4
And look,וְהִנֵּהthe wordדְבַרof YHWHיְהוָהcame to him,אֵלָיוsaying,לֵאמֹר“This oneזֶהwill notלֹאbe your heir;יִירָשְׁךָbutכִּי אִםone whoאֲשֶׁרwill come outיֵצֵאfrom your own body,מִמֵּעֶיךָheהוּאwill be your heir.”יִירָשֶׁךָ
Genesis 15:4
Study it in the app“And look, the word of YHWH came to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir; but one who will come out from your own body, he will be your heir.””
To childless Abram, God shows the stars and promises descendantsFaithfulnessChildless Abram hears God's promise and believes itWaiting on God
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 15:4, word by word
- the wordדְבַרdevar
word
What someone says or announces, above all what YHWH says.
Where else “devar” appears- of YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears- sayingאמֹרmor
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “mor” appears- be your heirיִירָשְׁyirash
inherit
To receive a land or goods as an inheritance, from fathers to sons.
Where else “yirash” appears- will come outיֵצֵאyetse
spring up
To spring up, be born, come from something.
Where else “yetse” appears- from your own bodyמֵּעֶיmee
inward parts
The inward parts, the inside of the body; hence the child who comes out of them.
Where else “mee” appears
The context
3And Abram said, “Look, to me you have not given offspring; and look, one born in my house will be my heir.”
4 · This verse (above)
5He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And he said to him, “So will your offspring be.”
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?