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.

GENESIS 15:5KJV
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Genesis 15:5 (KJV)

What does Genesis 15:5 mean?

Genesis 15:5 describes God taking Abram outside and telling him to look up at the sky and count the stars, saying that if Abram could count them, that is how numerous his descendants would be. The verse uses the countless stars as a picture of the vast number of people who would come from Abram.

In this scene, God is speaking directly to Abram (later called Abraham) during a moment of doubt about God’s earlier promise to give him many descendants. God uses the stars as a visible sign to reassure Abram, connecting the promise to something Abram can see and try to count, emphasizing the greatness and certainty of what God is promising.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 15:5

  • "Tell" (סָפַר, saphar) here means "to count" or "to number," not to speak or narrate. God is inviting Abram to try to count the stars, highlighting the impossibility of the task.
  • "Seed" (זֶרַע, zera‘) means "offspring" or "descendants." The promise is not just about physical children but about a future people coming from Abram.
  • "So" (כֵּן, ken) is used to compare the number of stars to the number of Abram’s descendants, making the comparison direct and vivid.

Why Genesis 15:5 matters

  • Genesis 15:5 clarifies that God’s promise to Abram was not just for a single child, but for a vast number of descendants, which would have seemed impossible to Abram at the time.
  • The verse connects God’s promise to something visible and awe-inspiring, making the promise feel real and unforgettable for Abram.
  • This moment is a turning point in the story of Abram, setting the stage for the rest of Genesis and the unfolding story of the people of Israel.

Where else these words appear

“So” Hebrew H3541 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
  • Numbers 11:31 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
  • 1 Kings 22:20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.

“stars” Hebrew H3556 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
  • Nehemiah 4:21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
  • Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

“Look” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 19:17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
  • Psalms 22:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
  • Isaiah 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.