Genesis 15
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Summary
Abram speaks to the Lord about his desire for posterity, and the Lord tells Abram to look into the night sky. The Lord promises Abram that his posterity will be as numerous as all the stars in the heavens. Abram trusts the Lord and makes sacrifices, dividing the sacrificed animals in half as part of a formal covenant ceremony. The Lord tells him that his posterity will be captive in Egypt for 400 years. After four generations they will go out of Egypt and inherit their promised land, Canaan. The Lord passes through the divided parts of the sacrificed animals.
Commentary
Bible Central Commentary
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Historical Commentaries
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Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 2081 BC
Further Reading
Book of Mormon Central, “How Can We Receive the Blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant? (3 Nephi 20:25),” KnoWhy 408 (February 15, 2018).
Victor L. Ludlow, “The Scattering and Gathering of Israel: God’s Covenant with Abraham Remembered through the Ages,” in Window of Faith: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on World History, ed. Roy A. Prete (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2005), 97–120.
Jared T. Parker, “Cutting Covenants,” in The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, The 38th Annual BYU Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 109–128.
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