Genesis Chapter 15 — God’s Covenant with Abram
God confirms His promise of an heir to Abram and establishes a formal covenant concerning the land of Canaan.
1After these things the LORD’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2Abram said, “Lord*The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai”. GOD, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3Abram said, “Behold, you have given no children to me: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
4Behold, the LORD’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir.”
5The LORD brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So your offspring will be.”
6He believed in the LORD, who credited it to him for righteousness.
7He said to Abram, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.”
8He said, “Lord GOD, how will I know that I will inherit it?”
9He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10He brought him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn’t divide the birds.
11The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
13He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.
14I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth;
15but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.
16In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”
17It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
19the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Genesis 15:6
“He believed in the LORD, who credited it to him for righteousness.”
This verse establishes a core principle where faith in God's promise is recognized as righteousness.
Genesis 15:18
“In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates””
This marks the formalization of the land promise into a binding covenant between God and Abram.
Chapter Summary
Genesis 15 details a pivotal moment where the Lord addresses Abram's concerns about being childless. God promises that Abram's own descendant will be his heir and compares the number of his future offspring to the stars in the sky. Abram's belief is credited to him as righteousness. To confirm His word regarding the land, God instructs Abram to perform a specific ritual with sacrificial animals. While Abram is in a deep sleep, God reveals a prophecy concerning the future of his descendants, including their four-hundred-year affliction in a foreign land and their eventual return with great wealth. The chapter concludes with a divine manifestation—a smoking furnace and a flaming torch—passing between the animal pieces, signifying a unilateral covenant where God defines the specific borders of the land given to Abram's descendants.
Frequently Asked Questions
This means that God accepted Abram’s trust in His promises as the basis for a right relationship with Him. It highlights that Abram's standing before God was based on his belief rather than his own works.
God told Abram that his offspring would be foreigners in a land not their own and would be enslaved for four hundred years. However, God also promised to judge that nation and bring his people out with great wealth.
This was an ancient Near Eastern custom for making a formal covenant where parties would walk between the pieces. In this instance, a smoking furnace and flaming torch passed through, representing God's commitment to the promise.
Study Note
The smoking furnace and flaming torch in verse 17 are theophanies representing the presence of God, signifying His personal commitment to the covenant.
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