1. After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

8And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

10And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

11And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13And he said unto Abram, 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;

14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

18In the same day the LORD 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:

19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

1. After these things, the word of the LORD came vnto Abram in a vision, saying; Feare not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou giue me, seeing I goe childlesse? and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.

3And Abram said; Behold, to mee thou hast given no seed: and loe, one borne in my house is mine heire.

4And behold, the word of the LORD came vnto him, saying; This shall not be thine heire: but he that shall come foorth out of thy owne bowels, shalbe thine heire.

5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now towards heauen, and tell the starres, if thou be able to number them. And hee said vnto him, So shall thy seed be.

6And he beleeued in the LORD; and hee counted it to him for righteousnesse.

7And he said vnto him; I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Caldees, to give thee this land, to inherit it.

8And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shal I know that I shall inherit it?

9And he said vnto him, Take me an heifer of three yeeres old, and a shee goat of three yeeres old, and a ramme of three yeeres old, and a turtle doue, and a yong pigeon.

10And he tooke vnto him all these, and diuided them in the midst, and layd each peece one against another: but the birds diuided he not.

11And when the fowles came downe vpon the carcases, Abram droue them away.

12And when the Sunne was going downe, a deepe sleepe fell vpon Abram: and loe, an horrour of great darkenesse fell vpon him.

13And he said vnto Abram, Know of a surety, that thy seed shalbe a stranger, in a land that is not theirs, and shal serue them, and they shall afflict them foure hundred yeeres.

14And also that nation whom they shall serue, wil I iudge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15And thou shalt goe to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither againe: for the iniquitie of the Amorites is not yet full.

17And it came to passe that when the Sunne went downe, and it was darke, behold, a smoking furnace, and a burning lampe that passed betweene those pieces.

18In that same day the LORD made a couenant with Abram, saying; Unto thy seed haue I giuen this land from the riuer of Egypt vnto the great riuer, the riuer Euphrates:

19The Kenites, and the Kenizites, and the Kadmonites:

20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Iebusites.

I == Ps 16:5 ; Prov 11:18

 

 

II == Acts 7:5

 

 

 

 

IV == 2nd Sam 7:12 ; 16:11 ; 2nd Chr 32:21

 

 

V == Ex 32:13 ; Deut 1:10 ; 10:22 ; 1st Chr 27:23 ; Rom 4:18 ; Heb 11:12

 

VI == Ps 106:31 ; ROM 4:3 , 9 , 22 GAL 3:6 JAS 2:23

VII == Gen 11:28 , 31 ; 12:1

 

VIII == 2nd Kings 20:8 ; Luke 1:18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XII == Gen 2:21 ; Job 4:13

 

XIII == Ex 1:11 ; 12:40 ; Ps 105:23 , 25 ; Acts 7:6

 

 

XIV == Ex 6:6 ; 12:36 ; Deut 6:22 ; Ps 105:37

XV == Gen 25:8 ; Job 5:26 ; Acts 13:36

XVI == Ex 12:40 ; 1st Kings 21:26 ; Dan 8:23 ; Matt 23:32 ; 1st Thess 2:16

XVII == Jer 34:18-19

 

 

XVIII == Gen 12:7 ; 13:15 ; 24:7 ; 26:4 ; Deut 1:7 ; 11:24 ; 34:4 ; Josh 1:4 ; Acts 7:5

 

 

 

1. Some time after these events, this word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great."

2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?"

3 Abram continued, "See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir."

4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir."

5 He took him outside and said: "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be."

6 Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

7 He then said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession."

8 "O Lord GOD," he asked, "How am I to know that I shall possess it?"

9 He answered him, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon."

10 He brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up.

11 Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them.

12 As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

13 Then the LORD said to Abram: "Know for certain that your descendants shall be aliens in a land not their own, where they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

14 But I will bring judgment on the nation they must serve, and in the end they will depart with great wealth.

15 You, however, shall join your forefathers in peace; you shall be buried at a contented old age.

16 In the fourth time-span the others shall come back here; the wickedness of the Amorites will not have reached its full measure until then."

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking brazier and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces.

18 It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River (the Euphrates),

19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

v 1. Many times after a spiritual victory we feel let down (in a valley), as Elijah did after the great victory over the prophets of Baal and became discouraged by word from the queen. Maybe Abram was feeling low or fearful that Chedorlaomer might return for revenge, and God chose to give him a spiritual lift.

v 2,3. Lord is Adonai, master. God is Jehovah, with emphasis on power and a husband rather than master relationship. According to the custom of the time, if a man died childless, his possessions would be inherited by one of his servants. This was a burden to aging Abram. All the rewards promised would not take the place of a child. He is not necessarily complaining, but stating his feelings, as we should in prayer.

v 4,5. God gives a direct answer to Abram’s prayer, now adding that the one promised will be a son. He then gives the magnitude of the number of descendants. The promise of 13:16 compares with earth, those biologically his. The promise of 15:5, compares with the heavenlies, all believers will be his spiritual offspring.

v 6. He believed in the Lord. Faith is not righteousness, but God accepts it as a substitute. His faith was counted to him for righteousness, as is that of every believer.

v 7. God reminds him who He is, and what He has promised Abram.

v 8. Abram is not asking for a sign to believe. Because he believes,he is asking for more details to strengthen his assurance.

v 9-12. God uses a familiar Chaldean type covenant whereby the parties involved divided the animals in halves opposite each other and walked between the pieces of sacrifice to indicate what happens to one who breaks the contract. (but see v 17). Abram obeyed exactly and while waiting, guarded them till the Lord brought a deep sleep and oppressive darkness upon him.

v 13-15. The Lord gives revelation far beyond what Abram expected. His descendants will become slaves in a foreign land for 400 years (round #, Egypt 430, Ex. 12:40). God seems to call four generations, Jacob, Kohath, Amram and Moses. That nation would be judged (the ten plagues) and the people would gain wealth (“borrow”, that is demand or ask as a favor from their neighbors, Ex. 3:22.) Abram will live in peace and die and be buried in old age. When the descendants return to the land it is to punish the inhabitants who are continuing to increase in wickedness,

v 16. God could have judged those nations sooner, but He waited because “ the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” Perhaps that why America is still getting by with murdering millions of unborn babies.

v 17. This is an unconditional covenant, so only God passes between the pieces, possibly as a pillar of fire.

v 18. The Lord gave added information as to the extent of the land. The River of Egypt is not the Nile, but the small brook Wadi El Arish, south of Gaza. This would be northward to the Euphrates, not eastward. Solomon held that boundary for a time, 2 Chron. 9:26, but Israel lost it because of sin. There are three dispossessions and restorations listed, v 12,14,16 in Egypt; Dt. 28:62-65 general; and Jer. 25:11,12, the Babylonian captivity. They will not now be restored until after the Tribulation. Most of the time they have fallen short of the promise, and we too fall short of the “fullness of joy” which we might have. v 19-21. Some of these cities were unknown when I was young and people disputed whether they even existed. Now archeological excavations have confirmed what we knew all along, the Bible is true. These ten nations are sometimes lumped together in lesser numbers.