GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 15:1 Verses Genesis 15:1 of ch. Genesis 15:1 focus on Abram’s concern that he is still childless; vv. Genesis 15:7 focus on his desire for assurance that the land of Canaan will belong to his descendants. God’s conditional promise in Genesis 12:2 that Abram will become a “gre... [ Continue Reading ]
GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 15:2 THE HEIR OF MY HOUSE IS ELIEZER OF DAMASCUS. This individual is not named elsewhere. The context suggests he is a trusted member of Abram’s household, possibly a slave. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 15:6 This key verse in Genesis 1:1 is quoted four times in the NT (Romans 4:3, Romans 4:22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). Faith in God requires trusting him (see notes on John 1:12–13; Hebrews 11:1), based on the truthfulness of his wor [ Continue Reading ]
GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 15:9 The ritual described here is possibly a type of oath. God is saying that he will become like the dead animals if he does not keep his word (see Jeremiah 34:18). Another interpretation is that the sacrificial animals symbolize Abram’s descendants and the “birds of prey” ... [ Continue Reading ]
GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 15:13 FOUR HUNDRED YEARS appears to be a round figure. AND AFTERWARD THEY SHALL COME OUT WITH GREAT POSSESSIONS. The Lord’s promise to Abram was fulfilled 600 to 800 years later at the time of the exodus. FOR THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITES IS NOT YET COMPLETE. The Amorites are... [ Continue Reading ]
GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 15:17 The SMOKING FIRE POT and FLAMING TORCH symbolize God’s presence, which is often associated with fire (e.g., Exodus 13:21). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 15:18 ON THAT DAY THE LORD MADE A COVENANT WITH ABRAM. This covenant differs from the one described in ch. Genesis 17:1. (On covenants, see note on 9:9–11.) God unconditionally pledges that Abram’s OFFSPRING will possess THIS LAND, linking this covenant with the earlier condi... [ Continue Reading ]