back 10 or so years, so that Abram can understand how far he has come in his relationship with Him. Since this was a small Bible class, God even allowed Abram a chance to ask a few questions. Finally, God will teach Abram a little eschatology (doctrines of future things).

So far, this is what we have studied in Genesis 15:

Gen 15:1–3 After these things the Word of Y^ehowah came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord Y^ehowah, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Listen, You have given me no offspring [seed], and a member of my household will be my heir."

God comes to Abram, telling him that He is his shield and that his reward will be great; but Abram answers with a bit of impertinence. “Remember that son you have promised me, 3 times already, and I have no son. What I have is, Eliezer of Damascus; somehow, he is going to be my heir? Is this what Your promises mean?”

There are so many things going on in these narratives, most of which, are rarely taught. God made some fairly clear promises to Abram, and Abram thinks that these promises are going to be half-fulfilled or fulfilled in some half-assed way.

You may or may not be aware of Covenant Theology, but this is a theology which takes all of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and to the Jewish race, and says that they will be half-fulfilled or fulfilled in some half-assed way. Covenant Theology is God saying, “These promises that I made to you Jews about your race and what will happen to you in the future? That’s not really how it’s all going to shake out. Your spiritual children are the people in the Church Age who believe in Jesus and all that stuff I promised you, is actually going to be fulfilled with respect to them, because, after all, they are your spiritual children. I chose you Jews, and that turned out to be a pretty lousy choice. You failed, failed, failed, and now I am moving on to a much better group of people, the church. Furthermore, whatever happens to you Jews, well, that is just how the cookie crumbles.”

Dispensational Theology, which is accurate and Biblical, see the Jews and the Church as two different but related entities. There are a set of absolutes which are a part of the Jewish Age and a part of God’s relationship with the Jew, and these will be fulfilled, just as God has promised. These promises are not going to be transferred from group A (the Jews) to group B (church age believers). God made these promises to Abraham and his seed, and God will fulfill these promises to Abraham and his seed. The Church Age is a dispensation which had not been prophetically revealed, with the exception of a few things which Jesus said (which would include the Upper Room Discourse).

There is a certain continuity between the Jews and Church Age believers: God’s promises will be fulfilled to those who have believed in Jehovah Elohim in the Old Testament and in Jesus Christ in the New Testament (Who are One and the Same Person). This non-meritorious faith will be credited to both Jews and Gentiles as righteousness. Just as Gentiles in the Age of Israel could be saved, Jews during the Church Age can be saved. We all come to God in exactly the same way—sinful, undeserving, exercising faith in Jehovah Elohim (Jesus Christ). We may not know very much about Jesus, but Whoever and Whatever He is, we put our trust in Him, which changes our lives forever.

So now, God comes to Abram with another promise, and Abram says, “So, is this going to be like Your last promise, which really did not shake out the way I expected it to?” So God corrects Abram from this misapplication of His Word.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And, behold, a word from before the Lord was to him, saying, He will not be your heir; but a son whom you will beget will be your heir.

Latin Vulgate                          And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying : He shall not be thy heir: but he that shall come out of thy bowels, him shalt thou have for thy heir.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And behold, a word of Y^ehowah [comes] unto him, to say, “Is not possessing you, this one; for if that who comes out from your inward parts—he possesses you.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Then the LORD said to him, This man shall not be your heir; but your own son that shall come out of your own loins shall be your heir.

Septuagint (Greek)                And immediately the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, This shall not be your heir; but he that shall come out of you shall be your heir.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           The Lord's word came immediately to him, "This man will not be your heir. Your heir will definitely be your very own biological child."

Contemporary English V.       The LORD replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his."

Easy English                          The *Lord spoke to Abram again. `That man will not have all your goods. Your own son will have all your goods.'

Easy-to-Read Version            Then the Lord spoke to Abram. God said, “That slave will not be the one to get the things you have. You will have a son. And your son will get the things you have.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then he heard the LORD speaking to him again: "This slave Eliezer will not inherit your property; your own son will be your heir."

New Century Version             Then the Lord spoke his word to Abram: "He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have."

New Life Version                    Abram said, "Because You have not given me a child, one born in my house will be given all I have.”

New Living Translation           Then the Lord said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir."

The Voice                               Immediately the word of the Eternal One came to him.

Eternal One: No, Abram, this man will not be your heir. No one but your very own child will be an heir for you.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And immediately Jehovah replied, saying: 'He won't be your heir. another who comes from you will be your heir.'

Beck’s American Translation “He will not get it,” the LORD told him, “but your own child will get your property.”

Christian Community Bible     Then the word of Yahweh was spoken to him again, “Eliezer will not be your heir, but a child born of you (your own flesh and blood) will be your heir.”

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Whereupon the Lord sent word to him, This man shall not succeed thee; thou shalt have an heir sprung from thy own body.

New American Bible (2002)   Then the word of the LORD came to him: "No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir."

New American Bible (2011)   Then the word of the LORD came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your own offspring will be your heir. Gn 17:16.

NIRV                                      Then a message came to Abram from the Lord. He said, "This man will not get what belongs to you. A son will come from your own body. He will get everything you own."

New Jerusalem Bible             Then Yahweh's word came to him in reply, 'Such a one will not be your heir; no, your heir will be the issue of your own body.'

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      Behold, Yahweh said the word to him, "This is not your heir, when your heir, he will proceed from your bowels!"

Bible in Basic English             Then said the Lord, This man will not get the heritage, but a son of your body will have your property after you.

Conservapedia                       Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him again, to say, "This man will not inherit your estate. Instead, your biological son will inherit your estate." Literally, "one that shall come forth out of your own inward parts," a Hebrew idiom for a biological son.

The Expanded Bible              Then the Lord spoke his word to Abram: "He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 But the Ever-living answered him, saying, "That man shall not be your heir ; but one who shall owe his birth to yourself, shall become your heir."

NET Bible®                             But look [The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.], the word of the Lord came to him: "This man [The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated "this one" or "this man." That the Lord does not mention him by name is significant; often in ancient times the use of the name would bring legitimacy to inheritance and adoption cases.] will not be your heir [Heb "inherit you."], but instead [The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.] a son who [Heb "he who"; the implied referent (Abram's unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.] comes from your own body will be your [The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: "whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you."] heir [Heb "will inherit you."]."

NIV, ©2011                             Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir [Gal 4:28]."

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           But the word of ADONAI came to him: "This man will not be your heir. No, your heir will be a child from your own body."

exeGeses companion Bible   And behold, the word of Yah Veh says to him,

This one supersedes you not;

but he coming from your own inwards

supersedes you.

Judaica Press Complete T.    And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one will not inherit you, but the one who will spring from your innards-he will inherit you."

Kaplan Translation                 Suddenly [ The word hiney used here is untranslatable. It is often rendered as 'here' or 'behold,' but this is an approximation of an expression that has no equivalent in the Indo-European languages. For this reason, it is often left untranslated. In general, it serves to intensify a statement and to provide emphasis. Here, the intensity denotes that it was a sudden or intense experience.] God's word came to him: 'That one will not be your heir! One born from your own body will inherit what is yours.'

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And, hinei, the Devar Hashem came unto him saying, This shall not be thy yoresh; but he that shall come forth out of thine own body shall be thy yoresh.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And, behold! The word of Yahweh comes to him, saying, "Not this one is to enjoy your tenancy, but rather one who shall fare forth from your bowels, he is to enjoy your tenancy.

Context Group Version          And, look, the word of YHWH came to him, saying, This man shall not be your heir; But he who shall come out of inside you shall be your heir.

English Standard Version      And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son [Hebrew what will come out of your own loins] [ch. 17:16] shall be your heir."

Green’s Literal Translation    And behold! The Word of Jehovah came to him saying, This one shall not be inheriting. But he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir.

New RSV                               But the word of the Lord came to him, `This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’

Syndein/Thieme                     {God's Promise - His Heir is His Flesh and Blood Son}

And, behold . . . the Word {dabar} of Jehovah/God came unto him {Abram}, saying {'amar}, "This {Eliezer} shall not be your heir {yarash}, but He that shall come forth out of your own genitals/'inner being' { me`ah} shall be your heir." {Note: God's challenge to Abram. You are miserable through worry (mental attitude sinning). Are you going to worry or rely on Me?}.

Webster’s Bible Translation  And behold, the word of the LORD [came] to him, saying, This shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thy heir.

World English Bible                Behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."

Young’s Updated LT             And lo, the word of Jehovah is unto him, saying, “This one does not heir you; but he who comes out from your bowels, he does heir you;”

The gist of this verse:          God assures Abram that his heir will come from his own body.

Translation: Dramatically [lit., and behold], the word of Y^ehowah [came] to him,...

The Word of Y^ehowah is the Lord Jesus Christ in His Preincarnate form. When Abram challenges God, God challenges Abram.

Translation: ...saying, “This one will not be your heir [lit., he will not possess you];...

The man who Abram named—that man would not be heir to Abram. Abram names a slave that is born in his house—a young man with a lot of snap and a young man who might at some point take over control of the Abrahamic compound (some think this is the slave spoken of in Genesis 14). But God tells Abram this is not to be his heir.

Translation: ...except that he who comes from your loins...

Instead, the heir of Abram would be born from him; even though, at this point in time, Abram has no sons. But to be born from Abram’s inward parts suggests that Abram will have a natural born son.

The word which I have translated loins, for a man, simply refers to his reproductive organs and apparatuses. If the person Abram mentioned earlier was natural born from Abram, then this promise by God would make little sense. The young man to which Abram referred was a possible heir through adoption, but not related to Abram in any way.

God makes it as clear as possible to Abram; his son, his heir, is going to come from his own loins; he will be Abram's real, physically begotten son. God has already told Abram about the number of descendants that he will have, but since Abram repeated himself, and God understood his concern the first time, God will repeat Himself because Abram obviously wasn't listening the first time.

Translation: ...—he will be your heir.”

This natural born son—this man would be heir to Abram’s fortune.

Gen 15:4 And behold, the Word of the LORD said unto him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir."

Genesis 15:4 Dramatically [lit., and behold], the word of Y^ehowah [came] to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir [lit., he will not possess you]; except that he who comes from your loins—he will be your heir.” (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 15:4 Dramatically, the word of Jehovah came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; only someone who is your actual son—he will be your heir.” (Kukis paraphrase)

God reiterates His promise to Abram, so that there is nothing to be confused about. Eliezer is not Abram’s heir. God clearly states to Abram, that his very own son will be his heir—the son which Abram does not have yet, but will have, based upon God’s promise to him.

There are a lot of things that God could have said. “Listen, Abram, despite what happened on the battlefield—all of which was My doing, by the way—I am a bit fed up with this attitude of yours. I told you that you would have a son, and you can take that to the bank. However, if you pop off like this to Me again, I might just knock you flat on your butt.” God does not take that approach.

Surely, you have told your kids, a student, an employee or a loved one something, repeated it a couple of times, and then they came back on you, acting as if you never said it in the first place. God is far more patient with Abram than you or I might have been. God succinctly corrects Abram: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." In other words, “I promised you a son, and what I promised you is exactly what I meant.”

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And He brought him forth without, and said, Look up now to the heavens, and number the stars, if you are able to number them: and he said, So will be your sons.

Latin Vulgate                          And he brought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars if thou canst. And he said to him: So shall thy seed be.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he brings him outside and so he says, “Look carefully now toward the [two] heavens and number the stars if you are able to number them.” And so he says to him, “So is your seed.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And he brought him outside, and said to him, Look now toward heaven and number the stars, if you are able to number them; and he said to him, So shall your descendants be.

Septuagint (Greek)                And He brought him out and said to him, Look up now to heaven, and count the stars, if you shall be able to number them fully, and He said, Thus shall your seed be.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Then he brought Abram outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars if you think you can count them. He continued, "This is how many children you will have."

Contemporary English V.       Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have."

Easy English                          Then the *Lord took Abram outside. And the *Lord said, `Look at the sky and try to count the stars. You will have quite as many *descendants.'

Easy-to-Read Version            Then God led Abram outside. God said, “Look at the sky. See the many stars. There are so many you can’t count them. In the future, your family will be like that.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         The LORD took him outside and said, "Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that."

The Message                         Then he took him outside and said, "Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You're going to have a big family, Abram!"

New Berkeley Version           Then He conducted him outdoors and said: Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you can number them. So, He told him, shall your offspring be.

New Century Version             Then God led Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your descendants also will be too many to count."

New Life Version                    He took him outside and said, "Now look up into the heavens and add up the stars, if you are able to number them." Then He said to him, "Your children and your children's children will be as many as the stars."

New Living Translation           Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!"

The Voice                               God took him outside to show him something.

Eternal One: Look up at the stars, and try to count them all if you can. There are too many to count! Your descendants will be as many as the stars. Romans 4:18

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then He took him outside and said, 'Look up into the sky and count all the stars. that is, if you can come up with an accurate count.' And He said, 'This is how your seed will be.'

Christian Community Bible     Then Yahweh brought him outside and said to him, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that.”

God’s Word™                         He took Abram outside and said, "Now look up at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He also said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!"

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Then he took him out of doors, and said to him, Look up at the sky, and count, if thou canst, the stars in it; thy race, like these, shall be numberless.