The Book of Genesis 21 Verses

Genesis 15

God’s Covenant with Abram (Hebrews 11:8–19)

Chapter 15 Overview · 21 Verses

1After these events, the Word of YAHWEH came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

2But Abram replied, “O Lord YAHWEH, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

Genesis 15:1–3 Commentary

“I Am Your Shield” Echoes the Recent Battle:

This vision comes right after Abram’s victory over the four kings, where God had personally protected him in combat. The divine assurance of being Abram’s shield and very great reward carries that physical reality into the covenant, but Abram’s response exposes where his anxiety still sits: he raises the question of Eliezer of Damascus, a servant born in his household. It was customary in that culture, when a couple stayed childless, for a leading servant to be formally adopted as heir, and Abram is quietly assuming that custom is about to become his own story.

The Word of YAHWEH Speaks in the First Person:

Look at how this chapter opens: “the Word of YAHWEH came to Abram in a vision.” That is the first time the phrase “the Word of YAHWEH” appears in all of Scripture, and the Word doesn’t arrive as a message. It arrives as a Person who talks: “I am your shield, your very great reward.” In verse 5 (Genesis 15:5)⁠, this same Word takes Abram outside to look at the stars. Words don’t take people for walks. Over two millennia later, the Apostle John in John 1:1 and 1:14 tells you who this Word is: the One who was with God, was God, and became flesh. Here He is, centuries earlier, speaking to Abram in a vision, the same visible YAHWEH who appears all through Genesis.

4Then the Word of YAHWEH came to Abram, saying: “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5And YAHWEH took him outside and said: “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him: “So shall your offspring be.”

Genesis 15:4–5 Commentary

An Ancient Sky Filled With Countless Stars:

God corrects Abram's earthly assumption directly, bringing him outside under the night sky in Genesis 15:5⁠: “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able... So shall your offspring be” With zero modern light pollution to wash out the desert sky, the heavens presented an overwhelming canopy of countless blazing stars. That is the exact covenant picture God painted.

Abram’s Offspring Will Mirror the Heavenly Host:

God doesn’t pick the stars at random. Throughout biblical imagery, stars symbolize the heavenly host, and in the ancient book of Job (Job 38:7)⁠, God poetically sets “the morning stars” in parallel with the sons of God singing together at creation. When YAHWEH tells Abram his offspring will be like the stars, He is promising a family that mirrors the host, a family with a place in the same company. Over fifteen centuries later, the prophet Daniel carries the thought to the end of the story (Daniel 12:3)⁠: those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever. Abram’s seed isn’t just numerous. They are being made into sons.

6Abram believed YAHWEH, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

7YAHWEH also told him: “I am YAHWEH, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

Genesis 15:6–7 Commentary

Paul Builds His Entire Case on Genesis 15:6:

Genesis 15:6 records that Abram believed YAHWEH, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Millennia later in Romans 4:3⁠, the Apostle Paul cites this milestone to demonstrate that justification comes through faith, not circumcision — which was not even instituted until chapter 17. Yet in the apostolic epistles, James 2:21–22 guards the other side by pointing ahead to the trial seven chapters later in Genesis 22: “Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was perfected by what he did.” Genuine faith always demonstrates itself in obedience.

The Covenant Sealed by Sacrifice (Romans 4:13–25)

8But Abram replied, “Lord YAHWEH, how can I know that I will possess it?”

9And YAHWEH said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

10So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half.

11And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

Genesis 15:8–11 Commentary

Asking God for Reassurance Is Not Sin:

God reassures Abram that He will personally bring the land promise to pass, and Abram respectfully seeks confirmation in Genesis 15:8⁠: “Lord YAHWEH, how can I know that I will possess it?” When asked from an honest, trusting heart, seeking confirmation from God brings covenant assurance rather than divine rebuke.

A Formal Covenant, Sealed Like the New Covenant:

God instructs Abram to gather a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon, and to cut the larger animals in half, laying the pieces opposite each other. What follows is a formal ancient covenant ceremony — covenants of this era were sealed with blood sacrifice, the same principle that runs all the way forward to the New Covenant sealed in the blood of Yeshua the Messiah Himself.

Jeremiah 34 Confirms the Passing Between Divided Halves:

Over fifteen centuries later in the prophetic books, Jeremiah 34:18–19 describes the same ritual: the men who made the covenant cut a calf in two and walked between its parts, the picture of what should happen to the one who breaks it. A popular claim goes further and traces that imagery all the way to the modern custom of walking down the aisle at a wedding, a covenant of two becoming one, sealed in a formal, witnessed procession. That is a popular claim, not something Scripture or history documents, but it makes a fitting picture.

An Apocryphal Text Reads a Demon Into This Scene:

Birds of prey descend on the split carcasses, and Abram has to actively beat them off. The non-biblical apocryphal work Apocalypse of Abraham (13:2–4) claims one of those scavengers was the demon Azazel attempting to sabotage the covenant. While that pseudepigraphal tale carries zero scriptural authority, it captures a genuine truth: spiritual opposition will always try to defile what God is consecrating.

12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.

13Then YAHWEH said to Abram: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. 15You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. 16In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Genesis 15:12–16 Commentary

Displacement, Not Slavery — The 400-Year Timeline:

As the sun sets, a deep sleep and a dreadful darkness fall on Abram, and within that vision he receives a detailed prophecy: his descendants will be sojourners in a land not their own, enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years. Fix your chronology here: that period was not four centuries of nonstop whip-cracking servitude. Israel was only physically in Egypt for just over 200 years. The countdown spans the macro-timeline of their displacement from Canaan all the way down to the future Exodus under Moses.

A Two-Way Prophecy Fulfilled Right on Schedule:

God’s word here cuts both ways: Israel’s coming bondage and Egypt’s coming judgment are nailed down centuries in advance. Over six centuries later at Mount Sinai, Exodus 20:2 will open the Ten Commandments with “I am YAHWEH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” And verse 14 (Genesis 15:14) promises they will leave with great possessions — fulfilled at the Exodus in Exodus 12:36⁠: “In this way they plundered the Egyptians.”

“In Peace, a Good Old Age” Fits Death as Sleep:

In Genesis 15:15⁠, Abram receives the personal promise that he will go to his fathers "in peace" and be buried "at a good old age." This peaceful resting place aligns with Sheol (the grave), consistent with the steady biblical testimony that death is an unconscious sleep awaiting the resurrection, rather than immediate disembodied wandering in an afterlife.

Four Centuries of Divine Forbearance for the Amorites:

God explains the four-hundred-year delay before Israel receives the land with a striking legal principle: “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:16)⁠. Here, “Amorites” functions as an overarching umbrella term for the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan. While not every Amorite was an individual giant, their dominant kingdoms and military strongholds — such as Sihon and King Og of Bashan over six centuries later in Deuteronomy 2–3 — were inextricably entwined with the giant clans (the Rephaim) that re-emerged through post-Flood rebellions. The prophet Amos over a millennium later describes the Amorite as having “height was like that of the cedars” (Amos 2:9)⁠. Yet God is a righteous Judge who does not dispossess a pagan nation prematurely. He operates with long-suffering legal patience — the same patience He would display centuries later down the prophetic corridor when He gave Nineveh time to repent under Jonah’s preaching, before their eventual return to wickedness brought total destruction under Nahum. For four full centuries, God granted the Canaanite inhabitants forbearance and time to turn, staying His hand until their spiritual corruption, child sacrifice, and demonic idolatry reached full measure before the gavel of judgment finally fell under Joshua.

17When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. 18On that day YAHWEH made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates— 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

Genesis 15:17–21 Commentary

God Walks Between the Pieces Alone:

A smoking fire pot and a flaming torch pass between the divided carcasses — the Almighty unilaterally binding Himself to the promise without Abram walking beside Him. Two millennia down the timeline of Scripture, the apostolic author of Hebrews reminds us that “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29)⁠, and that description fits this scene exactly: fire representing the very presence of God moving through the covenant ceremony. “On that day YAHWEH made a covenant with Abram,” and the Hebrew idiom behind “made” is literally karat, to cut a covenant — the same binding image behind every covenant ceremony in this chapter.

The Origin of the “Night to Be Much Observed”:

This scene establishes the calendar benchmark for the “Night to Be Much Observed” described in Exodus 12:41⁠, which states that Israel left Egypt 430 years later on the “selfsame day” — the Hebrew esem, meaning a hard, physical calendar anniversary. Millennia later, the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:17 confirms those 430 years started right here: Abraham split the animals during the daylight of the 14th, but at sunset, the torch passed through the pieces, flipping the calendar to the 15th of Abib (Nisan).

The Promised Borders Are Literal and Enduring:

These geographic boundaries were never a poetic figure of speech or hyperbole. Ancient Israel never fully possessed or settled this entire land grant in historical times. While over a thousand years later King Solomon collected tribute from vassal kingdoms extending toward the Euphrates (1 Kings 4:21)⁠, that tributary sphere was only a fleeting historical shadow, not the sovereign tribal inheritance pledged in the covenant. The ultimate, literal, and complete fulfillment of this land promise is reserved exclusively for the Millennial Reign of Yeshua the Messiah, when the borders are permanently established and apportioned to the resurrected tribes of Israel as described over fifteen centuries later in Ezekiel 47:13–20 and Isaiah 27:12⁠. YAHWEH’s covenant boundaries are exact because His prophetic timetable is exact.

Deeding the Rephaim Giants’ Stronghold to Abram’s Seed:

Read the list of ten nations in verses 19–21 (Genesis 15:19–21) slowly: Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites. The Rephaim — the notorious giant clans — are explicitly numbered among the very peoples whose territory is deeded to Abram’s seed. God was pledging the giants' own mountain strongholds centuries before a single Israelite warrior ever drew a sword!

From Og of Bashan to Goliath — Defeating the Canaanite Giants:

As we will see unfold over six centuries later in biblical history, the Amorites mentioned in verse 16 (Genesis 15:16) include Sihon and Og, the two giant kings whom Israel will conquer east of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:8⁠; 4:47⁠), with Og being the last of the giant Rephaim (Deuteronomy 3:11)⁠. In the subsequent campaign under Joshua, Israel will cut off the Anakim giants from the hill country (Joshua 11:21–22)⁠, leaving only a small pocket surviving in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. Centuries after Joshua during the monarchy, Gath is precisely where Goliath will arise (1 Samuel 17:4)⁠, along with the remaining giant clans that young David and his mighty men will ultimately destroy (2 Samuel 21:15–22⁠; 1 Chronicles 20:4–8⁠). The rebellious giant clans that re-emerged through localized post-Flood rebellions ran straight into the crosshairs of Abram’s covenant promise, destined to be eradicated when God brought His people into the land.

Genesis 15 Footnotes

Genesis 15 · Footnote 414 (Hebrews 11:8–19): Hebrews 11:8–19 — 8By faith Abraham, when called to go to the place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah, even though she was beyond the proper age, received power and was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 415 (John 1:1): John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 416 (John 1:14): John 1:14 — The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 417 (Genesis 15:5): Genesis 15:5 — And YAHWEH took him outside and said: “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him: “So shall your offspring be.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 418 (Job 38:7): Job 38:7 — while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Genesis 15 · Footnote 419 (Daniel 12:3): Daniel 12:3 — Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 420 (Genesis 15:6): Genesis 15:6 — Abram believed YAHWEH, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 421 (Romans 4:3): Romans 4:3 — For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 422 (James 2:21–22): James 2:21–22 — 21Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 423 (Romans 4:13–25): Romans 4:13–25 — 13For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist. 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged neither the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) nor the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb. 20 Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham, 24 but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Yeshua our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 424 (Genesis 15:8): Genesis 15:8 — But Abram replied, “Lord YAHWEH, how can I know that I will possess it?”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 425 (Jeremiah 34:18–19): Jeremiah 34:18–19 — 18And those who have transgressed My covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces. 19 The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf,

Genesis 15 · Footnote 426 (Exodus 20:2): Exodus 20:2 — “I am YAHWEH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 427 (Exodus 12:36): Exodus 12:36 — And YAHWEH gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 428 (Genesis 15:15): Genesis 15:15 — You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 429 (Genesis 15:16): Genesis 15:16 — In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 430 (Amos 2:9): Amos 2:9 — Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 431 (Hebrews 12:29): Hebrews 12:29 — “For our God is a consuming fire.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 432 (Exodus 12:41): Exodus 12:41 — At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all YAHWEH’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 433 (Galatians 3:17): Galatians 3:17 — What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God in Messiah, so as to nullify the promise.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 434 (1 Kings 4:21): 1 Kings 4:21 — And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 435 (Ezekiel 47:13–20): Ezekiel 47:13–20 — 13This is what the Lord YAHWEH says: “These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall receive two portions. 14 You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with an uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will fall to you as an inheritance. 15 This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side it will extend from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon through Lebo-hamath to Zedad, 16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the border will run from the Sea to Hazar-enan, along the northern border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern boundary. 18 On the east side the border will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the Eastern Sea and as far as Tamar. This will be the eastern boundary. 19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the southern boundary. 20 And on the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western boundary.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 436 (Isaiah 27:12): Isaiah 27:12 — In that day YAHWEH will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered one by one.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 437 (Deuteronomy 3:8): Deuteronomy 3:8 — At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon—

Genesis 15 · Footnote 438 (Deuteronomy 4:47): Deuteronomy 4:47 — They took possession of the land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amorite kings across the Jordan to the east—

Genesis 15 · Footnote 439 (Deuteronomy 3:11): Deuteronomy 3:11 — (For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)

Genesis 15 · Footnote 440 (Joshua 11:21–22): Joshua 11:21–22 — 21At that time Joshua proceeded to eliminate the Anakim from the hill country of Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction, along with their cities. 22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 441 (1 Samuel 17:4): 1 Samuel 17:4 — Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,

Genesis 15 · Footnote 442 (2 Samuel 21:15–22): 2 Samuel 21:15–22 — 15Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted. 16 Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.” 18 Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha. 19 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 20 And there was also a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha, 21 and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him. 22 So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 443 (1 Chronicles 20:4–8): 1 Chronicles 20:4–8 — 4Some time later, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued. 5 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 6 And there was also a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha, 7 and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him. 8 So these descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1218 (Genesis 15:5): Genesis 15:5 — And YAHWEH took him outside and said: “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him: “So shall your offspring be.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1219 (Genesis 15:14): Genesis 15:14 — But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1220 (Genesis 15:19–21): Genesis 15:19–21 — 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1221 (Genesis 15:16): Genesis 15:16 — In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1352 (Genesis 15:1–3): Genesis 15:1–3 — 1After these events, the Word of YAHWEH came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” 2But Abram replied, “O Lord YAHWEH, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1353 (Genesis 15:4–5): Genesis 15:4–5 — 4Then the Word of YAHWEH came to Abram, saying: “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5And YAHWEH took him outside and said: “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him: “So shall your offspring be.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1354 (Genesis 15:6–7): Genesis 15:6–7 — 6Abram believed YAHWEH, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7YAHWEH also told him: “I am YAHWEH, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1355 (Genesis 15:8–11): Genesis 15:8–11 — 8But Abram replied, “Lord YAHWEH, how can I know that I will possess it?” 9And YAHWEH said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.” 10So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1356 (Genesis 15:12–16): Genesis 15:12–16 — 12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. 13Then YAHWEH said to Abram: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. 15You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. 16In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Genesis 15 · Footnote 1357 (Genesis 15:17–21): Genesis 15:17–21 — 17When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. 18On that day YAHWEH made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates— 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”