Genesis 15 · Verse 4

Genesis 15:4

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.
Genesis 15:4, King James Version

Genesis 15:4 in other translations

BSBThen 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.”
WEBBehold, the LORD’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.”
ASVAnd, 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.
YLTAnd 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;'
DARBYAnd behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that will come forth out of thy body shall be thine heir.
BBEThen said the Lord, This man will not get the heritage, but a son of your body will have your property after you.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Genesis 15:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. This shall not be thine heir--To the first part of his address no reply was given; but having renewed it in a spirit of more becoming submission, "whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it" [Ge 15:8], he was delighted by a most explicit promise of Canaan, which was immediately confirmed by a remarkable ceremony.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 15:2-6

Though we must never complain of God, yet we have leave to complain to him; and to state all our grievances. It is ease to a burdened spirit, to open its case to a faithful and compassionate friend. Abram's complaint is, that he had no child; that he was never likely to have any; that the want of a son was so great a trouble to him, that it took away all his comfort. If we suppose that Abram looked no further than…

Read the full comment on Genesis 15:2-6 →

Genesis 15:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהִנֵּ֨הve.hi.Nehand there!H2009
דְבַר\־de.var-[the] word ofH1697
יְהוָ֤הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֵלָיו֙'e.Lav[was] to himH413
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יִֽירָשְׁךָ֖yi.ra.she.Khahe will inherit youH3423
זֶ֑הZehthis [one]H2088
כִּי\־ki-thatH3588
אִם֙'imexceptH518
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sher[one] whoH834
יֵצֵ֣אye.Tze'he will come outH3318
מִמֵּעֶ֔יךָmi.me.'Ei.khafrom inward parts yourH4578
ה֖וּאhu'heH1931
יִֽירָשֶֽׁךָ\׃Yi.ra.She.khahe will inherit youH3423

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 15:4

  • 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.

  • Galatians 4:28

    Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

  • 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.

  • 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 Chronicles 32:21

    And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

  • Philemon 1:12

    Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:

  • 2 Samuel 16:11

    And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
shall come.
17:16; 21:12; 2Sa 7:12; 16:11; 2Ch 32:21; Phm 1:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 15:3

    And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

  • Genesis 15:4

    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.

  • Genesis 15:5

    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.

Read all of Genesis 15

Genesis 15:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y luego la palabra de Jehová fué á él diciendo: No te heredará éste, sino el que saldrá de tus entrañas será el que te herede.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et voici, la parole de l’ Éternel vint à lui, disant: Celui-ci ne sera pas ton héritier; mais celui qui sortira de tes entrailles, lui, sera ton héritier.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und siehe, das Wort Jehovas geschah zu ihm also: Nicht dieser wird dich beerben, sondern der aus deinem Leibe hervorgehen wird, der wird dich beerben.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Statimque sermo Domini factus est ad eum, dicens: Non erit hic hæres tuus, sed qui egredietur de utero tuo, ipsum habebis hæredem.