Genesis 15:3

Genesis 15:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
• New Living Translation (NLT)You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

Context of Genesis 15:3

1After 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.” 2But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Genesis 15:3 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָ֔ם הֵ֣ן לִ֔י לֹ֥א נָתַ֖תָּה זָ֑רַע וְהִנֵּ֥ה בֶן־בֵּיתִ֖י יוֹרֵ֥שׁ אֹתִֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Abramאַבְרָם'abrâm · AbramH87
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Behold, to me thou hast givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• noלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
• and, lo, one bornבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• in my houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• is mine heirיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: possessH3423

Cross-references for Genesis 15:3

• Genesis 12:2“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
• Genesis 13:16I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.
• Proverbs 13:12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
• Jeremiah 12:1You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?
• Hebrews 10:35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
• Genesis 14:14When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
• Proverbs 29:21A servant pampered from youth will turn out to be insolent.
• Proverbs 30:23a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress.
• Ecclesiastes 2:7I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

Commentaries on Genesis 15:3

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-21Verses 1-21 - The Faith of Abram 1. דבר dābār “a word, a thing;” the word being the sign of the thing. 2. אדני 'ǎdonāy “Adonai, the Lord;” related: “bring down, lay down.” This is the name usually read in place of Yahweh; but when, as in the present case, יהוה yehovâh and אדני 'ǎdonāy are in apposition, אלהים 'ĕlohı̂ym is read instead of the former. The Jews from a feeling of reverence avoided the utterance of this sacred name except on the most…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 2-6Verses 2-6 Though we must never complain of God, yet we have leave to complain to him; and to state all our grievances. It is ease to a burdened spirit, to open its case to a faithful and compassionate friend. Abram's complaint is, that he had no child; that he was never likely to have any; that the want of a son was so great a trouble to him, that it took away all his comfort. If we suppose that Abram looked no further than outward comfort, this…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3Abram used wordplay to show his concern that Eliezer of Damascus (Hebrew dammeseq), a man in Abram's household, would become his heir (Hebrew ben-mesheq, which means “son of possession”). This was the usual practice when a man had no son.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Eliezer of Damascus ... one born in my house is mine heir--According to the usage of nomadic tribes, his chief confidential servant, would be heir to his possessions and honors. But this man could have become his son only by adoption; and how sadly would that have come short of the parental hopes he had been encouraged to entertain! His language betrayed a latent spirit of fretfulness or perhaps a temporary failure in the very virtue for which he is so…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 15:3

• Adoption
• Blessing
• Children
• Condescension of God
• Heir
• Inheritance
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• Abram
• Abraham, Abram
• Chronology
• Count
• Covenant
• Eliezer
• Exceeding
• Fear
• Heir
• Horror

Commentaries on Genesis 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings