Genesis 15:4 Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, "This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir."

◄ Genesis 15:4 ►

New International Version
Then 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.”

New Living Translation
Then the LORD said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”

English Standard Version
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Berean Standard Bible
Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

King James Bible
And, behold, the word of the LORD 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.

New King James Version
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

New American Standard Bible
Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

NASB 1995
Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

NASB 1977
Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

Amplified Bible
Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man [Eliezer] will not be your heir but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.”

Christian Standard Bible
Now the word of the LORD came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now the word of the LORD came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

American Standard Version
And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his."

English Revised Version
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Suddenly, the LORD spoke his word to Abram again. He said, "This man will not be your heir. Your own son will be your heir."

Good News Translation
Then he heard the LORD speaking to him again: "This slave Eliezer will not inherit your property; your own son will be your heir."

International Standard Version
A message came from the LORD to him again: "This one will not be your heir. Instead, the child who will be born to you will be your heir."

Majority Standard Bible
Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

NET Bible
But look, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir."

New Heart English Bible
And look, the word of God came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."

Webster's Bible Translation
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, This shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thy heir.

World English Bible
Behold, Yahweh’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.”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And behold, the word of YHWH [is] to him, saying, “This [one] will not be your heir; but he who comes out from your bowels, he will be your heir”;

Young's Literal Translation
And lo, the word of Jehovah is unto him, saying, 'This one doth not heir thee; but he who cometh out from thy bowels, he doth heir thee;'

Smith's Literal Translation
And behold, the word of Jehovah was to him, saying, This shall not inherit thee, for truly he who shall come forth from thy bowels shall inherit thee.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: He shall not be thy heir: but he that shall come out of thy bowels, him shalt thou have for thy heir.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: “This one will not be your heir. But he who will come from your loins, the same will you have for your heir.”

New American Bible
Then the word of the LORD came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your own offspring will be your heir.

New Revised Standard Version
But the word of the LORD came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Then the LORD said to him, This man shall not be your heir; but your own son that shall come out of your own loins shall be your heir.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH said to him: “This shall not be your heir, but your son who proceeds from your loins, he will be your heir.”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying: 'This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And immediately there was a voice of the Lord to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come out of thee shall be thine heir.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

God's Covenant with Abram
…3Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Romans 4:13-18
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. / For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless, / because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. ...

Galatians 3:16
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

Hebrews 11:11-12
By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. / And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Genesis 17:15-19
Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. / And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.” / Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” ...

Genesis 21:1-3
Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. / So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. / And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.

Romans 9:7-9
Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” / So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring. / For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

Galatians 4:28
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

Genesis 12:2-3
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. / I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 18:10
Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent.

Genesis 22:17-18
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. / And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Acts 7:5
He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.

Genesis 25:21-23
Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. / But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD, / and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

Genesis 26:3-4
Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. / I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,

Genesis 28:13-14
And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. / Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Genesis 35:11-12
And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. / The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Treasury of Scripture

And, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, This shall not be your heir; but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir.

shall come.

Genesis 17:16
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

Genesis 21:12
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

2 Samuel 7:12
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

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Genesis 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.

Berean Study Bible

Then the word of the LORD came to him
This phrase signifies a divine communication, a direct revelation from God to Abram. In Hebrew, "word" is "dabar," which implies not just a spoken message but an active, powerful declaration that brings about change. The "word of the LORD" is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, often indicating a moment of significant divine intervention or promise. Historically, this reflects the personal relationship God had with the patriarchs, where His guidance was clear and direct. It underscores the faithfulness of God in communicating His will and promises to His chosen people.

saying
The Hebrew word for "saying" is "amar," which is used frequently in the Old Testament to introduce direct speech. This indicates that what follows is a specific, intentional message from God. It emphasizes the clarity and authority of God's communication. In the context of Genesis 15, it reassures Abram of God's direct involvement in his life and the unfolding of His divine plan.

This one will not be your heir
Here, God addresses Abram's concern about his lack of a biological heir. The phrase "this one" refers to Eliezer of Damascus, Abram's servant, whom Abram initially thought would inherit his estate. The Hebrew term for "heir" is "yarash," meaning to possess or inherit. This statement is a pivotal moment where God corrects Abram's understanding and redirects his expectations, emphasizing that God's plans often transcend human assumptions and limitations.

but one who comes from your own body
This promise is profound, as it assures Abram that his heir will be his biological son. The phrase "from your own body" in Hebrew is "mimmeka," which literally means "from you." This promise is foundational to the Abrahamic covenant, highlighting God's power to fulfill His promises despite human impossibilities. It also foreshadows the miraculous birth of Isaac, reinforcing the theme of divine intervention in the lineage of God's chosen people.

will be your heir
The reiteration of the word "heir" underscores the certainty and importance of God's promise. It assures Abram that his lineage will continue through his own offspring, which is central to the covenantal promises of land, nationhood, and blessing. This promise is not just about a biological heir but also about the continuation of God's covenantal relationship with Abram's descendants, ultimately leading to the coming of the Messiah. This assurance would have been a source of great hope and encouragement to Abram, reinforcing his faith in God's unwavering promises.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 4. - And, behold, the word of the Lord 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.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Then
וְהִנֵּ֨ה (wə·hin·nêh)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

the word
דְבַר־ (ḏə·ḇar-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of the LORD
יְהוָ֤ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

came to him,
אֵלָיו֙ (’ê·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

saying,
לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“This
זֶ֑ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

one will not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

be your heir,
יִֽירָשְׁךָ֖ (yî·rā·šə·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

but
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

one
ה֖וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

who
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

comes from
יֵצֵ֣א (yê·ṣê)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

your own body
מִמֵּעֶ֔יךָ (mim·mê·‘e·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 4578: The intestines, the abdomen, sympathy, a vest, the stomach, the uterus, the heart

will be your heir.”
יִֽירָשֶֽׁךָ׃ (yî·rā·še·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

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OT Law: Genesis 15:4 Behold the word of Yahweh came (Gen. Ge Gn)