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Genesis 15:5
New International Version
He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

New Living Translation
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!”

English Standard Version
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Berean Standard Bible
And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

New American Standard Bible
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

NASB 1995
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

NASB 1977
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And He brought him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your seed be.”

Amplified Bible
And the LORD brought Abram outside [his tent into the night] and said, “Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “So [numerous] shall your descendants be.”

Christian Standard Bible
He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

American Standard Version
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Contemporary English Version
Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have."

English Revised Version
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to tell them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He took Abram outside and said, "Now look up at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He also said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!"

Good News Translation
The LORD took him outside and said, "Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that."

International Standard Version
Then the LORD took him outside. "Look up at the sky and count the stars—if you can!" he said. "Your descendants will be that numerous."

Majority Standard Bible
And the LORD took him outside and said, ?Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.? Then He told him, ?So shall your offspring be.?

NET Bible
The LORD took him outside and said, "Gaze into the sky and count the stars--if you are able to count them!" Then he said to him, "So will your descendants be."

New Heart English Bible
And he brought him outside, and said, "Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And he said to him, "So will your descendants be."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now towards heaven, and tell the stars, if thou art able to number them: and he said to him, So shall thy seed be.

World English Bible
Yahweh brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So your offspring will be.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and He brings him out outside and says, “Now look attentively toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them”; and He says to him, “Thus is your seed.”

Young's Literal Translation
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.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will bring him forth without, and will say, Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if thou shalt be able to count them: and he will say to him, So shall be thy seed.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he thought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if thou canst. And he said to him: So shall thy seed be.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he brought him outside, and he said to him, “Take in the heavens, and number the stars, if you can.” And he said to him, “So also will your offspring be.”

New American Bible
He took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be.

New Revised Standard Version
He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he brought him outside, and said to him, Look now toward heaven and number the stars, if you are able to number them; and he said to him, So shall your descendants be.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he sent him outside and said to him, “Look into Heaven and count the stars, if you can number them”; and he said to him, “So your seed shall be.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And He brought him forth abroad, and said: 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them'; and He said unto him: 'So shall thy seed be.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Covenant with Abram
4Then 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.” 5And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.…

Cross References
Romans 4:18
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”

Hebrews 11:12
And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Galatians 3:16
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

Romans 9:7-8
Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” / So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.

Galatians 3:29
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.

Romans 4:3
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Galatians 3:6
So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Hebrews 6:14
saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.”

Genesis 22:17
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

Genesis 26:4
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,

Genesis 28:14
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Exodus 32:13
Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”

Deuteronomy 1:10
The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.


Treasury of Scripture

And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them: and he said to him, So shall your seed be.

tell.

Deuteronomy 1:10
The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

Psalm 147:4
He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Jeremiah 33:22
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

So.

Genesis 12:2
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 13:16
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Genesis 16:10
And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

Jump to Previous
Able Abram Abroad Air Attentively Count Descendants Eyes Forth Heaven Heavens Indeed Lifted Numbered Offspring Open Outside Seed Sky Stars Towards
Jump to Next
Able Abram Abroad Air Attentively Count Descendants Eyes Forth Heaven Heavens Indeed Lifted Numbered Offspring Open Outside Seed Sky Stars Towards
Genesis 15
1. God encourages Abram, who asks for an heir.
4. God promises him a son, and a multiplying of his seed.
6. Abram is justified by faith.
7. Canaan is promised again,
9. and confirmed by a sign, and a vision,
18. prophetic of the condition of his posterity till brought out of Egypt.














And the LORD took him outside
This phrase signifies a divine initiative and personal interaction between God and Abram. The Hebrew word for "LORD" here is "YHWH," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. The act of taking Abram outside symbolizes a shift from the confines of human understanding to the vastness of divine promise. It is a call to step out of the tent of limited vision into the expansive realm of God's possibilities.

and said
The Hebrew verb "amar" is used here, which means "to say" or "to speak." This indicates a direct communication from God, highlighting the personal relationship between God and Abram. It underscores the importance of divine revelation and the power of God's spoken word in shaping reality and destiny.

Now look to the heavens
The command to "look" uses the Hebrew word "nabat," which means to gaze intently. This is not a casual glance but an invitation to deeply consider the vastness of the heavens. The heavens, in biblical times, were seen as a testament to God's creative power and majesty. This directive is a call to lift one's eyes from earthly limitations to the divine expanse, symbolizing hope and faith in God's promises.

and count the stars
The Hebrew word for "count" is "saphar," which implies an attempt to reckon or number. This task is humanly impossible, illustrating the immeasurable nature of God's promise. Stars, often associated with divine guidance and blessing, serve as a metaphor for the innumerable descendants promised to Abram, emphasizing the abundance and fulfillment of God's covenant.

if you are able to count them
This conditional phrase highlights human limitation in contrast to divine omnipotence. It serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the boundless nature of His promises. The challenge to count the stars underscores the faith required to trust in God's word, even when the fulfillment seems beyond human comprehension.

Then He declared
The use of "declared" signifies a solemn pronouncement. The Hebrew root "amar" is again employed, emphasizing the authority and certainty of God's promise. This declaration is not just a prediction but a divine assurance, reinforcing the trustworthiness of God's word.

So shall your offspring be
The Hebrew word for "offspring" is "zera," meaning seed or descendants. This promise of countless descendants is central to the Abrahamic covenant, foreshadowing the nation of Israel and, ultimately, the spiritual descendants through faith in Christ. It is a testament to God's faithfulness and the unfolding of His redemptive plan through history. This assurance to Abram is a call to faith, inviting believers to trust in God's promises, which are as sure and vast as the stars in the sky.

(5) He brought him forth.--There is no reason for regarding this as a poetical description of a merely mental emotion. With his senses dormant, but alive to every spiritual impression, Abram feels himself led forth from the tent into the open space around, and is there commanded to count the stars. As a matter of fact, the stars visible to the naked eye are not very numerous, but they have ever been a received metaphor for an infinite multitude, probably because, as men gaze, they perpetually see the faint radiance of more and more distant constellations. Thus they cannot be counted, and Abram's seed was to be countless, because of the vastness of its number.

Verse 5. - And he (Jehovah, or "the Word of the Lord") brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them (a proof that Abram's vision was not a dream): and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. Hence it has been inferred that Abram's vision was miraculously quickened to penetrate the depths of space and gaze upon the vastness of the stellar world, since the stars visible to the naked eye would not represent an innumerable multitude (Candlish).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And [the LORD] took
וַיּוֹצֵ֨א (way·yō·w·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

him
אֹת֜וֹ (’ō·ṯōw)
Direct object marker | third person masculine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

outside
הַח֗וּצָה (ha·ḥū·ṣāh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 2351: Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors

and said,
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Now
נָ֣א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

look
הַבֶּט־ (hab·beṭ-)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

to the heavens
הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה (haš·šā·may·māh)
Article | Noun - masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

and count
וּסְפֹר֙ (ū·sə·p̄ōr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

the stars,
הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים (hak·kō·w·ḵā·ḇîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3556: A star, a prince

if you
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

are able.”
תּוּכַ֖ל (tū·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3201: To be able, have power

Then He declared,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“So {shall}
כֹּ֥ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

your offspring
זַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (zar·‘e·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2233: Seed, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity

be.”
יִהְיֶ֖ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be


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OT Law: Genesis 15:5 Yahweh brought him outside and said Look (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 15:4
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