Genesis 15:1

Genesis 15:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)After 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.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."
• New King James Version (NKJV)After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Context of Genesis 15:1

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” 2But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

Genesis 15:1 word by word

אַחַ֣ר׀ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הָיָ֤ה דְבַר־יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם בַּֽמַּחֲזֶ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אַל־תִּירָ֣א אַבְרָ֗ם אָנֹכִי֙ מָגֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ שְׂכָרְךָ֖ הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• these thingsדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• cameהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• unto Abramאַבְרָם'abrâm · AbramH87
• in a visionמַחֲזֶהmachăzeh · visionH4236
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
• thy shieldמָגֵןmâgên meginnâh · shieldH4043
• thy exceedingמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• greatרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• rewardשָׂכָרώâkâr · wagesH7939

Cross-references for Genesis 15:1

• Genesis 46:2During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied.
• Numbers 12:6And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams.
• 1 Samuel 9:9(In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)
• Ezekiel 1:1On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
• Ezekiel 3:4Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages.
• Ezekiel 11:24Afterward the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylonia, to the people in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem.
• Daniel 10:1In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.
• Acts 10:10and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
• Acts 10:22They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”
• Hebrews 1:1Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.
• Genesis 15:14But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.
• Genesis 26:24where the Lord appeared to him on the night of his arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.”
• Genesis 46:3“I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.
• Exodus 14:13But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.
• Deuteronomy 31:6So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
• 1 Chronicles 28:20Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.

Commentaries on Genesis 15:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The word of the Lord came unto Abram - This is the first place where God is represented as revealing himself by his word. Some learned men suppose that the יהוה דבר debar Yehovah, translated here word of the Lord, means the same with the of St. John, John 1:1, and, by the Chaldee paraphrases in the next clause, called מימרי meimeri, "my word," and in other places דיי מימרא meimera daiya, the word of Yeya, a contraction for Jehovah, which they appear…Read the comment
• 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. 1God encourages Abram. (1) The Divine promise, Abraham is justified by faith. (2-6) God promises Canaan to Abraham for an inheritance. (7-11) The promise confirmed in a vision. (12-16) The promise confirmed by a sign. (17-21) Verse 1 God assured Abram of safety and happiness; that he should for ever be safe. I am thy shield; or, I am a shield to thee, present with thee, actually caring for thee. The consideration that God himself is, and will be a shield…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Do not be afraid: Abram did not have a son to inherit his property. The Lord addressed Abram’s anxiety about the future with comforting words. I am your shield: The Hebrew word for shield (magen) comes from the same root word as Melchizedek's word delivered (14:20). The Lord, who had delivered Abram's enemies into his power, would continue to protect him. your very great reward: The promise of children was still unfulfilled (12:2–3; see also Psalm 127:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-211. After these things--the conquest of the invading kings. the word of the Lord--a phrase used, when connected with a vision, to denote a prophetic message. Fear not, Abram--When the excitement of the enterprise was over, he had become a prey to despondency and terror at the probable revenge that might be meditated against him. To dispel his fear, he was favored with this gracious announcement. Having such a promise, how well did it become him (and all…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 15:1

• Condescension of God
• Righteous
• Shield
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• Abram
• Abraham, Abram
• Armour
• Chronology
• Count
• Covenant
• 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