12
Asוַיְהִיthe sunהַשֶּׁמֶשׁwas going down,לָבוֹאa deep sleepוְתַרְדֵּמָהfellנָפְלָהonעַלAbram;אַבְרָםand look,וְהִנֵּהa terror,אֵימָהa greatגְדֹלָהdarkness,חֲשֵׁכָהwas fallingנֹפֶלֶתon him.עָלָיו
Genesis 15:12
Study it in the app“As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and look, a terror, a great darkness, was falling on him.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 15:12, word by word
- Asיְהִיyehi
happen
For something to occur or take place; many stories open with this word.
Where else “yehi” appears- the sunשֶּׁמֶשׁshemesh
sun
The star that gives light and heat by day and marks the day and the year; "under the sun" means in this world.
Where else “shemesh” appears- was going downבוֹאvo
set
For the sun to set.
Where else “vo” appears- a deep sleepתַרְדֵּמָהtardema
deep sleep
A very deep sleep, which in the Bible often comes from God.
Where else “tardema” appears- fellנָפְלָהnafla
fall
To fall to the ground, or for a city to fall.
Where else “nafla” appears- Abramאַבְרָםavram
Abram
Abram, the name of Abraham before God changed it (Genesis 17:5). It means "exalted father".
Where else “avram” appears- a terrorאֵימָהema
terror
A great fear.
Where else “ema” appears- a greatגְדֹלָהgedola
great
Of great size, amount or importance: a river, a city, a king.
Where else “gedola” appears- darknessחֲשֵׁכָהchashecha
darkness
Darkness.
Where else “chashecha” appears
The context
11The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 · This verse (above)
13Then he said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be resident aliens in a land that is not theirs, and they will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
To study Genesis 15 in a group
1. What it says
What did YHWH promise Abram about his descendants, and how did Abram respond (vv. 5-6)?
2. What it means
What relation does the text show between Abram’s faith and its being counted to him as righteousness (v. 6)?
3. How I live it
Which promise of Elohim is hard for you to believe today, and how can you talk with him about it?