Genesis 15:1–6, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Genesis 15:1–6
God Promises Abram an Heir
A promise aimed at childlessness
God meets Abram's fear with protection and reward. Abram answers that no gift can settle the real problem: he has no heir. God promises a son from Abram's own body and descendants beyond counting, like the stars.
Abram trusts the LORD, and that trust is reckoned as righteousness. Honest lament is not unbelief. The heir promise does not make adopted children or people without children less worthy.
How this should shape us
Bring delay and unanswered longing to God honestly. Trust what God has actually promised, and do not use this scene to shame people without biological children.
Teach it back
Explain how Genesis 15:1–6 moves from fear and childlessness to trust. Include why Abram's question is not automatically unbelief, what the stars contribute, what verse 6 most likely means, and what the passage does not promise modern readers.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Is God himself Abram's reward, or is Abram's reward very great?
Best judgment:
How certain? strongWho reckons what to whom in Genesis 15:6?
Best judgment:
How certain? strongResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Displayed wording, promise dialogue, offspring imagery, trust, righteousness, and canonical reception.
Genesis 15:1–6 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:1–3; 13:14–17; 14:17–24; 15:7–21; Nehemiah 9:7–8; Romans 4; Galatians 3; and James 2:23
Supports: Vision formula, shield and reward syntax, childless language, Eliezer wordplay, household-born heir, offspring, belief verb, reckoning pronouns, and righteousness.
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 15:1–6
Supports: Shield/reward punctuation, Eliezer phrase and Damascus wordplay, heir language, star comparison, belief syntax, reckoning, and righteousness.
NET Bible, Genesis 15:1–6 and translator notes 1–17
Supports: Placement within the promise story and final-form movement from offspring to land covenant.
Genesis commentary, Abraham narrative discussion of Genesis 15
Supports: Ancestral-narrative placement and separation of received-text meaning from compositional reconstruction.
Genesis introduction and Abraham ancestral-narrative framing
Supports: Literary placement and commentary navigation only.
Genesis, official Cambridge contents and introduction; commentary locator for Genesis 15
Supports: Substantial unity of Genesis 15, relation of verses 1–6 and 7–21, and the chapter's mixed literary forms.
Melita Theologica 37.2 (1986), pp. 9–40, repository record and article
Supports: Grammatical ambiguity and Jewish interpretive reception of who reckons righteousness to whom in Genesis 15:6.
Jewish Bible Quarterly 36.1 (2008), pp. 28–32
Supports: Philological defense of YHWH reckoning Abram's trust, narrative syntax, and limits on reading later faith-versus-works debates into Genesis.
Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche 109.4 (2012), pp. 415–444, DOI 10.1628/004435412803973926
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, promise dialogue, offspring imagery, trust, righteousness, and canonical reception.
Exact location: Genesis 15:1–6 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:1–3; 13:14–17; 14:17–24; 15:7–21; Nehemiah 9:7–8; Romans 4; Galatians 3; and James 2:23
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Vision formula, shield and reward syntax, childless language, Eliezer wordplay, household-born heir, offspring, belief verb, reckoning pronouns, and righteousness.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 15:1–6
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Shield/reward punctuation, Eliezer phrase and Damascus wordplay, heir language, star comparison, belief syntax, reckoning, and righteousness.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 15:1–6 and translator notes 1–17
Open NET Genesis 15 ↗modern open whole book commentary
Genesis
T. Desmond Alexander
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Placement within the promise story and final-form movement from offspring to land covenant.
Exact location: Genesis commentary, Abraham narrative discussion of Genesis 15
Open source ↗modern critical open study guide
The Book of Genesis — Introduction Study Guide
Joel S. Baden and Yale Bible Study
Yale Divinity School, 2021 course; page inspected 2026
Supports: Ancestral-narrative placement and separation of received-text meaning from compositional reconstruction.
Exact location: Genesis introduction and Abraham ancestral-narrative framing
Open source ↗modern scholarly commentary publisher material
Genesis
Bill T. Arnold
Cambridge University Press, 2009
Supports: Literary placement and commentary navigation only.
Exact location: Genesis, official Cambridge contents and introduction; commentary locator for Genesis 15
Open source ↗peer reviewed literary form and unity study
Genesis 15: A Non-Genetic Approach
Anthony Abela
Melita Theologica 37.2, 1986
Supports: Substantial unity of Genesis 15, relation of verses 1–6 and 7–21, and the chapter's mixed literary forms.
Exact location: Melita Theologica 37.2 (1986), pp. 9–40, repository record and article
Open source ↗peer reviewed Jewish interpretive and grammatical study
Who Counted Righteousness to Whom? Two Clashing Views by Shadal on Genesis 15:6
Daniel A. Klein
Jewish Bible Quarterly 36.1, 2008
Supports: Grammatical ambiguity and Jewish interpretive reception of who reckons righteousness to whom in Genesis 15:6.
Exact location: Jewish Bible Quarterly 36.1 (2008), pp. 28–32
Open source ↗peer reviewed Hebrew philological and exegetical study
‘Glaube’ und ‘Gerechtigkeit’ in Gen 15,6
Matthias Köckert
Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche 109.4, 2012
Supports: Philological defense of YHWH reckoning Abram's trust, narrative syntax, and limits on reading later faith-versus-works debates into Genesis.
Exact location: Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche 109.4 (2012), pp. 415–444, DOI 10.1628/004435412803973926
Open source ↗