TRV
Translation
King James Version
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
Complete Jewish Bible
You haven't given me a child," Avram continued, "so someone born in my house will be my heir."
Berean Standard Bible
Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
American Standard Version
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
World English Bible Messianic
Abram said, “Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Againe Abram saide, Beholde, to me thou hast giuen no seede: wherefore loe, a seruant of mine house shalbe mine heire.
Young's Literal Translation
And Abram saith, `Lo, to me Thou hast not given seed, and lo, a domestic doth heir me.'
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In the KJVVerse 364 of 31,102
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Commentary on Genesis 15 verses 2–6
2 ¶ And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
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.
5 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.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
We have here the assurance given to Abram of a numerous offspring which should descend from him, in which observe,
I. Abram's repeated complaint, Gen 15:2, Gen 15:3. This was that which gave occasion to this promise. The great affliction that sat heavy upon Abram was the want of a child; and the complaint of this he here pours out before the Lord, and shows before him his trouble, Psa 142:2. Note, Though we must never complain of God, yet we have leave to complain to him, and to be large and particular in the statement of our grievances; and it is some ease to a burdened spirit to open its case to a faithful and compassionate friend: such a friend God is, whose ear is always open. Now his complaint is four-fold: - 1. That he had no child (Gen 15:3): Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; not only no son, but no seed; if he had had a daughter, from her the promised Messiah might have come, who was to be the seed of the woman; but he had neither son nor daughter. He seems to lay an emphasis on that, to me. His neighbours were full of children, his servants had children born in his house. "But to me," he complains, "thou hast given none;" and yet God had told him he should be a favourite above all. Note, Those that are written childless must see God writing them so. Again, God often withholds those temporal comforts from his own children which he gives plentifully to others that are strangers to him. 2. That he was never likely to have any, intimated in that I go, or "I am going, childless, going into years, going down the hill apace; nay, I am going out of the world, going the way of all the earth. I die childless," so the Septuagint, "I leave the world, and leave no child behind me." 3. That his servants were for the present and were likely to be to him instead of sons. While he lived, the steward of his house was Eliezer of Damascus; to him he committed the care of his family and estate, who might be faithful, but only as a servant, not as a son. When he died, one born in his house would be his heir, and would bear rule over all that for which he had laboured, Ecc 2:18, Ecc 2:19, Ecc 2:21. God had already told him that he would make of him a great nation (Gen 12:2), and his seed as the dust of the earth (Gen 13:16); but he had left him in doubt whether it should be his seed begotten or his seed adopted, by a son of his loins or only a son of his house. "Now, Lord," says Abram, "if it be only an adopted son it must be one of my servants, which will reflect disgrace upon the promised seed, that is to descend from him." Note, While promised mercies are delayed our unbelief and impatience are apt to conclude them denied. 4. That the want of a son was so great a trouble to him that it took away the comfort of all his enjoyments: "Lord, what wilt thou give me? All is nothing to me, if I have not a son." Now, If we suppose that Abram looked no further than a temporal comfort, this complaint was culpable. God had, by his providence, given him some good things, and more by his promise; and yet Abram makes no account of them, because he has not a son. It did very ill become the father of the faithful to say, What wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, immediately after God had said, I am thy shield, and thy exceedingly great reward. Note, Those do not rightly value the advantages of their covenant-relation to God and interest in him who do not think them sufficient whatever. But, (2.) If we suppose that Abram, herein, had a eye to the promised seed, the importunity of his desire was very commendable: all was nothing to him, if he had not the earnest of that great blessing, and an assurance of his relation to the Messiah, of which God had already encouraged him to maintain the expectation. He has wealth, and victory, and honour; but, while he is kept in the dark about the main matter, it is all nothing to him. Note, Till we have some comfortable evidence of our interest in Christ and the new covenant, we should not rest satisfied with any thing else. "This, and the other, I have; but what will all this avail me, if I go Christless?" Yet thus far the complaint was culpable, that there was some diffidence of the promise at the bottom of it, and a weariness of waiting God's time. Note, True believers sometimes find it hard to reconcile God's promises and his providences, when they seem to disagree.
II. God's gracious answer to this complaint. To the first part of the complaint (Gen 15:2) God gave no immediate answer, because there was something of fretfulness in it; but, when he renews his address somewhat more calmly (Gen 15:3), God answered him graciously. Note, If we continue instant in prayer, and yet pray with a humble submission to the divine will, we shall not seek in vain. 1. God gave him an express promise of a son, Gen 15:4. This that is born in thy house shall not be thy heir, as thou fearest, but one that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thy heir. Note, (1.) God makes heirs; he says, "This shall not, and this shall;" and whatever men devise and design, in settling their estates, God's counsel shall stand. (2.) God is often better to us than our own fears, and gives the mercy we had long despaired of. 2. To affect him the more with this promise, he took him out, and showed him the stars (this vision being early in the morning, before day), and then tells him, So shall thy seed be, Gen 15:5. (1.) So numerous; the stars seem innumerable to a common eye: Abram feared he should have no child at all, but God assured him that the descendants from his loins should be so many as not to be numbered. (2.) So illustrious, resembling the stars in splendour; for to them pertained the glory, Rom 9:4. Abram's seed, according to his flesh, were like the dust of the earth (Gen 13:16), but his spiritual seed are like the stars of heaven, not only numerous, but glorious, and very precious.
III. Abram's firm belief of the promise God now made him, and God's favourable acceptance of his faith, Gen 15:6. 1. He believed in the Lord, that is, he believed the truth of that promise which God had now made him, resting upon the irresistible power and the inviolable faithfulness of him that made it. Hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Note, Those who would have the comfort of the promises must mix faith with the promises. See how the apostle magnifies this faith of Abram, and makes it a standing example, Rom 4:19-21. He was not weak in faith; he staggered not at the promise; he was strong in faith; he was fully persuaded. The Lord work such a faith in every one of us! Some think that his believing in the Lord respected, not only the Lord promising, but the Lord promised, the Lord Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant. He believed in him, that is, received and embraced the divine revelation concerning him, and rejoiced to see his day, though at so great a distance, Joh 8:56. 2. God counted it to him for righteousness; that is, upon the score of this he was accepted of God, and, as the rest of the patriarchs, by faith he obtained witness that he was righteous, Heb 11:4. This is urged in the New Testament to prove that we are justified by faith without the works of the law (Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6); for Abram was so justified while he was yet uncircumcised. If Abram, that was so rich in good works was not justified by them, but by his faith, much less can we, that are so poor in them. This faith, which was imputed to Abram for righteousness, had lately struggled with unbelief (Gen 15:2), and, coming off a conqueror, it was thus crowned, thus honoured. Note, A fiducial practical acceptance of, and dependence upon, God's promise of grace and glory, in and through Christ, is that which, according to the tenour of the new covenant, gives us a right to all the blessings contained in that promise. All believers are justified as Abram was, and it was his faith that was counted to him for righteousness.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 2–6. Public domain.
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Ambrose of MilanAD 397
On Abraham
But the holy and prophetic mind is more concerned with an eternal posterity. What Abraham desires is in fact the offspring of wisdom and the inheritance of faith. This is why he says, “What will you give me, since I am about to depart without children?” What he desired was the progeny of the church. What he was requesting was a descendancy that would be not servile but free, not according to the flesh but according to grace.
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
On Abraham
Let us also consider what recompense he requests from the Lord. He does not ask for riches, as would a greedy person, nor for a long life in this world, as would one who fears death, nor for power. Rather he asks for an heir worthy of his work. “What will you give me?”—he says—“I am about to depart without children.” And then he says, “Because you have not given me posterity, a slave born in my house will be my heir.” Let everyone learn therefore not to despise marriage. Let them not unite with disreputable persons, so as not to have children of such a standing that they are unable to be their heirs. In view of the inheritance to be transmitted, if they are not moved by any consideration of decency, they at least should desire a worthy marriage.
John ChrysostomAD 407
HOMILIES ON GENESIS 36.11
These words reveal the extreme degree of the pain in his soul. [It is if he were saying] to God, Far from being granted what my slave was, I am to pass away without child or heir, whereas my slave will inherit the gifts granted me by you, despite the promise received from you more than once in the words “to your descendants I will give this land.” Consider, I ask you, the just man’s virtue in this case also in the fact that while entertaining these thoughts in his mind he did not protest nor say any harsh words. Instead, driven on in this case by the words spoken to him, he spoke boldly to the Lord, revealed the tumult of his interior thoughts and made no secret of the wound to his spirit. Hence in turn he received instant healing.
John ChrysostomAD 407
HOMILIES ON GENESIS 36.11
Since God had promised him a reward, a wonderfully, exceedingly great reward, Abraham revealed his grief of spirit and the disappointment affecting him constantly on account of his childless condition. He says, “Lord, what sort of thing will you give me? After all, you can see, I have reached the height of old age and am to pass on without children.” See how from the outset the just man showed his sound thinking in calling his departure from here a “passing on.” I mean, people who live an assiduous life of virtue really pass on from struggle, as it were, and are freed from their bonds when they transfer from this life. You see, for people living virtuously it is a kind of transfer from a worse situation to a better, from a temporary existence to an everlasting one that is protected from death and has no end.
JeromeAD 420
Hebrew Questions on Genesis
(Chapter 15, Verses 2, 3.) Lord God, what will you give me? And I go without children: and the son of my household, this Damascus Eliezer. And Abram said: Behold to me you have not given seed: and the son of my household will be my heir. Whereby we have, and the son of my household: in Hebrew it is written, Uben Mesech Bethi: which Aquila translated, the son of the one who gives drink to my house: that is, the son who gives drink to my house. But Theodotius, and the son of my servant: that is, his son, who is in charge of my house. And as for what he says, this is it: I die without children, and the son of my steward, or overseer, who manages and distributes all the food of my household, is called Damascus Eliezer, and he will be my heir. Moreover, Eliezer means 'my God is my helper'. They say that Damascus was founded and named after him.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
In Abram voices a profound lament to God, expressing his deep concern over the unfulfilled promise of an heir. He states, "Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir," a declaration that starkly contrasts God's earlier assurances of numerous descendants with Abram's present childless reality. This pivotal moment serves as a catalyst for God to further clarify and expand His covenant, addressing Abram's human perspective and setting the stage for a miraculous divine intervention.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several significant literary devices. Lament is central, as Abram pours out his heart to God in a direct and vulnerable manner, expressing his deep concern and perceived lack. This is a form of Direct Address, indicating an intimate, personal relationship with God where such honest questioning is permissible. There is also a clear Contrast established between God's grand, seemingly impossible promise of "seed" and Abram's immediate, barren reality, highlighting the tension between divine intention and human experience. Furthermore, the phrase "one born in my house is mine heir" functions as a form of Metonymy, where "one born in my house" stands in for the specific individual, Eliezer, who is a trusted servant and potential adopted heir, representing the human solution to a divine problem.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 15:3 serves as a crucial bridge in the unfolding narrative of God's covenant with Abram, revealing the human side of faith and setting the stage for a deeper revelation of divine faithfulness. Abram's honest lament underscores the tension between God's seemingly impossible promises and the stark realities of human experience. It is a powerful illustration that faith is not the absence of questions or concerns, but the willingness to bring those very questions to God. In expressing his practical solution (Eliezer as heir), Abram highlights the limitations of human understanding and planning in contrast to God's boundless power and perfect timing. This moment directly precipitates God's clarification and expansion of the covenant, moving from a general promise of "seed" to the specific, miraculous assurance of an heir from Abram's own body, thereby solidifying the foundation for the Abrahamic covenant and the concept of justification by faith.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Abram's deeply human cry in Genesis 15:3 offers profound lessons for believers today. It reminds us that our faith journey is not always a linear path of unwavering certainty; rather, it often involves wrestling with God's promises in the face of contradictory circumstances. Abram's willingness to voice his concerns and even his proposed human solutions ("one born in my house is mine heir") demonstrates a vital aspect of a healthy relationship with God: honesty and vulnerability. We are invited to bring our doubts, our anxieties, and our practical, yet limited, perspectives before our compassionate God. This passage encourages us to trust that God's plans transcend our human logic and limitations. Just as God moved beyond Eliezer to promise a biological son, He often works in ways that defy our expectations, revealing His power and faithfulness in the impossible. Our perceived lack or unanswered prayers can become the very ground upon which God reveals a deeper, more miraculous dimension of His character and His boundless intentions for our lives.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Abram so concerned about having a biological heir?
Answer: In the ancient Near East, having a male heir was of paramount importance for several reasons. It ensured the continuation of the family name and lineage, provided social and economic security for parents in their old age, and was essential for inheriting property and maintaining tribal identity. For Abram, this concern was significantly intensified by God's earlier promise to make him a "great nation" (Genesis 12:2), a promise that seemed impossible to fulfill without a direct biological descendant. His concern was both deeply personal and culturally significant.
Does Abram's statement in this verse indicate a lack of faith?
Answer: While Abram's statement expresses deep concern and perhaps a human attempt to reconcile God's promise with his present reality, it does not necessarily indicate a fundamental lack of faith. Instead, it demonstrates an honest and vulnerable dialogue with God. Abram is not denying God's power outright, but rather seeking clarity on the how and when of God's promise, given his advanced age and Sarai's barrenness. His subsequent belief in God's word, which was "counted to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6), affirms his underlying faith, even amidst his human questioning and lament. This passage highlights that genuine faith can coexist with honest struggle and questioning.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The earnest desire for "seed" expressed by Abram in Genesis 15:3 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment not merely in the birth of Isaac, but in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Isaac was the immediate biological heir through whom the covenant line continued, the Apostle Paul clarifies that the singular "seed" through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed is Christ Himself (Galatians 3:16). God's miraculous provision of an heir for Abram, when human means had utterly failed, powerfully foreshadows His greater, spiritual provision of salvation through Christ. Jesus, born into the lineage of Abraham, is the true Son of Promise, the one through whom God's covenant blessings flow to all humanity. Through faith in Christ, believers from every tribe, tongue, and nation become spiritual descendants of Abraham, inheriting the spiritual blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant and participating in the vast, innumerable "seed" that God promised, far exceeding any biological lineage. As Romans 4:16 teaches, Abraham is the "father of all who believe," uniting both Jew and Gentile in Christ as co-heirs of God's promises.