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Genesis 15:6

“And he believed in YHWH, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

Genesis 15:6 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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To childless Abram, God shows the stars and promises descendantsFaithfulnessAbraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousnessFaithGod asks Abram to count the stars: so will his offspring be; and Abram believedHopeChildless Abram hears God's promise and believes itWaiting on God

With the Hebrew beneath

6

Quotation · Romans 4:3

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Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 and names Abraham, whom the Hebrew does not name in that verse.

Formula: τί γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ λέγει “for what does the Scripture say?” (Romans 4:3)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: τί γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ λέγει Ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְהֶאֱמִן בַּיהוָה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה

Septuagint (Genesis 15:6 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβρὰμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 7 consecutive words: “τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Galatians 3:6

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Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, naming Abraham.

Formula: καθὼς “just as” (Galatians 3:6)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: καθὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְהֶאֱמִן בַּיהוָה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה

Septuagint (Genesis 15:6 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβρὰμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 7 consecutive words: “τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · James 2:23

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James quotes Genesis 15:6 after speaking of the sacrifice of Isaac. “Friend of God” is not in Genesis 15.

Formula: ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα “the Scripture was fulfilled that says” (James 2:23)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: καὶ ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα Ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην καὶ φίλος θεοῦ ἐκλήθη

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְהֶאֱמִן בַּיהוָה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה

Septuagint (Genesis 15:6 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβρὰμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 7 consecutive words: “τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Romans 4:22

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Paul repeats the second half of Genesis 15:6, which he had already quoted in 4:3.

Formula: διὸ “that is why” (Romans 4:22)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: διὸ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְהֶאֱמִן בַּיהוָה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה

Septuagint (Genesis 15:6 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβρὰμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 4 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Genesis 15:6, word by word

And he believedהֶאֱמִןheemin

believe

To rely on someone and on what they say: Abram with YHWH.

Where else “heemin” appears
in YHWHיהוָהyhva

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 “yhva” appears
and he counted itיַּחְשְׁבֶyachshve

count

To hold or give something as so: to put it on someone's account.

Where else “yachshve” appears
as righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedaka

righteous deeds

Doing what is just, upright deeds.

Where else “tsedaka” appears

Translation note

Literally “and he counted it to him as righteousness” (vayachsheveha lo tsedaqa); the Hebrew does not repeat the subject of “counted.” The New Testament quotes this verse in Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6 and James 2:23, with God as the subject.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Romans 4:3

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 and names Abraham, whom the Hebrew does not name in that verse.

See them side by side

Genesis 15:6

6And he believed in YHWH, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:3

3For what does the Scripture say? And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Quotation · Galatians 3:6

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, naming Abraham.

See them side by side

Genesis 15:6

6And he believed in YHWH, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Galatians 3:6

6Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Quotation · James 2:23

James quotes Genesis 15:6 after speaking of the sacrifice of Isaac. “Friend of God” is not in Genesis 15.

See them side by side

Genesis 15:6

6And he believed in YHWH, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

James 2:23

23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness; and he was called a friend of God.

Quotation · Romans 4:22

Paul repeats the second half of Genesis 15:6, which he had already quoted in 4:3.

See them side by side

Genesis 15:6

6And he believed in YHWH, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:22

22That is why it was counted to him as righteousness.

The context

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.”

6 · This verse (above)

7And he said to him, “I am YHWH who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess it.”

Read all of Genesis 15

To study Genesis 15 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What did YHWH promise Abram about his descendants, and how did Abram respond (vv. 5-6)?

  2. 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. 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?

How to use it