Genesis 15

Genesis · Chapter 15

Genesis 15:2

1After 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.2And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.8And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?9And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.10And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.11And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.18In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
2And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and he saidוַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai-YO-merH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

Abramאַבְרָ֗ם'av-RAMH0087
Abram

אַבְרָם (av.ram) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.11.26; son of: Terah (H8646); brother of: Nahor (H5152H), Haran (H2039) and Sarah (H8283); married to Sarah (H8283), Hagar (H1904) and Keturah (H6989); father of: Ishmael (H3458), Isaac (H3327), Zimran (H2175), Jokshan (H3370), Medan (H4091), Midian (H4080), Ishbak (H3435) and Shuah (H7744); also called Abram at Gen.11.26--17.5; 2x Another name of av.ra.ham (אַבְרָהָם "Abraham" H0085) § Abram = "exalted father" original name of Abraham

O Lordאֲדֹנָ֤י'a-do-NAIH0136
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

Yahwehיֱהוִה֙YAH-wehH3069
YHWH/God

יְהֹוִה (ye.ho.vih) 1) Jehovah-used primarily in the combination 'Lord Jehovah' 1a) equal to ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068) but pointed with the vowels of e.lo.him (אֱלֹהִים "God" H0430)

what?מַה־mah-H4100
what

מָא (ma) 1) what, whatever 1a) what? 1b) whatever, what, whatsoever 1c) how?, why?, wherefore? (with prefixes)

will you giveתִּתֶּן־ti-ten-H5414G
to give: give

נָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted …

and Iוְאָנֹכִ֖יve-'a-no-KHIH0595
I

אָֽנֹכִ֫י (a.no.khi) I (first pers. sing.) Another spelling of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589)

[am] goingהוֹלֵ֣ךְho-LEKHH1980L
to go: went

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) : went/go[away] 1) to go, walk, come 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away 1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.) 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to walk 1b2) to walk (fig.) 1c) (Hithpael) 1c1) to traverse 1c2) to walk about 1d) (Niphal) to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk

childlessעֲרִירִ֑י'a-ri-RIH6185
childless

עֲרִירִי (a.ri.ri) stripped, childless, bare of children

and [the] son ofוּבֶן־u-ven-H1121JNo entry
[the] acquisition ofמֶ֣שֶׁקME-shekH4943
acquisition

מֶ֫שֶׁק (me.sheq) acquisition, possession, son of possession, heir

household myבֵּיתִ֔יbei-TIH1004MNo entry
heה֖וּאhu'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

[is] Damascusדַּמֶּ֥שֶׂקda-ME-sekH1834
Damascus

דַּמֶּ֫שֶׂק (dam.me.seq) § Damascus = "silent is the sackcloth weaver" an ancient trading city, capital of Syria, located in the plain east of Hermon, 130 (205 km) miles northeast of Jerusalem

Eliezerאֱלִיעֶֽזֶר׃'e-li-'E-zerH0461G
Eliezer

אֱלִיעֶ֫זֶר (e.li.e.zer) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, only mentioned at Gen.15.2 § Eliezer = "God is help" 1) Abraham's Damascene servant 2) a son of Moses 3) a Benjamite 4) a priest who helped move the ark 5) a Reubenite 6) a prophet who spoke to Jehoshaphat 7) a Levite chief 8) son of Harim 9) priest with foreign wife

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.