Genesis-Chap-15-1-21

-hebraicstudies.net-

Please do NOT visit this site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on the מוֹעֲדִים Mo’a’dim - Feasts!

Re Tanakh versions:

Throughout this site I may use any of the following three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2“Mechon-Mamre.org (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org (SEF), three brilliant versions, although JPS-1917 is my preferred version!

Colour coded details of our beloved TaNaKh:

1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.

*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.

Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

YYYYYYY

Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!

Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

YYYYYYY

 “Genesis Chapter 15:1-21”

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Forewword:

We are moving forward to this momentous chapter, we transition from the physical victories of Chapter 14 to the formal, legal establishment of the Covenant between the Parts. Following the JPS 1917 text, here is the structural breakdown. 

Introduction:

Genesis 15 represents the formalization of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s (God’s) promises to Avram (Abram) through a solemn, sovereign act. It addresses Avram’s two primary anxieties: the lack of a heir and the lack of title to the land. This chapter is defined by the profound statement of Avram’s faith and the “smoking furnace” of the ‘Divine Presence’ passing through the sacrifices, binding אֱלֹהִים - Elohim to His Word.

YYYYYYY

Let us read Genesis Chapter 15:1-21: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah).

1. “After these things the word of יְהוָה - the LORD came unto Avram in a vision, saying: ‘Fear not, Avram (Avram), I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding great’. 2. And Avram said: ‘O  אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - LORD Elohim (God), what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ 3. And Avram said: ‘Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed, and, lo, one born in my house is to be mine heir’. 4. And, behold, the word of יְהוָה - the LORD came unto him, saying: ‘This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir’. 5. And He brought him forth abroad, and said: ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them’; and He said unto him: ‘So shall thy seed be’. 6. And he believed in יְהוָה - the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness. 7. And He said unto him: ‘I am יְהוָה - the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it;. 8. And he said: ‘O אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - LORD Elohim, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?’ 9. And He said unto him: ‘Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon’. 10. And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other; but the birds divided he not. 11. And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Avram drove them away. 12. And it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Avram; and, lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him. 13. And He said unto Avram: ‘Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14. and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15. But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16. And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full’. 17. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and there was thick darkness, behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. 18. In that day יְהוָה - the LORD made a covenant with Avram, saying: ‘Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates19. the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, 20. and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite’”.

YYYYYYY

Below is a Commentary for verses 1 to 21:

Verse 1: (The Vision): The word of יְהוָה - the LORD comes to Avram in a vision. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim reassures him: “Fear not, Avram, I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding great”.

Verses 2-3: (The Heir of the House): Avram questions the reward, noting his childlessness. He points to Eliezer of Damascus, his steward, as his only current heir.

Verses 4-6: (The Promise of Seed): אֱלֹהִים - Elohim clarifies that a biological son shall be the heir. He brings Avram outside to count the stars, promising his seed shall be as numerous. Verse 6 marks a theological pinnacle: Avram believed in יְהוָה - the LORD, and He “counted it to him for righteousness”.

Verses 7-8: (The Question of Possession): אֱלֹהִים - Elohim identifies Himself as the One who brought Avram out of Ur of the Chaldees to give him this land. Avram asks for a sign: “Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?”

Verses 9-11: (The Preparation of the Covenant): אֱלֹהִים - Elohim instructs Avram to take a heifer, a she-goat, a ram, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. Avram divides the animals (except the birds) and drives away the birds of prey that descend upon the carcasses.

Verses 12-16: (The Dark Prophecy): A “deep sleep” and a dread” fall’s upon Avram. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim reveals the future Egyptian bondage for four hundred years, the judgment of that nation, and the eventual Exodus with “great substance”.

Verses 17-21: (The Covenant Concluded): As the sun sets, a smoking furnace andflaming torch pass between the pieces. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim concludes the covenant, defining the geographical boundaries of the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates and listing the ten nations currently inhabiting it. 

YYYYYYY

My Closing Message:

Genesis 15 teaches us that faith is not the absence of questions, but the willingness to bring those questions to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. Avram’s righteousness was found in his trust in a promise that defied his physical reality. The “Covenant Between the Parts” shows us a אֱלֹהִים - Elohim who stoops to human customs to provide absolute certainty. Even in the face of the “darkness” of future exile, the flaming torch of the Divine Presence ensures that the promise of the inheritance can never be extinguished. 

YYYYYYY

Please Note: “hebraicstudies” links are located down the page!

This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!

Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the following via several of our prophets...

Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).

YYYYYYY

“Hebraic Studies” motto is as follows;

“The More Torah, the More Life”,

For Elohim is the One who gave us our ... Life!

May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָהthe LORD of hosts, be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and regular בְּרָכָה Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food and drinks, etc!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

 

 

Enter ... 

http://www.hebraicstudies.net/Site-Index.htm

 

Enter ... 

https://www.hebraicstudies.net

 

 

 

 

-hebraicstudies.net-

 

 

 

Email the Rabbi

 

RBA@hebraicstudies.net

 

If the email link does not open - You can also copy the link and use it.

 

Although the author does not believe in having to copyright “Hebraic Studies” commenced in the mid 1980’,

but there have been occasions where there parts of his studies have been taken and quoted out of context

under my name, and thus he has been misquoted by those who have their own reasons for doing so.

Thus, it is only for this reason these works are fully covered under strict ...

Copyright © 2025 - “Hebraic Studies” - All rights reserved.