Revised Literal Translation
Genesis 15:5
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.
Genesis 15:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)He 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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Context of Genesis 15:5
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 Yhwh 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. And 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 Yhwh; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7And he said unto him, I am Yhwh that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
Read all of Genesis 15Genesis 15:5 word by word
וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear
- And he brought him forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
- abroadחוּץchûts chûts · outsideH2351
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Lookנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
- now toward heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and tellסָפַרsâphar · to recountH5608
- the starsכּוֹכָבkôkâb · starH3556
- if thou be ableיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
- unto him, Soכֹּהkôh · thusH3541
- shall thy seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
Cross-references for Genesis 15:5
- Deuteronomy 1:10Yhwh your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.
- Psalms 147:4He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
- Jeremiah 33:22As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
- Romans 9:7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
- Genesis 12:2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
- Genesis 13:16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
- Genesis 16:10And the angel of Yhwh said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
- Genesis 22:17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
- Genesis 28:14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
- Exodus 32:13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
- Deuteronomy 10:22Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now Yhwh thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
- 1 Chronicles 27:23But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because Yhwh had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.
- Romans 4:18Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
- Hebrews 11:12Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
Commentaries on Genesis 15:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Look now toward heaven - It appears that this whole transaction took place in the evening; see on Genesis 13:14; (note). Abram had either two visions, that recorded in Genesis 15:1, and that in Genesis 15:12, etc.; or what is mentioned in the beginning of this chapter is a part of the occurrences which took place after the sacrifice mentioned Genesis 15:9, etc.: but it is more likely that there was a vision of that kind already described, and afterwards a…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. 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. 4-6God confirmed that the promise to Abram was for his own children. Then God showed Abram the stars as a sign of the many descendants he would have (22:17; 26:4). The apostle Paul quotes this promise in Romans 4:18 to emphasize Abram’s strong faith.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 15:5
In the dictionaries
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
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