Genesis 15:4

Context

15:4 But look,¹ the word of the Lord came to him: “This man² will not be your heir,³ but instead⁴ a son⁵ who comes from your own body will be⁶ your heir.”⁷

[15:4] ¹tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.

[15:4] ²tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the Lord does not mention him by name is significant; often in ancient times the use of the name would bring legitimacy to inheritance and adoption cases.

[15:4] ³tn Heb “inherit you.”

[15:4] ⁴tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.

[15:4] ⁵tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:4] ⁶tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”

[15:4] ⁷tn Heb “will inherit you.”