Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. New Living Translation As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him. English Standard Version As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Berean Standard Bible As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. King James Bible And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. New King James Version Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. New American Standard Bible Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. NASB 1995 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. NASB 1977 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. Legacy Standard Bible Now it happened that when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. Amplified Bible When the sun was setting, a deep sleep overcame Abram; and a horror (terror, shuddering fear, nightmare) of great darkness overcame him. Christian Standard Bible As the sun was setting, a deep sleep came over Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him. Holman Christian Standard Bible As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him. American Standard Version And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. Contemporary English Version As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and everything became dark and frightening. English Revised Version And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. GOD'S WORD® Translation As the sun was just about to set, a deep sleep-a dreadful, deep darkness-came over Abram. Good News Translation When the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and fear and terror came over him. International Standard Version As the sun began to set, Abram was overcome with deep sleep, and suddenly a frightening and terrifying darkness descended on him. Majority Standard Bible As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. NET Bible When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, and great terror overwhelmed him. New Heart English Bible When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And look, a terror of great darkness fell on him. Webster's Bible Translation And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. World English Bible When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd the sun is about to go in, and deep sleep has fallen on Abram, and behold, a terror of great darkness is falling on him; Young's Literal Translation And the sun is about to go in, and deep sleep hath fallen upon Abram, and lo, a terror of great darkness is falling upon him; Smith's Literal Translation And the sun shall be going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold terror and great darkness fell upon him. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him. Catholic Public Domain Version And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a dread, great and dark, invaded him. New American Bible As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great, dark dread descended upon him. New Revised Standard Version As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and, lo, fear and a great darkness fell upon him. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And it happened that the sun was setting, and silence fell on Abram, and behold, fear and great darkness fell upon him. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him. Brenton Septuagint Translation And about sunset a trance fell upon Abram, and lo! a great gloomy terror falls upon him. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context God Confirms His Promise…11And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. 13Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.… Cross References Exodus 10:21-23 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.” / So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. / No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings. Deuteronomy 4:11 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 1 Samuel 26:12 So David took the spear and water jug by Saul’s head, and they departed. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up; they all remained asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them. Job 4:13-14 In disquieting visions in the night, when deep sleep falls on men, / fear and trembling came over me and made all my bones shudder. Job 33:15 In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds, Psalm 18:9-11 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet. / He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind. / He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him. Psalm 91:5-6 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, / nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. Isaiah 60:2 For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Jeremiah 13:16 Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness. Ezekiel 32:7-8 When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. / All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you, and I will bring darkness upon your land,’ declares the Lord GOD. Joel 2:2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come. Amos 5:18 Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light. Zephaniah 1:15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, Matthew 27:45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. Mark 15:33 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. Treasury of Scripture And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and, see, an horror of great darkness fell on him. deep. Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 1 Samuel 26:12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them. Job 4:13,14 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, … horror. Psalm 4:3-5 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him… Acts 9:8,9 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus… Jump to Previous Abram Cloud Dark Darkness Deep Dread Dreadful Fallen Falling Fear Fell Great Horror Setting Sleep Sun Terror ThickJump to Next Abram Cloud Dark Darkness Deep Dread Dreadful Fallen Falling Fear Fell Great Horror Setting Sleep Sun Terror ThickGenesis 15 1. God encourages Abram, who asks for an heir.4. God promises him a son, and a multiplying of his seed. 6. Abram is justified by faith. 7. Canaan is promised again, 9. and confirmed by a sign, and a vision, 18. prophetic of the condition of his posterity till brought out of Egypt. As the sun was setting This phrase sets the scene for a significant moment in Abram's life. The setting sun symbolizes the end of a day and can metaphorically represent the closing of a chapter or the transition into a new phase. In the Hebrew context, the setting sun often marks the beginning of a new day, as the Jewish day begins at sunset. This transition can be seen as a prelude to the divine revelation Abram is about to receive, indicating that God often works in the transitions and liminal spaces of our lives. Abram fell into a deep sleep and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him Lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.--Heb., lo, a terror, even great darkness, falling upon him. The terror was not mental so much as bodily, caused by a deep gloom settling round him, such as would be the effect of an eclipse of the setting sun, and shutting all mortal things away from his view. Verse 12. - And when the sun was going down. Literally, was about to go down (cf. Gesenius, § 132). The vision having commenced the previous evening, an entire day has already passed, the interval being designed to typify the time between the pro-raise and its fulfillment (Kalisch). A deep sleep - tardemah (cf. Adam s sleep, Genesis 2:21); ἔκστασις (LXX.); a supernatural slumber, as the darkness following was not solely due to natural causes - fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness - literally, an, horror, a great darkness, i.e. an overwhelming dread occasioned by the dense gloom with which he was encircled, and which, besides Being designed to conceal the working of the Deity from mortal vision (Knobel), was meant to symbolize the Egyptian bondage (Grotius, Calvin, Rosenmüller, Keil, Aalisch), and perhaps also, since Abram's faith embraced a larger sphere than Canaan (Hebrews 11:10, 14, 16), and a nobler seed than Sarah's son (John 8:56), the sufferings of Christ (Wordsworth, Inglis) - fell upon him.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew As the sunהַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ (haš·še·meš) Article | Noun - common singular Strong's 8121: The sun, the east, a ray, a notched battlement was וַיְהִ֤י (way·hî) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be setting, לָב֔וֹא (lā·ḇō·w) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go Abram אַבְרָ֑ם (’aḇ·rām) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 87: Abram -- 'exalted father', the original name of Abraham fell נָפְלָ֣ה (nā·p̄ə·lāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 5307: To fall, lie into עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against a deep sleep, וְתַרְדֵּמָ֖ה (wə·ṯar·dê·māh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 8639: A lethargy, trance and suddenly וְהִנֵּ֥ה (wə·hin·nêh) Conjunctive waw | Interjection Strong's 2009: Lo! behold! great גְדֹלָ֖ה (ḡə·ḏō·lāh) Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent terror אֵימָ֛ה (’ê·māh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 367: Fright, an idol and darkness חֲשֵׁכָ֥ה (ḥă·šê·ḵāh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 2825: Darkness, misery overwhelmed נֹפֶ֥לֶת (nō·p̄e·leṯ) Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular Strong's 5307: To fall, lie him. עָלָֽיו׃ (‘ā·lāw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against Links Genesis 15:12 NIVGenesis 15:12 NLT Genesis 15:12 ESV Genesis 15:12 NASB Genesis 15:12 KJV Genesis 15:12 BibleApps.com Genesis 15:12 Biblia Paralela Genesis 15:12 Chinese Bible Genesis 15:12 French Bible Genesis 15:12 Catholic Bible OT Law: Genesis 15:12 When the sun was going down (Gen. 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