Genesis 15:5

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.

a. NLT: Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

b. NIV: He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars, if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.

c. YLT: and He bringeth him out without, and saith, 'Look attentively, I pray thee, towards the heavens, and count the stars, if thou art able to count them;' and He saith to him, 'Thus is thy seed.'

d. Amplified Bible: And He brought him outside [his tent into the starlight] and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you are able to number them. Then He said to him, So shall your descendants be.

e. Septuagint: And he brought him out and said to him, Look up now to heaven, and count the stars, if thou shalt be able to number them fully, and he said, Thus shall thy seed be.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: And He took him outside, and said, “Gaze, now, toward the heavens, and count the stars if you are able to count them!” And He said to him, “So shall your offspring be!”

1. “And he brought him forth abroad and said…”

a. brought him forth [3318 * yatsa] [Strongs: a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.:--X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), + be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any time, X to (and fro), utter.] [Gesenius:to go out, to go forth, to be brought forth.]

b. abroad [2351 * chuwts, chuts] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to sever; properly, separate by a wall, i.e. outside, outdoors:--abroad, field, forth, highway, more, out(-side, -ward), street, without.] [Gesenius: the outside, what ever is without] [AMG: It indicates a direction or location, to the outside.]

1). An interesting fact of this encounter between Almighty God and Abram is that in verse 5, it appears to be night and yet in verse 12 the sun begins to go down. I have trouble believing that it took Abram the rest of the evening, the next morning and all day the next day to cut up the animals and finish right before the sun went down the next day. Now there may be a simple explanation for this, but because God is in the picture I don’t believe it is simple. Jewish tradition says that God took Abram outside the realm of reason and nature. (Stone Edition of the Chumash. Note under Genesis 15:5). I don’t think it is out of the question to believe that God brought Abram to a place where he could see the stars in the daytime. Supernatural travel has happened to more than a few individuals in Scripture. Elijah, Enoch, Phillip, Jesus, Paul, John. If God can bring a person to heaven such as John and Paul why not to a place where he can see the stars in the daytime.

c. and said [559 * ‘amar] [Strong:  a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

2. “…Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him…”

a. Look [5027 * nabat] [Strong: a primitive root; to scan, i.e. look intently at; by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care:--(cause to) behold, consider, look (down), regard, have respect, see.]

b. toward heaven [8064 * shamayim] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).]

c. and tell [5608 * caphar] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate:--commune, (ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.]

d. the stars [3556 * kowkab] [Strong: probably from the same as 3522 (in the sense of rolling) or 3554 (in the sense of blazing); a star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince:--star((-gazer)).]

e. if thou be able [3201 * yakol] [Strong: a primitive root; to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might):--be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.]

f. to number them [5608 * caphar] See “and tell” above.

g. and he said unto him [559 * ‘amar] [Strong:  a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

3. “…So shall thy seed be.”

a. so [3541 * koh] [Strong: from the prefix k and 1931; properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now:--also, here, + hitherto, like, on the other side, so (and much), such, on that manner, (on) this (manner, side, way, way and that way), + mean while, yonder.]

b. shall thy seed be [2233 * zera] [Strong: from 2233; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity:--X carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing- time.]