Genesis 15:18

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

On that day, the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River—

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא כָּרַ֧ת יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־אַבְרָ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית לֵאמֹ֑ר לְזַרְעֲךָ֗ נָתַ֙תִּי֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את מִנְּהַ֣ר מִצְרַ֔יִם עַד־הַנָּהָ֥ר הַגָּדֹ֖ל נְהַר־פְּרָֽת׃

Transliteration

In-the-yôm the-that kāraṯ YHWH with-ʾAḇrām bərîṯ lēʾmōr to-zarʿăḵā nāṯattî et-the-ʾāreṣ the-this from-nəhar Miṣrayim until-the-nāhār the-gāḏōl nəhar-Pərāṯ.

Grammar Details

• *yôm*: masculine singular noun with prefix preposition and definite article - in the day
• *kāraṯ*: Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - cut/made
• *YHWH*: divine name
• *ʾAḇrām*: proper name with preposition
• *bərîṯ*: feminine singular noun - covenant
• *lēʾmōr*: Qal infinitive construct with prefix - to say
• *zarʿăḵā*: masculine singular noun with 2nd masculine singular suffix - your seed/offspring
• *nāṯattî*: Qal perfect 1st person singular - I have given
• *ʾāreṣ*: feminine singular noun - land
• *nəhar*: masculine singular construct noun - river of
• *Miṣrayim*: proper name - Egypt
• *nāhār*: masculine singular noun - river
• *gāḏōl*: masculine singular adjective - great
• *Pərāṯ*: proper name - Euphrates

Word Meanings

• *kāraṯ*: cut/made/established (idiom for covenant-making)
• *bərîṯ*: covenant/agreement/treaty/alliance
• *zarʿăḵā*: your seed/your offspring/your descendants/your posterity
• *nāṯattî*: I have given/I give/I will give (prophetic perfect)
• *ʾāreṣ*: land/earth/territory/country
• *nəhar*: river/stream/wadi
• *gāḏōl*: great/large/mighty

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And that same daye the LORde made a covenaunte with Abram saynge: vnto thy seed wyll I geue thys londe fro the ryver of Egypte even vnto the greate ryver euphrates:

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  The same daye made the LORDE a couenaut with Abram, and sayde: Vnto thy sede wil I geue this lode, from the water of Egipte, vnto the greate water Euphrates:

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  In that same day the Lord made a couenant with Abram, saying, Vnto thy seede haue I giuen this lande, from the riuer of Egypt vnto the great riuer, the riuer Euphrates.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  In that same day the Lorde made a couenaunt with Abram, saying: vnto thy seede haue I geuen this lande, fro the ryuer of Egypt, euen vnto the great ryuer, the ryuer of Euphrates.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  In that day hath Jehovah made with Abram a covenant, saying, `To thy seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Phrat,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• American Standard Version (1901)

  In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  In that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram, and said, To your seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:

• World English Bible (2000)

  In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  That day the LORD made a covenant with Abram:“To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River–

Referenced Verses

• Gen 12:7 : 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
• Deut 1:7-8 : 7 Turn and set out on your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors—the Arabah, the hill country, the lowlands, the Negev, and the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Go and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.
• Neh 9:8 : 8 You found his heart faithful before You, and You made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites to his descendants. And You have kept Your promise because You are righteous.
• Deut 11:24 : 24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.
• Deut 34:4 : 4 Then the Lord said to him, 'This is the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross over into it.'
• Josh 1:3-4 : 3 Every place the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 Your territory will stretch from the wilderness and this Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and westward to the Great Sea, where the sun sets.
• Exod 23:27-31 : 27 I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. 28 I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites from your path. 29 I will not drive them out before you in a single year, because the land would become desolate, and the wild animals would multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you are fruitful and take possession of the land. 31 I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the inhabitants of the land, and you will drive them out before you.
• Gen 13:15 : 15 For all the land you see, I will give to you and your descendants forever.
• Gen 24:7 : 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's household and my native land, who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I will give this land,' will send His angel before you so that you can find a wife for my son there.
• Gen 26:4 : 4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and give them all these lands, and through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
• Num 34:5 : 5 From Azmon, the boundary will turn to the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.
• Gen 28:4 : 4 May he give to you and your descendants with you the blessing of Abraham, that you may take possession of the land where you now live as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.
• Gen 28:13-14 : 13 And there was the Lord standing above it, and He said, 'I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I will give to you and to your descendants.' 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. Through you and your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed.
• Gen 35:12 : 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and I will also give it to your descendants after you.
• Gen 50:24 : 24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'
• Exod 3:8 : 8 'So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the place of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.'
• Exod 6:4 : 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as strangers.
• Exod 23:23 : 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
• Gen 17:1-9 : 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before Me faithfully and be blameless." 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will greatly multiply you. 3 Abram fell facedown, and God spoke with him, saying, 4 "As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are now living as a foreigner—all the land of Canaan—as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 Every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, both those born in your household and those bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 Every male born in your household or bought with your money must be circumcised. Thus, My covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 But any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant. 15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will become the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her. 17 Abraham fell facedown and laughed, saying to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!" 19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him; I will make him fruitful and greatly multiply his descendants. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year. 22 When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God ascended from him. 23 On that very day, Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and circumcised them, as God had told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 On that very day, Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his household, whether born in his house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
• Gen 2:14 : 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
• Gen 9:8-9 : 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 'Behold, I am establishing My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the creatures of the earth—that came out of the ark with you, every living thing on the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all flesh be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have set My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.' 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow becomes visible in the clouds, 15 I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. 17 Then God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.'
• Exod 34:11 : 11 Observe what I command you today. I am driving out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
• Num 34:2-3 : 2 Command the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance—the land of Canaan with its boundaries: 3 Your southern boundary will begin at the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom, and from the eastern end of the Salt Sea.
• Deut 7:1 : 1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of, and He drives out many nations before you—the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—seven nations more numerous and stronger than you,
• Josh 12:1-9 : 1 Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites defeated and whose land they took possession of, on the east side of the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the Arabah to the east. 2 Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, ruled from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the middle of the valley and half of Gilead, as far as the Jabbok River, the border of the Ammonites. 3 He also ruled over the Arabah to the east, from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Salt Sea, eastward along the way to Beth Jeshimoth, and to the south at the base of the slopes of the Pisgah. 4 Og, king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei, 5 ruled Mount Hermon, Salcah, all of Bashan, up to the borders of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half of Gilead, up to the border of Sihon, king of Heshbon. 6 Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the Israelites defeated them. And Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave their land as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh. 7 Now these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the Israelites defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, rising toward Seir. Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as an inheritance, according to their divisions. 8 It included the hill country, the lowlands, the Arabah, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev—the land of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is near Bethel, one; 10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one. 14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; 17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Sharon, one; 19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; 20 the king of Shimron-Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;
• Josh 15:4 : 4 It then passed to Azmon and continued to the Brook of Egypt, with its boundary reaching the Mediterranean Sea. This was the southern boundary.
• Josh 19:1-9 : 1 The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the descendants of Simeon by their families. Their inheritance was within the inheritance of the descendants of Judah. 2 In their inheritance, they had Beersheba, Sheba, and Moladah, 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, and Azem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, and Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen cities with their villages. 7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities with their villages, 8 and all the villages around these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah of the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Simeon by their families. 9 The inheritance of the descendants of Simeon was part of the territory of the descendants of Judah, because the portion for the descendants of Judah was too large for them. So the descendants of Simeon received an inheritance within Judah's territory. 10 The third lot came up for the descendants of Zebulun by their families. The border of their inheritance reached as far as Sarid. 11 Their border went up westward to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and reached the brook that is in front of Jokneam. 12 From Sarid, it turned eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Kisloth-tabor, went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia. 13 From there, it passed on eastward to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon and curved around to Neah. 14 The border circled around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtahel. 15 It included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem—twelve cities with their villages. 16 This was the inheritance of the descendants of Zebulun by their families—these cities with their villages. 17 The fourth lot came out for the tribe of the descendants of Issachar, according to their families. 18 Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, and Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, and Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, and Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. 22 The border reached Tabor, Shahazimah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan—sixteen cities with their villages. 23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Issachar, according to their families—the cities and their villages. 24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the descendants of Asher, according to their families. 25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, and Achshaph, 26 Alammelech, Amad, and Mishal, and it reached Carmel to the west and Shihor-libnath. 27 It turned eastward to Beth-dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel, and extended to Cabul on the left. 28 It included Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as great Sidon. 29 The border turned to Ramah and up to the fortified city of Tyre; then it turned to Hosah and ended at the sea. The region included Mahalab, Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—twenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Asher, according to their families—the cities and their villages. 32 The sixth lot came out for the tribe of the descendants of Naphtali, according to their families. 33 Their territory went from Heleph and from the oak in Zaanannim, including Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan. 34 The border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor, continued to Hukkok, touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise. 35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, and Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh—nineteen cities with their villages.
• 2 Sam 8:3 : 3 David defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control over the Euphrates River.
• 2 Sam 23:5 : 5 Is not my house right with God? He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For He is all my salvation and all my desire, and He will not fail to make it grow.
• 1 Chr 5:9 : 9 To the east, he lived as far as the wilderness that extends to the Euphrates River because their livestock had multiplied in the land of Gilead.
• 2 Chr 9:26 : 26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt.
• Ps 105:11 : 11 Saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.'
• Isa 27:12 : 12 On that day, the LORD will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israelites, will be gathered one by one.
• Isa 55:3 : 3 Incline your ear and come to me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
• Jer 31:31-34 : 31 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them, declares the LORD. 33 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will anyone teach their neighbor or their brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.
• Jer 32:40 : 40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant; I will never turn away from doing good to them. I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
• Jer 33:20-26 : 20 This is what the Lord says: If you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night so that day and night would not come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant and my covenant with the Levitical priests who minister before me could also be broken, so that David would no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 Just as the stars in the sky cannot be counted and the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me. 23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 Have you not noticed what these people are saying: 'The Lord has rejected the two families he chose'? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. 25 This is what the Lord says: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and my servant David and will not choose one of his descendants to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.
• Gal 3:15-17 : 15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life: Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly ratified, so it is in this case. 16 Now to Abraham the promises were spoken, and to his seed. It does not say, 'and to seeds,' as if referring to many, but, 'and to your seed,' meaning one, who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise.
• Heb 13:20 : 20 Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,