Genesis 15:8-11

15:8 But ¹  Abram ²  said, “O sovereign Lord, ³  by what ⁴  can I know that I am to possess it?”

15:9 The Lord ⁵  said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram ⁶  took all these for him and then cut them in two ⁷  and placed each half opposite the other, ⁸  but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

[15:8]  ¹ tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”

[15:8]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:8]  ³ tn See note on the phrase “sovereign Lord” in 15:2.

[15:8]  ⁴ tn Or “how.”

[15:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “He”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the middle.”

[15:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”