Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 15:14 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 14. 14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
God promises to judge the nation that enslaves Abram's descendants and bring them out with great possessions. The oppressor is accountable, and the Exodus outcome will reverse their forced vulnerability.
Read It With
- Genesis 15:7–21
Read verses 13–16 and Exodus 3:19–22; 11:1–3; 12:35–36. Verse 13 names oppression, verse 14 promises judgment and departure, and the Exodus later narrates the goods.
Why This Verse Appears Here
After naming oppression, God promises moral accountability for the oppressing nation and an eventual departure that reverses dispossession.
Read Genesis 15:12–16 together
Why these verses belong together: Dread and darkness frame the complete disclosure of sojourn, oppression, judgment, Abram's death, return, and delayed Amorite judgment.
Verse 12. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
Verse 13. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Verse 14. 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Verse 15. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Verse 16. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Leaving with great substance does not guarantee wealth after every hardship, justify looting, or turn giving into a prosperity transaction.
What Remains True
God's opposition to exploitation means power is morally accountable, even when judgment is delayed.
How It Can Shape Life
- Oppose coercive labor and exploitation, but do not promise victims that faith will necessarily make them materially wealthy.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 15:7–21 — God Binds the Land Promise With a CovenantSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
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, covenant movement, future history, fire imagery, land grant, people list, and canonical connections.
Exact location: Genesis 15:7–21 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12–13; Exodus 3, 6, 11–12; Jeremiah 34:18–20; Nehemiah 9:7–8; and Acts 7:5–7
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: Brought-out formula, possess and know verbs, animal ages and division, deep sleep, sojourner language, chronology, Amorite iniquity, firepot and torch, covenant idiom, completed grant form, boundary terms, and people names.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 15:7–21
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Assurance question, animal terminology, covenant rite, chronology syntax, Amorite collective use, divine fire imagery, covenant idiom, grant tense, river terminology, and people names.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 15:7–21 and translator notes 18–40
Open NET Genesis 15 ↗