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GENESIS CHAPTER 15
OBSERVATION STAGE
The purpose of
the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the
normative rules of language, context and logic 
which limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Genesis.
This will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more
importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective
comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.
Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.
(v. 15:1 NIV) "After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, [making] your very great reward'
(v. 15:2 NKJV) But Abram said, 'LORD GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?
(v. 15:3 NKJV) Then Abram said, 'Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!' "
A) BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD, ABRAM HAD:
WON THE BATTLE AGAINST CHEDALAOMER AND HIS ALLIES,
RESCUED HIS NEPHEW LOT FROM CAPTIVITY,
RECEIVED THE BLESSING AND REVELATION OF KING / PRIEST MELCHIZADEK AN INCARNATE APPEARANCE OF THE LORD,
GIVEN A TENTH OF ALL HE HAD TO MELCHIZADEK AND
TAKEN AN OATH TO THE LORD TO REFUSE ANY SPOILS OF WAR FROM THE KING OF SODOM;
WHEREUPON THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ABRAM IN A VISION SAYING, 'DO NOT FEAR, ABRAM, I AM A SHIELD TO YOU MAKING VERY GREAT YOUR REWARD'
(v. 12:2 NAS) "[The LORD said to Abram] And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 15:1 NIV) After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, [making] your very great reward' (v. 15:2 NKJV) But Abram said, 'LORD GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? (v. 15:3 NKJV) Then Abram said, 'Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!' "
Note that the Hebrew word "harbEh" literally rendered "making great" is in the hiphil stem conveying causative action on the part of the subject, "Yahweh." So the LORD by being Protector to Abram would cause Abram to receive an exceedingly great reward.
By the grace of the LORD, Abram had:
won the battle against Chedalaomer and his allies,
rescued his nephew Lot from captivity,
received the blessing and revelation of the LORD's hand in it all by King / Priest Melchizadek an incarnate appearance of the LORD,
given a tenth of all he had to Melchizadek, and
taken an oath
to the LORD to refuse any spoils of war from the king of Sodom
;
whereupon the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision saying, 'Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you making very great your reward."
The LORD emphasized that Abram should not fear what will happen to him by way of encouraging Abram that He is his Protector, a Shield to Abram; and out of the LORD's persistence, reliability and capacity to fulfill what He has promised, Abram will receive an exceedingly great reward - beginning with possession of the promised land, which the LORD had been promising Abram since he left Ur.
The continued references to the LORD from Gen 12:1 on, corroborate that the phrase "God Most High" spoken of by Melchizadek in Gen 14:19 refers to the LORD, the God of Abram and not to a Canaanite god as some maintain.
(v. 15:1 NIV) "After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward' (v. 15:2 NKJV) But Abram said, 'LORD GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? (v. 15:3 NKJV) Then Abram said, 'Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!' " =
Heretofore the LORD had repeatedly communicated His promises to Abram accompanied with protection and supernatural intervention to secure those promises and thus assure Abram of fulfillment. In Gen 15:1, once again, the LORD referred to what He had promised and His capacity and intent to fulfull that promise unilaterally. This time the LORD conveyed his message to Abram in a vision. But in spite of repeated experiences with the LORD's supernatural enablement and protection, the altars Abram built at which he worshipped the LORD, Abram's oath of allegiance to the LORD, the tithe Abram paid to Melchizadek - Priest of God Most High, and now a vision of encouragement from the LORD; Abram continued to lack faith in the LORD. This time Abram posed an agitated question to the LORD, he asked, "LORD GOD, what will You give me seeing I go childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus." On the one hand, Abram began acknowledging the LORD GOD and displayed an understanding that the promises of the LORD were dependent upon having many descendants, (cf. Gen 13:15). Since Abram had no descendants at the time, Abram remarked that the closest thing to a descendant he had was not a son but a member of his household, a servant named Eliezer from Damascus. After this, Abram repeated himself with agitation bordering upon disrespect: "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" as if the LORD had not taken notice. The Hebrew words "hEn" and "wehinnEh" rendered "Look" and "indeed" respectively in the NKJV emphasize Abram's agitation.
(v. 4 NKJV) "And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.'
(v. 5 NKJV) Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants [lit., seed] be.'
(v. 6 NKJV) And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
(v. 7 NAS) And He said to him, 'I am the LORD Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.'
(v. 8 NAS) He said, 'O LORD GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?'
(v. 9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.'
(v. 4 NKJV) "And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.' (v. 5 NKJV) Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants [lit. seed] be.' =
Note that the Hebrew word "zera' " rendered "seed" is masculine, singular. It is one of a peculiarly unique group of words which can refer to a single or multiple numbers, in this case, physical offspring, depending upon the context.
So the LORD
repeated His promise to Abram of innumerable descendants tantamount to
having eternal life, (cf. Gen 12:2 ;
Gen 13:14-16 ),
implying that one must be accounted with the Righteousness of God in order
to have eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Such a granting must however
be justifiable, since neither Abraham nor any man is capable of achieving
God's Righteousness on his own auspices. Hence there must be someone who
will be held accountable for these grants by God to believers of God's
righteousness - a Descendant of Abraham, the Seed of the woman Eve, (ref.
Gen 3:15 ).
The LORD's gracious response to Abram's agitated question, (v. 15:3 NKJV) "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!", absolutely clarifies that Eliezer would not be Abram's heir - the heir through whom via physical descendancy, the Seed, the Heir of the promises of the LORD would be fulfilled. This is speaking of the one Heir to Whom the LORD promised to give the land - through Whom all of the promises would be enabled, (cf Gen 12:7, 13:15). Notice that an immediate single physical descendant is in view here, previously referred to as Abram's seed in Gen 12:7 with a foreshadowing of the future Heir of the Promise. Furthermore, the LORD established that the heir was to come from Abram's seed, i.e., his body - a physical descendant. Note that a singular heir is in view here which is evidently key to the fulfillment of the promises of the Lord, which points not only to an immediate physical heir but one in the future to receive possession of the land and in some manner make it possible for Abram to receive a righteousness unto eternal life, God's Righteousness - evidently through an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.
So the LORD brought Abram outside into the night to view the countless number of stars to illustrate and expand upon this promise, and declared, 'So shall [the number] of your physical descendants be.' This clearly implies that Abram had been promised through his seed, singular, eternal life unto innumerable descendants. For having innumerable descendants as a reward to be enjoyed in his experience, it must be an eternal experience - otherwise it would not be much of a reward. This illustration in the sky by the LORD of innumerable descendants for Abram is an illustration of what the LORD had been promising to Abram since he was in Ur of the Chaldees: To make Abram a great name, a great nation with many nations coming from him, i.e., descendants as the countless stars wherein all the families of the world would be blessed through His Seed implying One through Whom would be provided eternal life. So connected with this promise of eternal life is the LORD's promise of a declaration of His righteousness to Abram through the provision of such through Abram's seed, singular - a particular individual Savior supernaturally provided for by the LORD considering Sarai's barrenness and Abram's impotence, in order for Abram to legitmately have eternal life as a free gift as the LORD has presented to Abram through His promises.
So God presented a picture to Abraham to affirm His promise of an actual physical heir who was to come through the loins of Abraham, (Gen 15:4). This picture was 'painted' by God across the star studded night time heavens. An uncountable number of stars were visible to Abraham. God promised that just as the universe contained such an innumerable number of stars, so would be numbered the descendants of Abraham. This picture gave to Abraham the concept of him seeing countless numbers of descendants - a picture of his having eternal life in order for this to be possible. And so, Abraham was promised by God to have an innumerable number of descendants evidently over an indefinitely long lifetime, i.e., eternal life.
*** EXCERPTS FROM GENESIS CHAPTERS 12 AND 13 ***
(v. 11:27 NAS) "Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran begat Lot.
(v. 11:28 NAS) And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
(v. 11:29 NAS) And Abram and Nahor took them wives: The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
(v. 11:30 NAS) And Sarai was barren; She had no child
(v. 11:31 NAS) And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abrahm's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
(v. 11:32 NAS) And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
(v. 12:1 NKJV) Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
(v. 11:27 NAS) "Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran begat Lot. (v. 11:28 NAS) And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. (v. 11:29 NAS) And Abram and Nahor took them wives: The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. (v. 11:30 NAS) And Sarai was barren; She had no child (v. 11:31 NAS) And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. (v. 11:32 NAS) And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. (v. 12:1 NKJV) Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you." =
Gen 11:27-32 indicate that when Abraham resided in Ur of the Chaldees, capital of Sumer, in Mesopotamia; "Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abrahm's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan" - the LORD's promised land. Hence it is evident at this point, that the LORD had already communicated with Abram while he was in Ur to leave his country, etc. But first the group went hundreds of miles northeast to Haran, of the land of Aram - the home of his father, instead of eastward to the land of Canaan. Notice that Abram did not heed the LORD saying to him to leave his country, (Ur, not Haran); his family and his father's household to go to Canaan when he was in Ur. Instead, Abram went first in the wrong direction to Haran, his father's home town and stayed with his father until he died. Whereupon the text beginning at Genesis chapter 12:1 changed its focus to Abram at the time when the LORD began appearing and speaking to him - which was from the time he dwelt in Ur of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia, to the time when he departed from Haran and went directly to Canaan at the Terebinth Tree of Moreh.
For the Hebrew verb "wayyO'mer" rendered "had said" in "Now the LORD had said [imperfect - literally, "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, [Ur] from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you,' " (Gen 12:1), is in the imperfect tense. The imperfect tense here indicates a sequence in time in the sense that the LORD had kept on saying to Abram from the time he was in his country of Ur in Mesopotamia to go from his land, his family and his father's household, to a land that He would show Abram. Hence there were persistent calls (and evidently appearances) made by the LORD to Abram to separate himself from his country, family, and father's household as opposed to a one time command.
Since Abram's society was pagan, it is implied in Gen 12:1 that the LORD appeared to Abram in a manner which demonstrated His glory and His power so that Abram could verify Who the LORD was and heed His words; much like the time when the LORD appeared to Abram when he arrived at Shechem, at the Terebinth Tree at Moreh in the promised land, (Gen 12:6-7).
(Gen 12:6 NKJV) "Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land."
(Gen 12:7 NKJV) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' And there he built an altar to the LORD, Who had appeared to him."
(Acts 7:2 NKJV) "And he said, 'Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran."
So it took some time for Abram to comply to the LORD's request, evidently because Abram was so attached to his father, family and pagan way of life. And when he did set out directly for Canaan, he still took his nephew Lot and a number of household servants.
(v. 12:5 NKJV) "Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan."
Since Abram and his family were prosperous in Ur and Haran, having acquired considerable possessions and servants; then to leave all of this to go to an unknown land speaks of knowing of and trusting in the LORD's power and promise of prosperity and ownership. Hence the fact that the LORD told Abraham to go to a land the LORD will show him implied that the LORD would enable Abram to prosper in and own that land, once he settled there.
Note that the promise of ownership of the land is corroborated in Gen 15:7. Furthermore, Ur - Abram's country of origin, (not Haran), is indicated in this verse as the land from which the LORD was saying to Abram to leave:
(Gen 15:7 NKJV) "He also said to him, 'I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.' "
Hence the time of the LORD saying to go forth began when Abram was in Ur.
(v. 12:2 NAS) "[The LORD said to Abram] And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing.
(v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' "
(v. 11:30 NAS) "And Sarai was barren; She had no child (v. 12:1 NKJV) Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (v. 12:2 NAS) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. ' " =
(v. 12:2 Hebrew) "Wee'esekhA ............leghôy .gâdhôl wa'avarekhekhA
............................."and I will make you nation ..great ..and I will bless you
wa'âghaddelAh ..........shemekhA wehyEh ...........berAkAh"
and I will make great your name so shall you be.blessing"
(v. 3:14 NKJV) "So the LORD God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.' (v. 3:15 NKJV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel... (v. 12:1 NKJV) Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (v. 12:2 NAS) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. ' " =
By virtue of the imperfect tense Hebrew verb "wayyO'mer" rendered "had said [imperfect - "had been saying]" (NKJV) which tense portrays repeated action in the past, verse 12:1 stipulated that the LORD had repeatedly said from the time when Abram was in Ur that Abram was to go from his native land Ur, (cf. Gen 15:7), to a land He will show Abram; whereupon, beginning in verse 12:2, the LORD promised Abram to make him a great nation. Notice that the phrase is not 'I will make you ruler of a great nation.' but "I [the LORD] will make you a great nation," i.e., Abram himself will become a great nation. Since a nation is an entity of a great number of individuals, and since Abram will become a great nation, then Abram, in spite of being childless for decades, is to have and live to see a great number of physical descendants over whom he will rule. Verse 12:2 goes on to say, "And I [the LORD] will bless you [Abram] and make your name great; And so you will be a blessing." So Abram is to effect a great number of the people of the earth in some great manner, affording to them great blessing over a great length of time, for it takes time for one to live to have a nation of descendants and by that become a great name throughout all the earth for all history.
Verse 12:3 continues the LORD’s declarations of Abram’s future by stating a number of astounding predictions which indicate that the LORD specifically selected Abram out of the sea of humanity in human history for His special and eternal purpose: "And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Unlike the word ‘world’ which might be limited in time and geography if it were present in the context of Gen 12:3, the Hebrew word rendered "earth" in the NKJV in the context of Gen 12:3 encompasses the entire globe of the earth for all time. So the phrase "all the families of the earth" encompasses all mankind throughout history from all points of the earth.
A picture is presented of the LORD sovereignly selecting Abram from Ur of the Chaldees out of the sea of humanity to go to the promised land to be His vessel, (cf. 12:1). The LORD will then supernaturally enable Abram, whose wife has been barren and childless for decades, (cf. Gen 11:30) - both of whom are very old and unable to have children to have such a great name, i.e., have such a worldwide reputation of doing great and godly things and be such a great nation of many physical descendants that in Abram will all the families of the earth throughout history and eternity be blessed through the seed of Abram. This is evidently a fulfillment of the promise of God to provide for the eternal reconciliation of man to God relative to sin and the restoration of mankind's sovereignty over the earth through the miraculous Seed of the woman - a Messiah-Savior, evidently through the seed of Abram, (cf. Gen 3:14-15). That fact alone - that the Messiah-Savior of the world will be a descendant of Abram, will make Abram a great nation and a great name, for in him through that Messiah-Savior will be an opportunity for eternal life and blessing for all the families of the earth throughout history.
Hence an eternal time frame is in view. All of this is with an emphasis on the LORD's sovereign enablement in moving Abram to a faithful position in the land He will show Abram so as to fulfill His promises unilaterally and supernaturally. This was to begin with Abram getting out of his country, going from his family and his father's house to a land He will show Abram, (v. 12:1).
(v. 12:1 NKJV) "Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (v. 12:2 NAS) "And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. ' " =
The Hebrew word "we'e'esekhA" rendered "and I will bless you" in verse 12:2 in the NAS refers to the LORD's empowerment for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etc., i.e., temporal benefits as well as spiritual and eternal ones. In view of the context which includes God's plan for man's reconciliation to Himself and the restoration of mankind's sovereignty over the earth, (cp. Gen 3:14-15), evidently through Abram becoming a great nation wherein all the families of the earth will be blessed, the blessings will evidently be eternal as well.
(v. 3:14 NKJV) "So the LORD God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.' (v. 3:15 NKJV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel... (v. 12:1 NKJV) "Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (v. 12:2 NAS) "And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. ' " =
The LORD promised to make Abram a great nation and to make Abram's name great and in Abram will all the families of the earth be blessed. This implies that through the LORD working in Abram's life, Abram as a great nation will have a worldwide reputation of doing great and godly things wherein all the families of the earth will be blessed - implying for all time! All of this is a part of God's plan for mankind's eternal reconciliation with Him and for the restoration of mankind's sovereignty over the earth. Abram as a great nation and Abram's great name will be connected to the LORD in a manner which will be known throughout the world for all time as the individual, (Abram), and the nation through whom descended the Messiah-Savior of the world. Hence an eternal timeframe is in view. All of this is with an emphasis on the LORD's sovereign enablement in moving Abram to a faithful position in the land He will show Abram so as to fulfill His promises unilaterally and supernaturally. This was to begin with Abram getting out of his country, going from his family and his father's house then through making Abram a great nation, a great name and a blessing to all the people of the world by being the vessel through whom the LORD will provide eternal reconciliation of man to God and restoration of the sovereignty of humanity over the earth via a Messiah-Savior.
(v. 3:14 NKJV) "So the LORD God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.' (v. 3:15 NKJV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel... (v. 12:1 NKJV) Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (v. 12:2 NAS) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' "'' =
In Gen 12:2c, the Hebrew verb "wehyEh," is in the imperative (command) tense and literally means "so you shall be" [a blessing] as it is rendered in the NAS. The use of the imperative (command) tense in 12:2c follows and is subordinate to the previous imperative tense in 12:1: [The LORD kept on saying to Abram] "Get out from your country, your family and your father's house..."
[Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, 2nd Edition, E Kautzsch, Ed., Oxford Press, London, 1910, p. 325]:
"The imperative when depending ... upon another imperative. In this case the first imperative contains, as a rule, a condition, while the second declares the consequence which the fulfilment of the condition will involve. The imperative is used for this declaration, since the consequence is, as a matter of fact, intended or desired by the speaker."
Hence 12:2c conveys the result of Abram becoming a great nation and a great name: "In him all the families of the earth will be blessed" - when he leaves his land, relatives and house of his father and enters the promised land, following what the LORD said to do in 12:1. This implies that the LORD will enable Abram to enter the land and be a blessing to all the families of the earth of all time forever by becoming a great nation and a great name, because God's promises to Abram are sovereign, unilateral and eternal and evidently a part of God's plan for mankind's eternal reconciliation and restoration of sovereignty over the earth, (Gen 3:14-15).
(v. 12:3 NAS) "And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. ' " =
Notice that the LORD repeats His promise that if Abram moves into the promised land that all the families of the earth, (of all history), will be blessed "in Abram" implying God's enablement of such a universal blessing to all the families of the earth in time through what He promises to do through Abram.
In view of the fact that God, Whose frame of reference is sovereign and eternal, is making a declaration that He will make Abram a great nation, bless him and make his name great, and so shall Abram be a blessing to the world, a blessing to all the families of the earth, (Gen 12:2-3); we must conclude that this is the LORD's eternal plan revealed earlier in Genesis chapter 3 to provide eternal reconciliation of man to Himself and restore mankind's sovereignty over the earth through the Seed of the woman, Eve through enabling Abram to become a great nation and a great name.
In order to become a great nation and a great name in God's sight as He promised and in Abram will all the families of the earth be blessed, Abram had to be a blessing worldwide throughout the ages. A local, temporary benefit is not in view. Blessings through Abram in ancient times such as trade, peace and power would be limited to a local and temporal and come to an end. The promises of the LORD cannot be limited to temporal blessings for a limited time in one region of the world, i.e., only for individuals on one side of the ancient world during Abram's lifetime. That would hardly be a blessing of any consequence such that God would announce it to Abram as a promise to all the families of the earth. Hence humanity of all ages to be blessed in a spiritual and eternal sense as well as temporal must be in view. The LORD's promises to Abram lead to the eternal reconciliaton of all mankind of all ages to God and the restoration of the sovereignty of mankind over the earth for all times in history, i.e., forever.
(v. 12:3 NAS) "And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' "
(v. 3:14 NKJV) "So the LORD God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.' (v. 3:15 NKJV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel... (v. 12:1 NKJV) Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (v. 12:2 NAS) "[The LORD said to Abram] And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' " =
God promises to bless those that bless Abram, curse those that curse him and in Abram all the families of the world will be blessed. The LORD's promise of a seed of the woman Eve - a Messiah-Savior representing all of humanity to defeat Satan and his seed resulting in the availability of eternal reconciliation of man with God and the restoration of the sovereignty of humanity over the earth. All of this will be accomplished by the LORD through Abram becoming a great nation and a great name and in Abram will all the families of the earth be so blessed.
With the promises given in vv. 3:14-15 and 12:2-3, to which are attached the LORD's persistent saying to Abram to go to the land He will show him, (v. 12:1); verse 12:3 goes on to a perspective of the world's response to Abram as the LORD fulfills His promises through him.
The Hebrew word "wa'avakhAh" is rendered "and I will bless" in verse 12:3 of the NAS. It refers to the LORD empowering one for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etc., i.e., temporal and spiritual benefits to those who bless Abram - that being the nature of the LORD and His blessings. Evidently the LORD has promised to protect Abram as His servant and messenger to the world and so that what the LORD promised Abram would be enabled and protected. To those that bless Abram, i.e., provide him with empowerment for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, peace will themselves be so blessed by the LORD; and those who curse Abram in word or deed - the opposite, they will be so cursed by the LORD. Note that the LORD'S promises to Abram are tied directly to His sovereign and supernatural enablement of Abram to have the promises fulfilled in and through him.
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM GENESIS CHAPTER 12 ******
Note that the word rendered "seed" in view in Gen 12:7 in the NKJV is predeminately to be viewed as singular - a single individual with the authority and power of God, to own and rule the Eternal Kingdom forever; as well as plural - an innumerable number of descendants Abram as a great nation to whom the LORD would give the Promised Land. Note that the plural is predominately in view in Gen 13:14-16; 17:7-8.
**** COMPARE WITH EXCERPT FROM GENESIS CHAPTER 13 ****
(Gen 13:14 NKJV) "And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: 'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are - northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
(Gen 13:15 NKJV) for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
(Gen 13:16 NKJV) And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered."
(v. 13:14 NKJV) "And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: 'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are - northward, southward, eastward, and westward: (v. 13:15 NKJV) for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendant [lit., seed] forever. (v. 13:16 NKJV) And I will make your descendants [lit., seed] as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. =
[Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, R. Laird Harris, Ed, Moody Press, Chicago, 1980, pp. 252-4]:
"zera'. Sowing, seed, offspring...
The most important theological usage [of this word rendered 'seed'] is found ... commencing with Gen 3:15, [where] the word 'seed' is regularly used as a collective noun in the singular (never plural). This technical term is an important aspect of the promise doctrine, for Hebrew never uses the plural of this root to refer to 'posterity' or 'offspring.'... Thus the word designates the whole line of descendants as a unit, yet it is deliberately flexible enough to denote either one person who epitomizes the whole group, (i.e., the man of promise and ultimately Christ), or the many persons in that whole line of natural and/or spiritual descendants."
As soon as Lot had separated from Abram, which was in accord with what the LORD had been saying to Abram to go from his relatives, (cf. 12:1), He told Abram to lift his eyes North, South, East and West which brought the promised land before the eyes of Abram, (cf. 13:14). He then reiterated His promise to Abram to give him and his seed, an individual of the future who would be a supernaturally provided physical descendant of Abram, the promised land forever. Recall that Abram and Sarai have not had any children, Sarai was barren, (cf. 11:30). This implies through this future individual Descendant of Abram a promise of justification to Abram unto eternal life, a righteousness that Abram must be declared to have in order to have the blessing of eternal life with the LORD and possess the land forever, i.e., an eternal kingdom supernaturally enabled by and of the LORD. Whereupon, in verse 13:16, the LORD provided an illustration to Abram that indicated further that His promises included eternal life: Abram's descendants would be as innumerable as the dust of the earth. This can only have significance for Abram if he is to live forever to possess the promised land forever and see his innumerable descendants. Evidently this future individual descendant of Abram Who is to be supernaturally provided by the LORD through Abram and Sarai, (considering her barrenness and his incapacity to procreate). This seed will possess the land forever and be instrumental in providing Abram with the righteousness of the LORD in order for Abram to have eternal life.
****** END OF EXCERPTS FROM GENESIS CHAPTERS 12 & 13 ******
So in order for Abram to become a great nation and a great name in God's sight as the LORD repeatedly promised such that in Abram would all the families of the earth be blessed, Abram had to be a blessing worldwide throughout the ages. A local, temporary benefit cannot be in view. Blessings through Abram in ancient times such as trade, peace and power would be limited to a local and temporal and come to an end. The promises of the LORD cannot be limited to temporal blessings for a limited time in one region of the world, i.e., only for individuals on one side of the ancient world during Abram's lifetime. That would hardly be a blessing of any consequence such that God would announce it to Abram as a promise to all the families of the earth. Hence humanity of all ages to be blessed in a spiritual and eternal sense as well as temporal must be in view. The LORD's promises to Abram point to the eternal reconciliaton of all mankind of all ages to God and the restoration of the sovereignty of mankind over the earth for all times in history, i.e., forever.
(v. 3:14 NKJV) "So the LORD God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.' (v. 3:15 NKJV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel... (v. 12:2 NAS) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' "" =
Genesis chapter 3 declares God's plan for the eternal reconciliation of man to God and the restoration of mankind's sovereignty over the earth through an individual descendant of Eve which chapter 12 implies would be fulfilled through the LORD's making Abram a great nation and in Abram through his seed will be an opportunity for eternal life and blessing for all mankind throughout the ages and eternity. So the context of chapters in Genesis previous to chapter 12 has indicated that mankind is sinful and estranged from God for which He has a plan for reconciling mankind to Himself through the seed of the woman, Eve which as indicated in Genesis chapter 12, 13, 15 etc., will evidently be through the seed of Abram wherein all individuals have the opportunity to be blessed with spiritual reconciliation with God and eternal life with Him resulting in the restoration of mankind's authority over the earth.
*** EXCERPT FROM GENESIS CHAPTER 3 ***
(Gen 3:14 NKJV) "So the LORD God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.'
(Gen 3:15 NKJV) "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
TWO SPIRITUAL (NOT BIOLOGICAL) SEEDS ARE IN VIEW:
THOSE
INDIVIDUALS WHO FOLLOW SATAN [WHO INDWELT THE SERPENT
]
IN SPIRITUAL REBELLION ARE DECLARED SEED OF SATAN - ANGELS AND HUMANS
ALIKE. THEY ARE FURTHER DECLARED BY GOD TO BE AT ENMITY WITH THE WOMAN,
EVE, AND HER SEED:
A SEED, WHICH BIOLOGICALLY COMES FROM THE MALE, IN ORDER TO BE THE SEED OF THE WOMAN, HAD TO BE PRODUCED INTO A FEMALE PHYSICAL DESCENDANT OF THE WOMAN SUPERNATURALLY AND SPIRITUALLY BY GOD TO RESULT IN AN INDIVIDUAL MALE DESCENDANT TO REPRESENT THE HUMAN RACE - A MESSIAH-SAVIOR - IN THE BATTLE WITH SATAN AND HIS SEED TO PROVIDE ETERNAL RECONCILIATION FOR HUMANITY WITH GOD AND REGAIN SOVEREIGNTY OF THE HUMAN RACE OVER THE WORLD
(v. 3:15 NKJV) "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." =
The Hebrew words "zar’akhA" and "zar’Ahh' " rendered "your seed" and "her Seed" respectively in 3:15 in the NKJV usually has a biological connotation; but in Genesis 3:15, the Hebrew words "zar’akhA" and "zar’Ahh' " refer to:
1) Those
individuals - angelic and human - who deliberately follow, i.e., are given
'birth' as seed of the Agent (Satan) who possessed the serpent and caused
Eve to sin .
Note that that Agent is a spiritual being, not a physical one, hence seed
has a spiritual connotation, not a physical one. Furthermore, all of the
seed of Satan were declared by God to be at enmity with the woman and her
Seed.
2) The second word rendered seed in Genesis 3:15 which is rendered with a capital "S" in the NKJV, is portrayed as resulting in a male physical descendant of the woman, Eve, in 3:15c: "He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." The word seed when it is used to portray a physical descendant, normally refers to a seed which biologically comes from the male; but in the case of Gen 3:15, the phrase "the seed of the woman" is stipulated as opposed to the normal phrase 'the seed of the man.' Hence the word "Seed" in this case refers to a Seed which must be produced supernaturally and spiritually by God into a female physical descendant of the woman, Eve, in order to result in an individual male descendant of that woman. The Seed of the woman, Eve, is futher portrayed as representing the whole human race - a Messiah-Savior, hence the capital "Seed" - in doing battle with Satan and his seed to regain the lost sovereignty of the human race, usurped by Satan; and to provide an opportunity for every individual human being to be eternally reconciled with God relative to sin.
(v. 3:15 NKJV) "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." =
The word "yeshûphekhA," [Str. # 7779], rendered "he will crush [lit. bruise]" contains the word "shûph" which occurs twice in 3:15 and connotes a striking blow which is purposed to cause destruction.
The LORD GOD spoke to Satan who possessed the serpent in the garden and caused Adam and Eve to sin, usurping their position of authority over the world. He said, "And I [the LORD GOD] will put enmity, [i.e., decree mutual hostility] between you [Satan] and the woman [Eve, who is the mother of all humanity, (cf. 3:20)].
Notice from Gen 3:1 on, it was not Satan's intent to have hostility, but to gain sovereignty over Eve, humanity and the world. He successfully deceived and hence manipulated her and Adam so as to usurp their position and God's authority given to them by God over the earth.
... and [enmity] between your seed and her Seed =
[And there was also decreed by God to be enmity between the seed of Satan, i.e., those who chose to rebel against the LORD GOD, to be spiritually like Satan: unbelieving and rebellious angelic and human beings. They are 'birthed' by Satan in the sense of choosing to rebel against God after Satan's example. Satan evidently makes a constant effort to tempt others to follow him in rebellion against God]
and her Seed =
[= a single individual is portrayed in 3:15b considering the next phrase in 3:15c, ("He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel"), which has a single individual in view. This Individual is stipulated as the Seed of the woman, Eve, portraying a supernatural birth via a spiritually provided Seed to impregnate a female descendant of Eve to give birth to a male descendant Who will represent all of humanity in battle with Satan and his seed to regain the lost sovereignty of the human race over the world and provide an opportunity for every individual human being to be eternally reconciled with God relative to sin.
The LORD GOD then said, 'He [the single individual Messiah Savior] shall bruise [strike] your head, [ i.e., deliver a mortal blow via an act which destroys Satan and the evil he did and restores humanity to its original sinless state]
and you [Satan] will bruise [strike] his heel, [i.e., deliver a non-mortal blow, i.e., cause him injury but not mortal to His existence and purpose, giving Him the victory over sin for all humanity over Satan and his evil work which caused Adam and Eve to sin, destroy their relationship with God and lose control of their rulership over the world to Satan]
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM GENESIS CHAPTER 3 ******
(v. 4 NKJV) "And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.' (v. 5 NKJV) Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants [lit. seed] be.' (v. 6 NKJV) And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
The Hebrew word "wehE'emin" rendered "and he [Abram] believed" in verse 15:6 in the NKJV is in the Hiphil stem in the perfect tense portraying a simple completed action - a moment of faith alone in the LORD's promise alone - by Abram as an immediate response to the LORD's words in the previous verse: "Then He [the LORD] brought him [Abram] outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He [the LORD] said to him [Abram], 'So shall your descendants [lit. seed] be."
This cannot be misconstrued to mean that Abraham was expected to do anything in order to be perfectly righteous in his lifestyle in order to receive eternal life from God. There is no stipulation to that effect in the passage.
Although the perfect tense of the Hebrew verb "wehE'emin" can depict a past perfect action which points to a completed action begun in the 'past past' which would then portray action begun before the present action of Gen 15:6 so as to portray Abram believing beginning at the time when the LORD first began presenting His promises to Abram in Gen 12:2; the context of Gen 15:6 does not include any connected 'past past' activity. It is limited to the moment when God presented a view of countless stars and declaring "so shall your descendants be," whereupon Abram responded at that time by believing. Before the time frame of Gen 15:1-6, Abram was not depicted as having believed in the promise of the LORD to inherit the Promised Land and have innumerable physical descendants to the extent that he was then declared righteous by the LORD unto eternal life, i.e., the perfect righteousness of God.
So when Abram began believing in God's promise of innumerable descendants relative to the promises he had been making to Abram since Ur - it was in the time frame of Gen 15:4-6, whereupon God acounted it at that time to Abraham for righteousness unto eternal life, i.e., the perfect righteousness of God. Note that if Abram had believed in God's promise of eternal life beforehand then he would have been accounted for righteousness by God earlier than Gen 15:6, and it would have been so noted in Scripture. So Abraham was credited with God's perfect righteousness in conjunction with God's promise to Abraham and innumerable descendants of receiving the promised land forever which God's righteousness is evidently required in order to have eternal life in order to inherit the promised land forever. Note that it was received by a moment of faith alone in the LORD's promise alone. So it cannot be misconstrued that Abraham was expected to do anything in order to be perfectly righteous in his lifestyle in order to receive eternal life from God. There is no stipulation to that effect in the passage.
Gen 15:5-6 is not just a picture of Abram's countless descendants living long after he died with him having gone into the Lake of Fire. There would be no purpose if Abraham would never see them in person, i.e., have eternal life and instead be eternally confined and condemned to the Lake of Fire? This demonstration by the LORD was a picture of His promise to Abraham of eternal life - eternal life with countless descendants over an eternity of time through an individual seed - descendant supernaturally provided for in order to make all of this possible - for Abram was still childless, impotent and Sarai barren.
(v. 4 NKJV) "And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.' (v. 5 NKJV) Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants [lit. seed] be.' (v. 6 NKJV) And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (v. 7 NAS) And He said to him, 'I am the LORD Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.' (v. 8 NAS) He said, 'O LORD GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?' (v. 9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' "
After Abram had expressed a moment of faith in the LORD's promise of innumerable descendants unto a righteousness from God, i.e., justification unto eternal life; the LORD continued to assure Abram to trust in Him re: fulfilling this promise of innumerable descendants by relating this promise to His first promise of Abram and his descendants owning the promised land forever which was first made to him when he was in Ur: "I am the LORD Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to posses it," (v. 15:7); whereupon having believed in the Lord unto righteousness and eternal life, Abram was still not evidencing total trust in the LORD. He asked the LORD how he could know = believe that he would actually possess the land which is connected with the LORD'S promise of innumerable descendants and eternal life. Notice that Abram believed in God's promise of innumerable descendants and was thereby declared righteous by the LORD, hence qualified for receiving eternal life; yet he still questioned how he would know that that was going to happen. He asked, "O LORD GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?" Note that the verb 'to know' can mean the same thing as believe does depending and as it does in Gen 15:8 upon the context here. Hence in Gen 15:8, the verb "may I know" in the phrase "How may I know that I will possess it?" implies a lack of complete trust in the LORD to fulfill His promise of providing Abram with possession of the land. The LORD's gracious answer as recorded in vv. 15:10-21 was to request sacrificial animals in order to perform a supernatural and unilateral covenant with Abram via a formal sacrificial ritual with full and complete details of every aspect of that covenant so that Abram might know that the LORD was absolutely serious and trustworthy to fulfill His promise. So in answer to Abram's lack of faith in the promises of the LORD, the LORD requested that Abram bring to Him a 3 year old heifer, a 3 hear old she-goat, a 3 yr old Ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon - animals which were traditionally sacrificed in Abram's day to ratify agreements.
(v. 18) "The men who have violated 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 and then walked between its pieces.
(v. 19) The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf,
(v. 20) I will hand over to their enemies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth."
Notice that the parties involved in participating toward the outcome of the covenant were to pass between the parts of the sacrificed animal. Recall that God was the only One Who did this relative to His covenant with Abram, hence He is the only participant and Abram is the recipient.
(v. 15:10 NKJV) "Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half.
(v. 15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
(v. 15:12 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.
(v. 15:13 NKJV) Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
(v. 15:14 NKJV) And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
(v. 15:15 NAS) As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.
(v. 15:16 NKJV) But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.
(v. 15:17 ASV) And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace [lit. fire pot], and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces.
(v. 15:18 NKJV) In that day Jehovah 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:
(v. 15:19 NKJV) the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
(v. 15:20 NKJV) and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
(v. 15:21 NKJV) and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite."
(v. 7 NAS) "And He said to him, 'I am the LORD Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.' (v. 8 NAS) He said, 'O LORD GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?' (v. 9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon (v. 15:10 NKJV) Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (v. 15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away." =
The language of the text in verses 15:9 & 10 reports that Abram actually went out and gathered a heifer, she-goat, ram, turtle dove and pigeon which the LORD had requested, (v. 15:9), bringing them to a particular location where Abram was having a conversation with the LORD. Since animal sacrifices were common in ancient societies for worshipping the LORD and pagan gods, affirming covenants, etc., ((Adam and Eve, (ref. Gen 3:21), Cain and Abel, (ref., Gen 4:1-7)); then we may conclude that Abram was familiar with the ritual of covenant that the LORD intended to perform. Consequently, Abram, without any instruction present in the text, immediately cut the larger animals in half, separated the halves opposite each other, and left the birds whole and then drove birds of prey away from the carcasses while he waited for the sun to go down when the ritual would be performed.
Notice that the context, details and language work together to depict an actual event as opposed to a vision or symbolic account.
(v. 9 NAS) So He [the LORD] said to him [Abram], 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon (v. 15:10 NKJV) Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (v. 15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. (v. 15:12 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him." =
An actual chronological, not a figurative, account is depicted in vv. 15:9-12 wherein Abram spent real time driving away birds of prey from the sacrificial animals' carcasses, (v. 15:11). As the Sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram and "behold" a dreadful fear accompanied by an internal great darkness fell upon him. Note that since Abram already had fallen asleep as the Sun was still going down, the dreadful fear accompanied by an internal great darkness which fell upon him personally were occurrences within his mind, a part of his dreaming which reflected fear within his mind and not reflective of an actual night time darkness since the Sun was still going down. Nothing further is mentioned of dreadful fear and great darkness until verse 17. The next verse, (Gen 15:13), after the mention of Abram's dreadful fear and internal great darkness, immediately begins the LORD's detailed account of what was in store for Abram and his descendants and their enemies as if Abram was to receive this information with good understanding. Evidently the dreadful fear and great darkness within Abram's mind did not hamper his reception of what the LORD communicated to him while he slept. Recall that it has been Abram's pattern heretofore to experience the LORD as his Protector and Rescuer in the face of tribulation - oft times caused by himself; albeit Abram continually responded with a notable lack of faith since he left Ur of the Chaldees months ago. Hence, it can be concluded that the dreadful fear and internal great darkness served to focus Abram on the LORD especially relative to His reliability and veracity engendering Abram's greater trust in Him - especially in light of Abram's last response to the LORD, "O LORD GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?" which considering all the LORD had done and expressed all these months reflected an exasperating lack of faith on the part of Abram. So the dreadful fear and internal great darkness in Abram's dream served the purposes of the LORD: Since the LORD is sovereign, then Abram's experience of dreadful fear and great darkness as he slept, while the Sun was going down, was under the sovereign control and serving the purpose of the LORD as He proceeded to confirm His covenant with Abram in a manner that Abram would be better assured and exercise greater trust in Him.
(Gen 12:1 NKJV) "Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives] And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (Gen 12:2 NAS) [The LORD said to Abram] And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (Gen 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' (Gen 12:4 NAS) So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (Gen 12:5 NKJV) Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. (v. 12:6 NKJV) Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth [lit. large] tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. (v. 12:7 NKJV) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your seed I will give this land.' And there he built an altar to the LORD, Who had appeared to him... (Gen 15:5 NKJV) "Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants [lit. seed] be.' ... (Gen 15:9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon (Gen 15:15:10 NKJV) Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (Gen 15:15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. (Gen 15:12 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. (Gen 15:13 NKJV) Then He [the LORD] said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years." .... (Ex 12:40 translated from the Septuagint Greek and the Samaritan Pentateuch texts) "And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, was four hundred and thirty years. (Ex 12:41 translated from the Septuagint Greek and the Samaritan Pentateuch texts) And it came to pass after the four hundred and thirty years, all the forces of the LORD came forth out of the land of Egypt by night." =
(Gen 12:1 NKJV) "Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives] And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (Gen 12:2 NAS) [The LORD said to Abram] And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. (Gen 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' (Gen 12:4 NAS) So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (Gen 12:5 NKJV) Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. (v. 12:6 NKJV) Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth [lit. large] tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. (v. 12:7 NKJV) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your seed I will give this land.' And there he built an altar to the LORD, Who had appeared to him... (Gen 15:5 NKJV) "Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants [lit. seed] be.' ... (Gen 15:9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon (Gen 15:15:10 NKJV) Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (Gen 15:15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. (Gen 15:12 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. (Gen 15:13 NKJV) Then He [the LORD] said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years." .... (Ex 12:40 Septuagint and the Samaritan Pentateuch) "And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, was four hundred and thirty years." =
While Abram was in a deep sleep, (Gen 15:12), the LORD said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years." The LORD had already indicated to Abram that he would have innumerable descendants, (Gen 15:5). Now He was saying to Abram that for 400 years his descendants would be strangers in a land that would not be theirs; and they would be servants to the owners of the land, and under their affliction. Scripture indicates that they did wander and did not settle in the Promised Land, (Canaan) - and were afflicted by the various peoples who were settled in the land of Canaan, especially the Amorites, (Gen 15:16)s . Thereafter, they lived in Egypt, under Egyptian rule - still as servants continuing to experience affliction).
(Gen 15:13 NKJV) "Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years." =
Notice that this prophecy has in view Abram's descendants, and not Abram himself. For he had no descendants at this time. Hence the starting point of the 400 years of sojourning, servitude and affliction was yet future. Before this, when Abraham was 75, God first appeared to him when Abram was in his country, Ur. And for the first time the LORD declared His covenant with Abram, telling him to leave his country and go to a land that He would show him, with the following promises:
(v. 12:1 NKJV) "Now the LORD had said [imperfect - "had been saying] to Abram: 'Get out of [lit. go from] your country, from your family [lit. relatives], and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
(v. 12:2 NAS) [The LORD said to Abram] And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing.
(v. 12:3 NAS) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.'
(v. 12:4 NAS) So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran."
Abram left his country, Ur of the Chaldees, in response to God's telling him to leave for a land He would show Abram - the Promised Land, (cf. Gen 15:7); whereupon Abram left; but first he diverted his journey to Haran, his father's home, and stayed with his father until he died. Then he moved, evidently in the same year of his life, on to Canaan, the Promised Land. This was in his 75th year, (Gen 12:4).
(Gen 21:1 NKJV) "And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.
(Gen 21:2 NKJV) For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him,
(Gen 21:3 NKJV) And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him - whom Sarah bore to him - Isaac.
(Gen 21:4 NKJV) Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
(Gen 21:5 NKJV) Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him."
Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, (Gen 21:5). But the beginning of the 400 years of sojourning, servitude and affliction; which is referred to in Gen 15:13, was evidently not yet in view. For although Abraham's descendant Isaac was now born, and although Abraham's family had wandered in a land that was not theirs since he left Ur and Haran when he was 75 years old, sojourning for 25 years; there was as yet no evidence of affliction upon Abraham's family. On the other hand, about five years later, Isaac was weaned and Abraham made a great feast to celebrate. Note that this was customary with the people of that time. And on the same day of that feast, there began the affliction upon Isaac, Abraham's descendant by his first son, Ishmael, who was conceived in Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar:
(Gen 21:4 NKJV) "Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
(Gen 21:5 NKJV) Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son was born to him.
(Gen 21:6 NKJV) And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.'
(Gen 21:7 NKJV) She also said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.'
(Gen 21:8 NKJV) So the child grew and was weaned.
(Gen 21:9 NKJV) And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.
(Gen 21:10 NKJV) Therefore she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.'
(Gen 21:11 NKJV) And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.
(Gen 21:12 NKJV) But God said to Abraham, 'Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.
(Gen 21:13 NKJV) Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.
(Gen 21:14 NKJV) So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba."
And so began the afflication of the descendants of Abraham, (cf. Gen 21:15-21).
(Gal 4:29 NKJV) "But, as he [Ishmael] who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him [Isaac] who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
(Gal 4:30 NKJV) Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.' " [cf. Gen 21:10-12].
(Gal 4:30 NKJV) Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.' " [cf. Gen 21:10-12].
| TIMEFRAME | YRS |
| The LORD's promise to Abram until Isaac's birth | 25 |
| Isaac reached 60 years old at Jacob's birth | 60 |
| Jacob went to Egypt at 130 | 130 |
| . | . |
| TOTAL TIME IN CANAAN BEFORE GOING TO EGYPT | 215 |
a) [Compare Ex 12:40-41 translated from the Masoretic Hebrew text]:
(Ex 12:40 NKJV) "Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.
(Ex 12:41 NKJV) And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years - on that very same day - it came to pass that all the armies [divisions of the people] of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt."
b) [Compare Ex 12:40-41 translated from the Septuagint Greek and the Samaritan Pentateuch texts]:
(Ex 12:40 translated from the Septuagint Greek and the Samaritan Pentateuch texts) "And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, was four hundred and thirty years.
(Ex 12:41 translated from the Septuagint Greek and the Samaritan Pentateuch texts) And it came to pass after the four hundred and thirty years, all the forces of the LORD came forth out of the land of Egypt by night."
The key difference between the Masoretic Hebrew text (completed in the fourth century A.D.), and the Septuagint, (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures completed centuries earlier during the reign of King Ptolemy Philadelphia of Egypt, (285-246 B.C.), and the Samaritan Pentateuch which is also considerably more ancient and allowed by many scholars to be the most correct copy of the five books of Moses is the phrase "and the land of Chanaan" [Canaan - the Promised Land]. This phrase is omitted in the Masoretic text - evidently due to scribal error or deliberate omission; but it is included in the other much earlier versions. The period of 430 years for the entire time from the LORD's promise to Abram to the Exodus is corroborated by the Apostle Paul:
(Gal 3:16NKJV) "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' Who is Christ.
(Gal 3:17 NKJV) And this I say, that the Law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect."
So according to the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Apostle Paul, the period of 430 years commenced at the time when the LORD first said to Abram to get out of his country and go to a land He would show him; whereupon the LORD made His promise of His covenant with Abraham, (Gen 12:1-4). And accordingly, this period of 430 years would terminate with Moses' and Israel's Exodus from Egypt - the Law being given roughly three months after that. Hence this period of time of 430 years included the time of 215 years that Abraham and his descendants spent in Canaan, leaving 215 years to be spent in Egypt. This amount of time in Egypt is more feasible than 430 years; and a careful examination of Scripture indicates that the period of 400 years to which Gen 15:13 and Acts 7:6 refers overlaps the 430 period, beginning in the 30th year of the latter period:
(Gen 15:13 NKJV) "Then He [the LORD] said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
(Gen 15:14 NKJV) And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
(Gen 15:15 NAS) As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.
(Gen 15:16 NKJV) But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
Notice that the LORD prophesied to Abram that his descendants would return to Canaan in [i.e., during the lifetime of] the "fourth generation," (Gen 15:16). This implied a timeframe of the Israelites' stay in Egypt that was limited to being within the span of four generations of Jacob's descendants; but not necessarily inclusive of the entire lifespans of all four generations as some contend. According to Ex 6:16-20, Numbers 3:17-19, 1 Chr 6:1-3 and 236, 12-13, those generations were Levi-Kohath-Amram-Moses. At the time that Jacob was 130 years, he traveled from Canaan to Egypt, (Gen 47:9), with all of his family, which included Levi and his son, Kohath, (Gen 46:8-11). Levi's son, Kohath lived to 133 years, (Ex 6:18); and Kohath's son Amram lived to 137 years, (Ex 6:20); and Moses spent 80 in Egypt before the Exodus, (Ex 7:7). This is a total of 350 years plus 2 years for the childbearing of Amram and Moses which equals 352 years maximum time for the descendants of Abraham to stay in Egypt. Allowing for the overlapping years of fathers, sons and grandsons at that time, 215 years total in Egypt is more reasonable than 430 years, which the latter exceeds the maximum of 352. Furthermore, Moses' mother Jochebed was born in Egypt, (Nu 26:59). Hence if Abraham's descendants had lived in Egypt for 430 years, as some contend, then Jochebed would have to have given birth to Moses when she was about 300 years old in order for Moses to leave Egypt when he was 80, (Ex 7:7):
[430-80=350 minus the time for her to be born in Egypt, to reach the age when she married Kohath, and then to become pregnant and give birth to Moses of about 50 years or less = 300+ years old].
But this is well beyond the age that women gave birth at this time in history. A more reasonable age to give birth to Moses of about 85 would be arrived at with the 215 years of Israel dwelling in Egypt which Scripture seems to corroborate best:
[215-80=135 minus the time for Jochebed to be born in Egypt and then reach the age when she married Kohath, and then to become pregnant and give birth to Moses of about 50 years or less = 85. This is 5 years less than when Sarah bore Isaac].
In an article written more than thirty years ago ("The Duration of the Egyptian Bondage"), chronologist Harold W. Hoehner observed: "When one looks at the various passages of Scripture concerning the length of Israel's bondage in Egypt, one immediately discovers that there are apparent disagreements in the biblical record" (1969, 126:306). And thus he wrote, "To fit four generations into a 215-year period is much more reasonable than a 430-year span" (1969, 126:309).
e) [Compare extra-biblical sources]:
David Rohl, respected Egyptologist, in his book, "Pharaoh's and Kings" declared that new archeological discoveries indicated that Israel went down into Egypt c. 1662 B.C. and was delivered by God through Moses c. 1447 B.C. - a span of 215 years (1995, pp. 329-332).
Josephus wrote in "Antiquities of the Jews, that the Israelites "left Egypt in the month of Xanthicus, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month; four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt" (II. 15.2).
Hence, in his book, "Pharaoh's and Kings," Rohl further remarked, "Now, according to the statements of Josephus himself, he had access to very old documents formerly housed in the Temple of Jerusalem from which to draw his account of early Israelite history. Josephus lived in the first century A.D. and so his writings are dated hundreds of years before the Masoretic text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Old Testament) was completed in the fourth century A.D. If his source documents were genuine, then the information he gives for the duration of the Sojourn derives from a much earlier period than that employed by the Masoretes when they made their version of the history of Israel and a further several centuries before the earliest extant copy of the Masoretic text." (1995, p. 331).
So at the time of Abraham's descendants moving from Canaan to live in Egypt, in the land of Goshen, the party consisted of Jacob, who was 130 years old, and all of his descendants and their wives. This group included Levi and his son Kohath, the ancestors of Moses, as well as Joseph and his descendants and their wives who had arrived in Egypt 39 as a slave 9 years earlier as a result of the treachery his brothers (cf. Gen 37:12-36):
(Gen 46:1 NKJV) '''So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
(Gen 46:2 NKJV) Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am."
(Gen 46:3 NKJV) So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.
(Gen 46:4 NKJV) I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."
(Gen 46:5 NKJV) Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the 2carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
(Gen 46:6 NKJV) So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.
(Gen 46:7 NKJV) His sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
(Gen 46:8 NKJV) Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn.
(Gen 46:9 NKJV) The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
(Gen 46:10 NKJV) The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
(Gen 46:11 NKJV) The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
(Gen 46:12 NKJV) The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
(Gen 46:13 NKJV) The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.
(Gen 46:14 NKJV) The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
(Gen 46:15 NKJV) These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.
(Gen 46:16 NKJV) The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
(Gen 46:17 NKJV) The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.
(Gen 46:18 NKJV) These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
(Gen 46:19 NKJV) The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.
(Gen 46:20 NKJV) And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
(Gen 46:21 NKJV) The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
(Gen 46:22 NKJV) These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.
(Gen 46:23 NKJV) The son of Dan was Hushim.
(Gen 46:24 NKJV) The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
(Gen 46:25 NKJV) These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
(Gen 46:26 NKJV) All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
(Gen 46:27 NKJV) And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
(Gen 46:28 NKJV) Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.
(Gen 46:29 NKJV) So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.
(Gen 46:30 NKJV) And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive."
(Gen 46:31 NKJV) Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
(Gen 46:32 NKJV) And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.'
(Gen 46:33 NKJV) So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?'
(Gen 46:34 NKJV) that you shall say, 'Your servants' occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.' " '''
Note above that the persecution of the descendants of Abraham in Canaan, continued in Egypt, as it is evident from the fact that Egyptians felt it was a great abomination to associate with Hebrews - even Joseph, (Gen 46:32).
(Gen 43:32 NKJV) "So they set him [Joseph - when he was in Egypt] a place by himself, and them [Joseph's brothers] by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians."
This persecution increased after Joseph died and there arose a new king over Egypt. It culminated in the attempted destruction by Pharoah of the Hebrew male babies during Moses' infancy, (cf. Ex 1:15-20). Thus the 'sojourning' and 'ill treatment' occurred from the time that Isaac was weaned in Cannan and Ishmael began scoffing at him, through the Israelites' sojourning in Egypt, where they were thought of and treated as an "abomination."
This persecution increased after Joseph died and there arose a new king over Egypt. It culminated in the attempted destruction by Pharoah of the Hebrew male babies during Moses' infancy, (cf. Ex 1:15-20). Thus the 'sojourning' and 'ill treatment' occurred from the time that Isaac was weaned in Cannan and Ishmael began scoffing at him, through the Israelites' sojourning in Egypt, where they were thought of and treated as an "abomination."
(Gen 15:5 NKJV) "Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants [lit. seed] be.' (Gen 15:9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon (Gen 15:15:10 NKJV) Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (Gen 15:15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. (Gen 15:12 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. (Gen 15:13 NKJV) Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. (Gen 15:14 NKJV) And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. (Gen 15:15 NAS) As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. (Gen 15:16 NKJV) But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. =
After prophesying 400 years of wandering, bondage and affliction for Abram's descendants, the LORD followed with good news that after the four hundred years, Abram's descendants would come out of that estrangement, enslavement and affliction with freedom and great possessions and return to the promised land. Recall that Abram was in a similar situation in Egypt and came out with great possessions, (Gen 12:10ff). This parallel might have been noted by Abram. The LORD then told Abram he would live to "a good old age," which in those days was well over a hundred years. Whereupon, the LORD stipulated that "in the fourth generation," referring to the fourth generation of Abram's descendants who wandered in a foreign land outside of the Promised Land, "They shall return here," (to Canaan, the Promised Land). The LORD then indicated that this would coincide with the iniquity of the Amorite people coming to such a point God would judge them - evidentlhy timed to the return of Abram's descendants, implying their being God's agent of punishment; and drive them out of the land. This implies that the Amorite people were so ungodly over the 400 years evidently including against the descendants of Abram and without any sign of repentance; hence God decided that He would destroy them.
[Complete Biblical Library CD Commentary on Gen 15:16]:
"The Amorites (the most important people of the central hill country of Canaan where Abram lived at this time) was not yet complete. God was allowing them a full measure before He would let the Israelites drive them out of the Land. Discoveries at the ancient [city of] Ugarit, north of Tyre and Sidon, have revealed Canaanite religion promoted child sacrifice, idolatry, prostitution in the name of religion, and all kinds of occultic and immoral practices... God is patient and longsuffering. But He is also just, and the judgment will eventually come."
"Jud 11:19 NKJV) "Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, 'Please let us pass through your land into our place.'
(Jud 11:20 NKJV) But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
(Jud 11:21 NKJV) And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country.
(Jud 11:22 NKJV) They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan."
(v. 9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon (v. 15:10 NKJV) Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (v. 15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. (v. 15:12 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. (v. 15:13 NKJV) Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. (v. 15:14 NKJV) And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. (v. 15:15 NAS) As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. (v. 15:16 NKJV) But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. (v. 15:17 ASV) And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace [lit. fire pot], and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces." =
After providing details of future events in the lives of Abram and his descendants, (vv. 13-16), sufficient real world time had elapsed whereupon the Sun had completely gone down revealing a pervading darkness in the world in Abram's reality yet as he slept, (v. 17a). The second part of verse 17 begins with the word literally rendered "and behold" from the Hebrew "wehinnEh" is an emphatic term pointing to something remarkable by saying, "Look at this" or "behold!" This implies that Abram was awake in order to see what the LORD was doing. No one else was present and so Abram was needed to witness God's formal ritual covenant with him in order to make it official and to assure Abram all the more with a supernatural demonstration of God's power and capacity to fulfill what He has promised as evidenced by the smoking pot and flaming torch appearing and moving through the carcasses of the sacrificed animals.
Following "wehinnEh," rendered "and behold" in verse 17b, comes the phrase "a smoking furnace [= "thannûr, lit., a fire pot] and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces.", (NKJV).
[TWOT, R. Laird Harris, Ed., Moody Press, Chicago, 1980, Vol. 2, p. 975]:'
"The word [rendered smoking furnace in the ASV] denotes basically the relatively small and sometimes portable stove or oven rather than the larger furnace. Constructed of clay and often sunk into the ground, they had a cylindrical or beehive shape and were two to three feet in diameter... The fires of divine judgment are represented by a blazing oven in Isa 31:9 and Mal 4:1."
[TWOT, op. cit., p. 481]:
"The flaming torch, like the pillar of fire, the lamp in the Tabernacle, and the glory of God, signified the holy, awesome presence of the LORD moving among His people."
So Abram, a necessary eye witness to the LORD's unilateral covenant with him in order to make it official actually saw finite representation of the LORD in the form of a smoking furnace, (ASV), literally a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passing through the sacrificial animal pieces in order to ratify His covenant promises to Abram. The smoke from the fire pot evidently reflected the supernatural omniscience of God to pervade and be present everywhere. The fire pot was a figure of association by which the emanations from it could be identified as smoke as well as a representation of the eternal power and wrath of God. The flaming torch provided a picture of what flaming torches do: they illuminate and lead the way, lighten up the darkness and by their presence, emphatically present power of heat and visible flame. So the flame of fire of the torch signifies the infinitely great power and presence of the LORD.
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, Walvoord and Zuck Eds., Victor Books, USA, 1988, p. 55-56]:
"After sunset God revealed Himself in connection with the image of an oven (smoking fire pot) and a torch, two elements that were connected with sacrificial ritual in the ancient world. These images are part of the 'burning' motif that describes God's zeal and judgment in the world. Fire represents the consuming, cleansing zeal of Yahweh (the LORD) as well as His unapproachable holiness, which are interrelated... In the darkness (Gen 15:17) Abram saw nothing else... except these fiery elements that passed between the pieces of the slaughtered animals. Thus the holy God was zealous to judge the nations and to fulfill His covenantal promises... He came down and made (lit., 'cut') a formal treaty (a covenant) with Abram... Since God could 'swear' (confirm by covenant) by none greater... In other words this was a unilateral covenant. So its promises are absolutely sure."
(v. 9 NAS) So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon (v. 15:10 NKJV) Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (v. 15:11 ASV) And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. (v. 15:12 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. (v. 15:13 NKJV) Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. (v. 15:14 NKJV) And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. (v. 15:15 NAS) As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. (v. 15:16 NKJV) But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. (v. 15:17 ASV) And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace [lit. fire pot], and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. (v. 15:18 NKJV) In that day Jehovah 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: (v. 15:19 NKJV) the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, (v. 15:20 NKJV) and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, (v. 15:21 NKJV) and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite" =
Verses 18-21 corroborate that Abram was awake and a real time witness to the LORD's unilateral ratification of His covenant promises to Abram especially since ratification of an agreement requires a real time witness. The words of verse 18 which stipulate that the LORD was having a conversation with Abram: "In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram saying, 'Unto thy seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates.." corroborates that Abram was a real time witness. Note the phrase "the river of Egypt" refers to the Wadi el-Arish River not the Nile River. There were ten peoples who occupied part of the Promised Land who it was implied would be removed from their territory in the future. Notice that Jehovah was saying these things to Abram as in a real time conversation, hence the smoking fire pot and the flaming torch that were stipulated as passing through the sacrificial animal pieces are portrayed in Gen 15:17 are a real smoking fire pot and a real flaming torch to which Abram was a real time reality witness.
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