Genesis 15
The patriarchs: 2167–1805 BC 1990–1609 BC
On the TimelineWhat the marks mean
- 3 A verse number with a dotted line opens the verses that echo it.
- a A small letter opens the translators’ footnote.
God’s Covenant with Abram (Romans 4:1–12; Hebrews 11:8–19)
After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”
But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”a
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.b
The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
God Confirms His Promise (Numbers 34:1–15; Romans 4:13–25)
But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”
And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”
So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.c You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
Genesis 15:1
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Genesis 15:2
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Genesis 15:4
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2 more
Genesis 15:5
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Genesis 15:6
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Genesis 15:7
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Genesis 15:8
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Genesis 15:9
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Genesis 15:12
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Genesis 15:13
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Genesis 15:14
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Genesis 15:15
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Genesis 15:16
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Genesis 15:17
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Genesis 15:18
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Genesis 15:21
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Where this fits in Genesis
Genesis falls into four parts, and chapter 15 belongs to Abraham. Each part’s name takes you to where it begins.
- Beginnings
Creation to Babel. Genesis 1:1–11:26.
- Abraham (this chapter is here)
Abraham's call, to his death. Genesis 11:27–25:18.
- Isaac and Jacob
Isaac's sons, and Jacob's family. Genesis 25:19–37:1.
- Joseph
Joseph, and Israel's move to Egypt. Genesis 37:2–50:26.
The sections of chapter 15
As the Berean Standard Bible heads them. Each takes you to its first verse.