English translations are given under each Septuagint verse (Brenton) and each Vulgate verse (Douay-Rheims), to make the Greek and Latin easier to read.

Genesis 15 in four versions — Vulgate, Hebrew (MT), Septuagint, and Yemenite Targum Onkelos — with notes on where they agree and where they part. Sources: Vulgate = the Clementine text; MT = Sefaria Miqra (vocalized, with cantillation); LXX = the Septuagint Greek text, given here under MT numbering; Targum = Onkelos, Yemenite Taj tradition only. TO in the notes = this Yemenite Onkelos. Divine names appear only as ייי and א-להים throughout.

Versification: MT, LXX, Targum, and Vulgate each have 21 verses in Genesis 15, verse for verse; but one Vulgate sentence runs across four MT verse boundaries, at 15:18→15:19→15:20→15:21 — the Vulgate line under each verse below is the sentence part belonging to that MT verse. MT paragraph breaks: {ס} at 15:21. Field numbering: Field's Cap. XV is Hebrew numbering throughout (no offset) — citations below give the Hebrew verse. Field's Genesis 15 material: main entries on p. 32 (15:1, 15:2, 15:4, 15:9, 15:11, 15:12, 15:15, 15:19); no addendum.

Targum punctuation — transferred 2026-11-08 from Mechon Mamre vocalized Targum chapter 15 (u0115), punctuation only, wording/vocalization untouched; 21/21 lines transferred, no hard gate failure. 18 strict word-equality; 3 variant-kept (Yemenite wording kept, punctuation transferred by aligned position): 15:7 (Mamre sin 'Chaldeans' vs Yemenite samekh), 15:13 (Mamre single-yod 'dwellers' vs Yemenite double-yod), 15:17 (Mamre aleph 'went down' vs Yemenite without). Mamre's '--' word-separator artifacts (15:1, 15:3, 15:5, 15:7, 15:13, 15:18) and Mamre's {ס} marker (15:21) were not carried into TO lines. Verse-final '.' maps to the Yemenite sof pasuq. MT divine tokens: first name ×7 (15:1, 15:2, 15:4, 15:6, 15:7, 15:8, 15:18); no second-name token in the chapter. TO uses the first name ×7 at the same verses, and the second name ×2 (15:2, 15:8) where MT has the double address — the Targum renders the reading-name as the second name.

Gen 15:1

MT

אַחַ֣ר ׀ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הָיָ֤ה דְבַר־ייי֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם בַּֽמַּחֲזֶ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אַל־תִּירָ֣א אַבְרָ֗ם אָנֹכִי֙ מָגֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ שְׂכָרְךָ֖ הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃

LXX μετὰ δὲ τὰ ρἥματα ταῦτα ἐγενήθη ρἧμα κυρίου πρὸς Αβραμ ἐν ὁράματι λέγων μὴ φοβοῦ, Αβραμ· ἐγὼ ὑπερασπίζω σου· ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς ἔσται σφόδρα.

Eng. (Brenton) And after these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I shield thee, thy reward shall be very great.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

בָּתַר פִּתְגָמַיָּא הָאִלֵּין, הֲוָה פִּתְגָמָא דּייי עִם אַבְרָם, בִּנְבוּאָה, לְמֵימַר: לָא תִּדְחַל אַבְרָם, מֵימְרִי תְּקוֹף לָךְ אַגְרָךְ, סַגִּי לַחְדָּא׃

Vulg. His itaque transactis, factus est sermo Domini ad Abram per visionem dicens: Noli timere, Abram: ego protector tuus sum, et merces tua magna nimis.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) Now when these things were done, the word of the Lord came to Abram by a vision, saying: Fear not, Abram, I am thy protector, and thy reward exceeding great.

• Field Cap. XV at 15:1: Latin 'Sum clypeus tibi' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'I shield thee' (ὑπερασπίζω σου); Symmachus 'I fight for thee as a weapon' (ὑπερμάχομαι καθάπερ ὅπλον).
• 'After these things.' The chapter opens looking back at ch. 14. Rashi reads 'after these things' as immediately after the victory over the kings: Abram feared he had already received his reward in the victory, and spent his merit on the men he slew — so God answers, 'Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield,' a shield against punishment for the bloodshed.
• Vision, or prophecy. The Hebrew has the word coming 'in a vision' (בַּמַּחֲזֶה); the Targum has it 'in prophecy' (בִּנְבוּאָה) — the vision named as prophecy.
• 'I am a shield to you' becomes 'My Memra is a strength to you' in the Targum (מֵימְרִי תְּקוֹף לָךְ) — the shield turned into strength, and the Memra standing where God stands.
• Present reward, or future. The Hebrew has 'thy reward is very great' (present); the Greek turns it future, 'thy reward shall be very great'; the Vulgate keeps it open, 'thy reward exceeding great.'

Gen 15:2

MT

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָ֗ם אֲדֹנָ֤י ייי֙ מַה־תִּתֶּן־לִ֔י וְאָנֹכִ֖י הוֹלֵ֣ךְ עֲרִירִ֑י וּבֶן־מֶ֣שֶׁק בֵּיתִ֔י ה֖וּא דַּמֶּ֥שֶׂק אֱלִיעֶֽזֶר׃

LXX λέγει δὲ Αβραμ δέσποτα τί μοι δώσεις; ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπολύομαι ἄτεκνος· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς Μασεκ τῆς οἰκογενοῦς μου, οὗτος Δαμασκὸς Ελιεζερ.

Eng. (Brenton) And Abram said, Master and Lord, what wilt thou give me? whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus is mine heir.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר אַבְרָם, ייי א-להים מָא תִּתֵּין לִי, וַאֲנָא, אָזֵיל דְּלָא וְלַד; וּבַר פַּרְנָסָא הָדֵין דִּבְבֵּיתִי, הוּא דְּמַשְׂקָאָה אֱלִיעֶזֶר׃

Vulg. Dixitque Abram: Domine Deus, quid dabis mihi? ego vadam absque liberis, et filius procuratoris domus meae iste Damascus Eliezer.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And Abram said: Lord God, what wilt thou give me? I shall go without children: and the son of the steward of my house is this Damascus Eliezer.

• Field Cap. XV at 15:2: Latin 'Et filius possessionis (possessor, heres) domus meae' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'the son of Masek of my home-born female' (ὁ δὲ υἱὸς Μασὲκ τῆς οἰκογενοῦς μου); Aquila 'the son of him that watereth my house'; Symmachus 'the kinsman of my house'; Theodotion 'the son of him that is over my house'.
• The double address. Abram opens with two divine names at once: the Vulgate 'Lord God' (Domine Deus), the Targum the first name and the second name, the Greek only 'Master' (δέσποτα) at this verse — Brenton restores both, 'Master and Lord.' At 15:8 the Greek has both words.
• The steward, or the son of Masek. The Hebrew's בֶן־מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי is a crux, occurring only here. BDB reads it 'the son of acquisition — he who is to acquire, the heir of — my house,' and notes the word-play with Damascus (מֶשֶׁק / דַּמֶּשֶׂק); the Greek reads Masek as a proper name, 'the son of Masek, my home-born female slave,' making Eliezer the son of a household maid; Field's Latin sides with the possession reading, 'the son of the possession of my house.' The Vulgate keeps 'the son of the steward of my house.'
• Philo on Masek and Damascus. Philo reads the whole verse as an allegory of the soul (*Who is the Heir of Divine Things*): Meshech means 'out of a kiss' — the life of the outward senses, which men kiss but do not love, and whose son cannot inherit the things of God. Damascus means 'the blood of a sack' — the body as a sack, blood as the life of the flesh. And Eleazar means 'God is my helper.'
• Rashi on 'Damascus Eliezer.' He hailed from Damascus; and the midrash hears the name as an acronym — he 'drew and gave to drink' of Abram's teaching (Yoma 28b); and he chased the kings with Abram as far as Damascus.
• 'I go childless.' The Hebrew has 'I go on childless' (הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי); the Greek 'I depart childless' (ἀπολύομαι ἄτεκνος); Field's Latin 'I shall depart without offspring.'

Gen 15:3

MT

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָ֔ם הֵ֣ן לִ֔י לֹ֥א נָתַ֖תָּה זָ֑רַע וְהִנֵּ֥ה בֶן־בֵּיתִ֖י יוֹרֵ֥שׁ אֹתִֽי׃

LXX καὶ εἶπεν Αβραμ ἐπειδὴ ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔδωκας σπέρμα, ὁ δὲ οἰκογενής μου κληρονομήσει με.

Eng. (Brenton) And Abram said, I am grieved since thou hast given me no seed, but my home-born servant shall succeed me.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר אַבְרָם הָא לִי, לָא יְהַבְתְּ וְלַד; וְהָא בַּר בֵּיתִי, יָרֵית יָתִי׃

Vulg. Addiditque Abram: Mihi autem non dedisti semen, et ecce vernaculus meus, haeres meus erit.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And Abram added: But to me thou hast not given seed: and lo my servant, born in my house, shall be my heir.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:3.
• **"And he added."** The Hebrew opens the verse "and Abram said" (וַיֹּאמֶר), and the Greek (εἶπεν) and the Targum (וַאֲמַר) both keep "said." The Vulgate alone has "and Abram added" (Addiditque) — so for Jerome the verse is not a new speech but a continuation of the one begun at 15:2: the complaint about having no seed and the naming of the heir run on as a single utterance.
• **"Seed" — except in the Targum.** The Hebrew has זָרַע, "seed," and every version keeps it: the Greek σπέρμα, the Vulgate semen, Brenton "seed." The Targum alone turns it into וְלַד, "child" — Abram complains not of having no seed but of having no child. It does the same at 15:5 and 15:13, where "your seed" becomes בְּנָךְ, "your sons."
• 'The son of my house shall inherit me.' The Greek has 'my home-born servant shall inherit me' (ὁ οἰκογενής μου); the Vulgate 'my home-born servant shall be my heir'; Brenton adds 'I am grieved' at the head of the verse and has 'shall succeed me' for 'shall inherit me.'

Gen 15:4

MT

וְהִנֵּ֨ה דְבַר־ייי֤ אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א יִֽירָשְׁךָ֖ זֶ֑ה כִּי־אִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵצֵ֣א מִמֵּעֶ֔יךָ ה֖וּא יִֽירָשֶֽׁךָ׃

LXX καὶ εὐθὺς φωνὴ κυρίου ἐγένετο πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγων οὐ κληρονομήσει σε οὗτος· ἀλλ' ὃς ἐξελεύσεται ἐκ σοῦ, οὗτος κληρονομήσει σε.

Eng. (Brenton) And immediately there was a voice of the Lord to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come out of thee shall be thine heir.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְהָא פִּתְגָמָא דּייי עִמֵּיהּ לְמֵימַר, לָא יֵירְתִנָּךְ דֵּין: אֱלָהֵין בַּר דְּתוֹלֵיד, הוּא יֵירְתִנָּךְ׃

Vulg. Statimque sermo Domini factus est ad eum, dicens: Non erit hic haeres tuus, sed qui egredietur de utero tuo, ipsum habebis haeredem.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: He shall not be thy heir: but he that shall come out of thy bowels, him shalt thou have for thy heir.

• Field Cap. XV at 15:4: Greek only — LXX 'saying' (λέγουσα, feminine, agreeing with 'voice'); other copies 'saying' (λέγων). No Latin.
• **"Immediately" — the Vulgate follows the Greek.** The Hebrew opens "and behold" (וְהִנֵּה), and the Targum keeps it (וְהָא, "and behold"). The Greek turns it into "immediately" (εὐθὺς), and the Vulgate follows the Greek: "and immediately" (Statimque) — the answer comes at once, with no pause after Abram's complaint. The Vulgate is split here: it takes "immediately" from the Greek but keeps the Hebrew's "word" (sermo) where the Greek has "voice."
• A voice, not a word. The Hebrew has 'the word of the first name came to him'; the Greek has 'a voice of the Lord came to him' (φωνὴ κυρίου) — and Brenton follows the Greek, 'there was a voice of the Lord to him.' Philo notices exactly this: 'the scripture does not say he spoke to him or conversed with him, but the expression is, "The voice of God came to him"' (*Who is the Heir*).
• 'Who comes out of your loins.' The Hebrew has 'who shall come out of thy bowels' (מִמֵּעֶיךָ); the Greek softens it to 'who shall come out of thee'; the Targum spells it out, 'the son you will beget.'

Gen 15:5

MT

וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃

LXX ἐξήγαγεν δὲ αὐτὸν ἔξω καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἀνάβλεψον δὴ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἀρίθμησον τοὺς ἀστέρας, εἰ δυνήσῃ ἐξαριθμῆσαι αὐτούς. καὶ εἶπεν οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου.

Eng. (Brenton) 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.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְאַפֵּיק יָתֵיהּ לְבָרָא, וַאֲמַר אִסְתְּכִי כְעַן לִשְׁמַיָּא וּמְנִי כּוֹכְבַיָּא אִם תִּכּוֹל, לְמִמְנֵי יָתְהוֹן; וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ, כְּדֵין יְהוֹן בְּנָךְ׃

Vulg. Eduxitque eum foras, et ait illi: Suspice caelum, et numera stellas, si potes. Et dixit ei: Sic erit semen tuum.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And he brought 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.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:5.
• Count the stars. The Hebrew has 'look at the heavens and count the stars, if thou canst'; the Greek adds 'fully' — 'if thou shalt be able to number them fully'; the Targum turns 'seed' into 'sons' — 'so shall thy sons be' (as at 13:15–16).
• Philo: 'He brought him out, and said unto him, Look up to heaven; since that is the treasury of the good things of God' (*Who is the Heir*).
• **Above the stars.** The midrash hears "He brought him outside" as more than a walk out of the tent: Abram had read in the stars that he would have no son, and God took him out of his astrology — "Go out from your astrology, for there is no mazal for Israel" (Shabbat 156a). "Abram" may have no son, but "Abraham" will; "Sarai" may not bear, but "Sarah" will — the new names change the fate. And God raised him above the stars themselves, so that he looks down at them when he is told to look up and count them (Genesis Rabbah 44:12, as Rashi gives it).

Gen 15:6

MT

וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן בייי֑ וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ לּ֖וֹ צְדָקָֽה׃

LXX καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Αβραμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

Eng. (Brenton) And Abram believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְהֵימִין, בְּמֵימְרָא דּייי; וְחַשְׁבַּהּ לֵיהּ, לְזָכוּ׃

Vulg. Credidit Abram Deo, et reputatum est illi ad justitiam.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:6.
• The reckoning. The Hebrew has 'he believed in the first name, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness' — active, God reckoning; the Greek turns it passive, 'it was reckoned to him as righteousness,' and that passive is what the New Testament quotes (Rom 4:3, Gal 3:6, Jas 2:23). The Targum keeps the active but changes the gift: 'he believed in the Memra of the first name, and He reckoned it to him as merit' (לְזָכוּ). The Vulgate: 'Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.'
• 'Believed in' — or 'believed.' The Hebrew has 'believed in the first name'; the Greek has 'believed God' (dative), and Brenton follows it.

Gen 15:7

MT

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלָ֑יו אֲנִ֣י ייי֗ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הוֹצֵאתִ֙יךָ֙ מֵא֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֔ים לָ֧תֶת לְךָ֛ אֶת־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃

LXX εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν ἐγὼ ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ χώρας Χαλδαίων, ὥστε δοῦναί σοι τὴν γῆν ταύτην κληρονομῆσαι.

Eng. (Brenton) And he said to him, I am God that brought thee out of the land of the Chaldeans, so as to give thee this land to inherit.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר, לֵיהּ: אֲנָא ייי, דְּאַפֵּיקְתָּךְ מֵאוּר דְּכַסְדָּאֵי לְמִתַּן לָךְ יָת אַרְעָא הָדָא, לְמֵירְתַהּ׃

Vulg. Dixitque ad eum: Ego Dominus qui eduxi te de Ur Chaldaeorum ut darem tibi terram istam, et possideres eam.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And he said to him: I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, and that thou mightest possess it.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:7.
• Ur dropped. The Hebrew has 'who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees'; the Greek drops Ur — 'who brought thee out of the land of the Chaldeans'; the Vulgate and the Targum keep Ur.

Gen 15:8

MT

וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנָ֣י ייי֔ בַּמָּ֥ה אֵדַ֖ע כִּ֥י אִֽירָשֶֽׁנָּה׃

LXX εἶπεν δέ δέσποτα κύριε, κατὰ τί γνώσομαι ὅτι κληρονομήσω αὐτήν;

Eng. (Brenton) And he said, Master and Lord, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר: ייי א-להים, בְּמָא אֶדַּע אֲרֵי אֵירְתִנַּהּ׃

Vulg. At ille ait: Domine Deus, unde scire possum quod possessurus sim eam?

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) But he said: Lord God, whereby may I know that I shall possess it?

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:8.
• The double address again (as at 15:2); here the Greek has both words, 'Master, Lord' (δέσποτα κύριε), and Brenton 'Master and Lord.'
• 'How shall I know?' The question that prompts the covenant rite that follows: God answers with the animals to cut (15:9). And in rabbinic tradition the question itself was punished: in Nedarim 32a the Gemara asks why Abram was punished with his descendants' enslavement in Egypt, and Shemuel answers that he pressed God's attributes, asking "By what shall I know that I shall inherit it?" Measure for measure: he asked "how shall I know" (בַּמָּה אֵדַע), and was answered "know with certainty" (יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע, 15:13) — with the four hundred years. (Genesis Rabbah 44:14 reads the question differently: not whether he would inherit, but in what merit.)
• Philo reads the question favorably, with no shadow on Abram at all. He has already believed the promise — "if I have already given credence to thy promise" — and calls God "Lord" in veneration, knowing He "is able to do all things, and there is no disability with thee"; he asks only for a sign ratifying it, and for the manner of its coming, because the lover of wisdom "thirsts after knowledge, and has an insatiable desire of attaining to it" (*Questions on Genesis* III; *Who is the Heir*). In Philo's reading there is no doubt here to be punished — the direct opposite of the Nedarim tradition above.

Gen 15:9

MT

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו קְחָ֥ה לִי֙ עֶגְלָ֣ה מְשֻׁלֶּ֔שֶׁת וְעֵ֥ז מְשֻׁלֶּ֖שֶׁת וְאַ֣יִל מְשֻׁלָּ֑שׁ וְתֹ֖ר וְגוֹזָֽל׃

LXX εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ λαβέ μοι δάμαλιν τριετίζουσαν καὶ αἶγα τριετίζουσαν καὶ κριὸν τριετίζοντα καὶ τρυγόνα καὶ περιστεράν.

Eng. (Brenton) And he said to him, Take for me an heifer in her third year, and a she-goat in her third year, and a ram in his third year, and a dove and a pigeon.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ, קָרֵיב קֳדָמַי עִגְלִין תְּלָתָא, וְעִזִּין תְּלָתָא, וְדִכְרִין תְּלָתָא; וְשַׁפְנִינָא, וּבַר יוֹנָה׃

Vulg. Et respondens Dominus: Sume, inquit, mihi vaccam triennem, et capram trimam, et arietem annorum trium, turturem quoque et columbam.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the Lord answered, and said: Take me a cow of three years old, and a she goat of three years, and a ram of three years, a turtle also, and a pigeon.

• Field Cap. XV at 15:9: Latin 'Et pullum columbinum' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'a dove' (περιστεράν); Aquila 'a young dove' (περιστερίδα); Theodotion 'a nestling of a dove' (νεοσσὸν περιστερᾶς).
• **Answered, not said.** The Hebrew, the Greek, and the Targum all open with plain "said" (וַיֹּאמֶר / εἶπεν / וַאֲמַר); the Vulgate alone has "the Lord answering" (Et respondens Dominus) — Jerome reads God's words as the answer to Abram's question at 15:8, "How shall I know?" The same instinct as at 15:3, where the Vulgate alone turned "said" into "added."
• Three years old, or threefold. The Hebrew's מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת is 'three years old' in all the versions, but the word itself is 'tripled'; the Vulgate has 'a cow of three years old,' the Greek 'a heifer in her third year.'
• Three of each. The Targum alone has three animals of each kind — 'three calves, three goats, three rams' — where the Hebrew, the Greek, and the Vulgate have one animal of each, three years old.
• The young bird. The Hebrew's גוֹזָל is a fledgling, a young bird; the Greek makes it a dove, the Vulgate a dove, Field's Latin a young dove.

Gen 15:10

MT

וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ל֣וֹ אֶת־כׇּל־אֵ֗לֶּה וַיְבַתֵּ֤ר אֹתָם֙ בַּתָּ֔וֶךְ וַיִּתֵּ֥ן אִישׁ־בִּתְר֖וֹ לִקְרַ֣את רֵעֵ֑הוּ וְאֶת־הַצִּפֹּ֖ר לֹ֥א בָתָֽר׃

LXX ἔλαβεν δὲ αὐτῷ πάντα ταῦτα, καὶ διεῖλεν αὐτὰ μέσα, καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὰ ἀντιπρόσωπα ἀλλήλοις· τὰ δὲ ὄρνεα οὐ διεῖλεν.

Eng. (Brenton) So he took to him all these, and divided them in the midst, and set them opposite to each other, but the birds he did not divide.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְקָרֵיב קֳדָמוֹהִי יָת כָּל אִלֵּין, וּפַלֵּיג יָתְהוֹן בִּשְׁוֵי, וִיהַב פַּלְגַּיָּא פֵּילַג, לָקֳבֵיל חַבְרֵיהּ; וְיָת עוֹפָא, לָא פַלֵּיג׃

Vulg. Qui tollens universa haec, divisit ea per medium, et utrasque partes contra se altrinsecus posuit; aves autem non divisit.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the two pieces of each one against the other; but the birds he divided not.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:10.
• The cutting. The Hebrew has 'he divided them in the midst, and laid each piece opposite its fellow'; the Greek 'set them opposite to each other'; the Targum 'divided them equally.' The birds he did not divide — in any version.
• Rashi: the rite keeps its plain sense, and the animals are the nations — bulls, rams, and goats stand for the kingdoms (Ps 22:13; Dan 8:20–21), while Israel is compared to young doves; the birds are left whole. The covenant rite itself is the old form: the parties pass between the pieces (Jer 34:19).

Gen 15:11

MT

וַיֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יִט עַל־הַפְּגָרִ֑ים וַיַּשֵּׁ֥ב אֹתָ֖ם אַבְרָֽם׃

LXX κατέβη δὲ ὄρνεα ἐπὶ τὰ σώματα, τὰ διχοτομήματα αὐτῶν· καὶ συνεκάθισεν αὐτοῖς Αβραμ.

Eng. (Brenton) And birds came down upon the bodies, even upon the divided parts of them, and Abram sat down by them.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּנְחַת עוֹפָא, עַל פַּלְגַיָּא; וְאַפְרַח יָתְהוֹן, אַבְרָם׃

Vulg. Descenderuntque volucres super cadavera, et abigebat eas Abram.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the fowls came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

• Field Cap. XV at 15:11: Greek: LXX 'upon the bodies, the divided parts' (ἐπὶ τὰ σώματα, τὰ διχοτομήματα αὐτῶν — the second phrase obelized); Aquila 'drove them away' (ἀπεσόβησεν).
• Sat down, or drove away. The Hebrew has 'Abram drove them away' (וַיַּשֵּׁב אֹתָם); the Greek has him sit down by them (συνεκάθισεν αὐτοῖς) — 'Abram sat down by them' — and Brenton's own footnote admits the other reading, 'Or, drove them away.' The Vulgate sides with the Hebrew, 'Abram drove them away.'
• **One bird, or many?** The Hebrew has a single bird of prey: הָעַיִט, a singular noun with a singular verb (וַיֵּרֶד, "it came down") — yet Abram drives "them" away (אֹתָם). The Greek and the Vulgate resolve the mismatch by making the bird plural from the start: LXX ὄρνεα, "birds," Vulgate volucres, "birds" (and the Vulgate's verb is plural too, Descenderuntque). The Targum alone keeps the Hebrew's shape — singular עוֹפָא, "bird," with the plural object יָתְהוֹן, "them." BDB reads the word as "usually collective" at this verse, so the plural renderings are reading its sense, not inventing one.
• Philo: the birds are the soul's thoughts gone wrong. "It is contrary to nature that birds should come down, when they have been given wings for the purpose of soaring on high" — the birds are the mind's imaginations, which belong in the air but descend to earth and mingle with the divided bodies; Abram sitting by them is the virtuous man as their curator and overseer (*Who is the Heir*). In *Questions on Genesis* III he reads the descent as an invasion of enemies — the world beneath the moon is full of battles — and notes that the birds fall on the divided animals but never on the turtle dove and pigeon, "since the heavenly bodies are free from desires."
• The divided parts. The Greek adds 'the divided parts' (τὰ διχοτομήματα) to 'the bodies' — marked with the obelus in Field, not in the Hebrew.
• Josephus: 'the birds of prey flew about, as desirous of blood' (*Antiquities* 1.11).

Gen 15:12

MT

וַיְהִ֤י הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ לָב֔וֹא וְתַרְדֵּמָ֖ה נָפְלָ֣ה עַל־אַבְרָ֑ם וְהִנֵּ֥ה אֵימָ֛ה חֲשֵׁכָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה נֹפֶ֥לֶת עָלָֽיו׃

LXX περὶ δὲ ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἔκστασις ἐπέπεσεν τῷ Αβραμ, καὶ ἰδοὺ φόβος σκοτεινὸς μέγας ἐπιπίπτει αὐτῷ·

Eng. (Brenton) And about sunset a trance fell upon Abram, and lo! a great gloomy terror falls upon him.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַהֲוָה שִׁמְשָׁא לְמֵיעַל, וְשִׁינְתָא נְפַלַת עַל אַבְרָם; וְהָא אֵימָה קְבַל סַגִּי, נְפַלַת עֲלוֹהִי׃

Vulg. Cumque sol occumberet, sopor irruit super Abram, et horror magnus et tenebrosus invasit eum.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him.

• Field Cap. XV at 15:12: Greek: LXX 'a trance' (ἔκστασις); Aquila 'satiety' (κόρος); Symmachus 'stupor' (κάρος).
• Deep sleep, or trance. The Hebrew's תַּרְדֵּמָה is a deep sleep, the same word as the sleep that fell on Adam at Gen 2:21; the Greek turns it into ἔκστασις, a trance; the Vulgate keeps 'a deep sleep' (sopor); the Targum 'sleep' (שִׁינְתָא).
• 'A great dark terror fell upon him.' The Hebrew has 'a terror, a great darkness, falling upon him'; the Greek 'a great gloomy terror falls upon him'; the Vulgate 'a great and darksome horror seized upon him.'
• **The four kingdoms.** This verse is read in rabbinic literature as a vision of Israel's whole future — one of the central schemes of the tradition, the four exiles. The four words of the terror are the four kingdoms: "dread" is Babylon, "darkness" is Media, "great" is Greece, and "falling upon him" is Edom, Rome, the fourth kingdom that is to fall and never rise again (Genesis Rabbah 44:17; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Neofiti on this verse; Rashi). The words are matched to Daniel's visions — dread to the "dreadful and terrible" beast (Dan 7:7), great to "the great horn" (Dan 8:8). The same fourfold reading runs through the chapter: the animals at 15:9 (three calves Babylon, three goats Media, three rams Greece, the doves Edom) and "and also" at 15:14.

Gen 15:13

MT

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאַבְרָ֗ם יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר ׀ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה׃

LXX καὶ ἐρρέθη πρὸς Αβραμ γινώσκων γνώσῃ ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτοὺς τετρακόσια ἔτη.

Eng. (Brenton) And it was said to Abram, Thou shalt surely know that thy seed shall be a sojourner in a land not their own, and they shall enslave them, and afflict them, and humble them four hundred years.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר לְאַבְרָם, מִדָּע תִּדַּע אֲרֵי דַּיָּירִין יְהוֹן בְּנָךְ בַּאֲרַע לָא דִּילְהוֹן, וְיִפְלְחוּן בְּהוֹן, וִיעַנּוֹן יָתְהוֹן אַרְבַּע מְאָה, שְׁנִין׃

Vulg. Dictumque est ad eum: Scito praenoscens quod peregrinum futurum sit semen tuum in terra non sua, et subjicient eos servituti, et affligent quadringentis annis.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And it was said unto him: Know thou beforehand that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own, and they shall bring them under bondage, and afflict them four hundred years.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:13.
• 'Know surely.' The Hebrew has יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע — 'knowing, thou shalt know'; the Greek 'knowing thou shalt know' (γινώσκων γνώσῃ); the Vulgate 'know thou beforehand' (Scito praenoscens); the Targum 'knowing, know.'
• Three verbs, not two. The Hebrew has 'they shall serve them and afflict them'; the Greek adds a third — 'they shall enslave them, and afflict them, and humble them.'
• Four hundred years. The verse does not name Egypt — 'a stranger in a land not theirs.' Rashi counts the 400 years from Isaac's birth — 60 years to Jacob, 130 to the going down into Egypt, 210 in Egypt — so that the 400 are the years of being strangers, not the years of slavery; the 430 of Ex 12:40 count from the covenant itself. Ramban reads the verse transposed: 'thy seed shall be a stranger 400 years in a land not theirs, and they shall enslave them and afflict them.'
• **The calculators.** The 400 years became a problem the chronologers worked on: it cannot all have been spent in Egypt — Kehat went down with Jacob, and Kehat's 133 years plus Amram's plus Moses' 80 at the Exodus total only 350. Seder Olam ch. 3 lays out the reckoning Rashi follows: 400 years from Isaac's birth — 60 to Jacob, 130 to the going down, 210 in Egypt (the 210 read from the gematria of רְדוּ, "go down," Gen 42:2) — and 430 from the covenant itself, the extra 30 being the years from the covenant to Isaac's birth.

Gen 15:14

MT

וְגַ֧ם אֶת־הַגּ֛וֹי אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲבֹ֖דוּ דָּ֣ן אָנֹ֑כִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן יֵצְא֖וּ בִּרְכֻ֥שׁ גָּדֽוֹל׃

LXX τὸ δὲ ἔθνος ᾧ ἐὰν δουλεύσωσιν κρινῶ ἐγώ· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐξελεύσονται ὧδε μετὰ ἀποσκευῆς πολλῆς.

Eng. (Brenton) And the nation whomsoever they shall serve I will judge; and after this, they shall come forth hither with much property.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְאַף יָת עַמָּא דְּיִפְלְחוּן בְּהוֹן, דָּאֵין אֲנָא; וּבָתַר כֵּין יִפְּקוּן, בְּקִנְיָנָא סַגִּי׃

Vulg. Verumtamen gentem, cui servituri sunt, ego judicabo: et post haec egredientur cum magna substantia.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) But I will judge the nation which they shall serve, and after this they shall come out with great substance.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:14.
• 'I will judge the nation.' The Hebrew has דָּן אָנֹכִי — 'judging, I'; the Greek 'I will judge'; the Vulgate 'I will judge.'
• 'With great goods.' The Hebrew's בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל is the wealth word again (cf. 14:11–21); the Greek has 'with much baggage' (ἀποσκευῆς πολλῆς, as at 14:12); the Vulgate 'with great substance'; the Targum 'with great acquisition.' Brenton's footnote: 'Lit. baggage.' — and not 'horses': one chapter after the LXX turned the same word into ἵπποι at 14:11, 14:16, and 14:21, here it goes back to a goods-word, the same ἀποσκευή it used for Lot's goods at 14:12. The 'horses' reading is confined to the war chapter.

Gen 15:15

MT

וְאַתָּ֛ה תָּב֥וֹא אֶל־אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ בְּשָׁל֑וֹם תִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָֽה׃

LXX σὺ δὲ ἀπελεύσῃ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου μετ' εἰρήνης ταφεὶς ἐν γήρει καλῷ.

Eng. (Brenton) But thou shalt depart to thy fathers in peace, nourished in a good old age.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְאַתְּ תִּתְכְּנֵישׁ לְוָת אֲבָהָתָךְ, בִּשְׁלָם: תִּתְקְבַר, בְּסֵיבוּ טָבָא׃

Vulg. Tu autem ibis ad patres tuos in pace, sepultus in senectute bona.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and be buried in a good old age.

• Field Cap. XV at 15:15: Greek: LXX 'nourished in a good old age' (τραφεὶς ἐν γήρᾳ καλῷ); the reading 'buried' (ταφεὶς) in other copies; Field's note: all the old Latin versions read 'nourished,' nowhere 'buried.'
• Buried, or nourished. The Hebrew has 'thou shalt be buried in a good old age'; the Greek reads τραφείς, 'nourished' — Brenton 'nourished in a good old age' — where the Hebrew has 'buried.' Field's Latin sides with the Hebrew, 'thou shalt be buried in good old age.'
• **"To your fathers" — Terah repented, or not his fathers at all.** In rabbinic reading the verse proves Terah did teshuvah: his father worshipped idols, yet God tells Abraham he will go to his fathers in peace — so Terah must have repented, and has a portion in the World to Come (Genesis Rabbah 38:12; Rashi on this verse; Tanchuma Shemot 18). Ramban disagrees: Terah never repented, but has a portion by virtue of his son. Philo takes the opposite road entirely: "fathers" cannot mean his fleshly ancestors at all — they were not all deserving of praise, and God had commanded him to leave them — the soul instead returns to its native country, to "the incorporeal substances and inhabiters of the divine world, whom in other passages he is accustomed to call angels" (*Questions on Genesis* III; *Who is the Heir*).

Gen 15:16

MT

וְד֥וֹר רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֧י לֹא־שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֺ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה׃

LXX τετάρτη δὲ γενεὰ ἀποστραφήσονται ὧδε· οὔπω γὰρ ἀναπεπλήρωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Αμορραίων ἕως τοῦ νῦν.

Eng. (Brenton) And in the fourth generation they shall return hither, for the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up, even until now.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְדָרָא רְבִיעָאָה, יְתוּבוּן הָלְכָא: אֲרֵי לָא שְׁלִים חוֹבָא דֶּאֱמוֹרָאָה, עַד כְּעַן׃

Vulg. Generatione autem quarta revertentur huc: necdum enim completae sunt iniquitates Amorrhaeorum usque ad praesens tempus.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) But in the fourth generation they shall return hither: for as yet the iniquities of the Amorrhites are not at the full until this present time.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:16.
• The fourth generation. The Hebrew has 'in the fourth generation they shall return hither'; the Greek the same, with 'hither' (ὧδε).
• The iniquity not yet complete. The Hebrew has 'the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete' — singular, one people's guilt; the Greek and the Vulgate pluralize it — 'the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up' / 'the iniquities of the Amorrhites are not at the full'; the Targum keeps the singular, 'the sin of the Amorite is not yet complete.' 'Until now': the Hebrew 'until hither' (עַד־הֵנָּה); the Greek 'even until now' (ἕως τοῦ νῦν).

Gen 15:17

MT

וַיְהִ֤י הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ בָּ֔אָה וַעֲלָטָ֖ה הָיָ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֨ה תַנּ֤וּר עָשָׁן֙ וְלַפִּ֣יד אֵ֔שׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָבַ֔ר בֵּ֖ין הַגְּזָרִ֥ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃

LXX ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγίνετο ὁ ἥλιος πρὸς δυσμαῖς, φλὸξ ἐγένετο· καὶ ἰδοὺ κλίβανος καπνιζόμενος καὶ λαμπάδες πυρός, αἳ διῆλθον ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν διχοτομημάτων τούτων.

Eng. (Brenton) And when the sun was about to set, there was a flame, and behold a smoking furnace and lamps of fire, which passed between these divided pieces.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַהֲוָת שִׁמְשָׁא עַלַת, וְקַבְלָא הֲוָה; וְהָא תַנּוּר דְּתָנַן, וּבָעוֹר דְּאִישָׁא, עֲדָא, בֵּין פַּלְגַּיָּא הָאִלֵּין׃

Vulg. Cum ergo occubuisset sol, facta est caligo tenebrosa, et apparuit clibanus fumans, et lampas ignis transiens inter divisiones illas.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And when the sun was set, there arose a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:17.
• The sun set, and darkness — or a flame. The Hebrew has 'the sun had gone down, and there was darkness' (וַעֲלָטָה הָיָה); the Greek drops the darkness and puts a flame in its place — 'there was a flame' (φλὸξ ἐγένετο); Brenton follows, 'there was a flame.'
• One lamp, or lamps. The Hebrew has one torch of fire (לַפִּיד אֵשׁ); the Greek plural, 'lamps of fire' (λαμπάδες πυρός); the Vulgate singular, 'a lamp of fire'; the Targum 'a burning torch.'
• Rashi: the smoking furnace is Gehinnom, and the burning torch is the Divine Presence as fire; the two pass between the pieces as the parties to a covenant pass between the pieces (Jer 34:19). Abram himself is in the deep sleep of 15:12 and does not pass — only God passes between the pieces.

Gen 15:18

MT

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

LXX ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ διέθετο κύριος τῷ Αβραμ διαθήκην λέγων τῷ σπέρματί σου δώσω τὴν γῆν ταύτην ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου ἕως τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου ποταμοῦ Εὐφράτου·

Eng. (Brenton) In that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, To thy seed I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

בְּיוֹמָא הַהוּא, גְּזַר ייי עִם אַבְרָם קְיָם לְמֵימַר: לִבְנָךְ, יְהַבִית יָת אַרְעָא הָדָא, מִנַּהְרָא דְּמִצְרַיִם, עַד נַהְרָא רַבָּא נַהְרָא פְרָת׃

Vulg. In illo die pepigit Dominus fœdus cum Abram, dicens: Semini tuo dabo terram hanc a fluvio Aegypti usque ad fluvium magnum Euphraten,

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) That day God made a covenant with Abram, saying: To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:18.
• 'Cut a covenant.' The Hebrew's כָּרַת בְּרִית is 'cut a covenant,' the cutting of 15:10 now named; the Greek 'made a covenant' (διέθετο... διαθήκην); the Vulgate 'made a covenant' (pepigit fœdus); the Targum 'cut a covenant' (גְּזַר... קְיָם). — And the wording is different from the covenant with Noah: there the Hebrew is הֵקִים, "establish," and the Vulgate has ponam (6:18, "Ponamque fœdus meum tecum") and statuam pactum (9:9, 9:11) — set up, not struck. The cutting verb belongs to a covenant cut with animals; Noah's is established by word and sign.
• 'I have given' — or 'I will give.' The Hebrew is perfect, 'to thy seed I have given this land' — given already, in the promise; the Greek and the Vulgate future, 'I will give.'
• The boundaries: from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.

Gen 15:19

MT

אֶת־הַקֵּינִי֙ וְאֶת־הַקְּנִזִּ֔י וְאֵ֖ת הַקַּדְמֹנִֽי׃

LXX τοὺς Καιναίους καὶ τοὺς Κενεζαίους καὶ τοὺς Κεδμωναίους

Eng. (Brenton) The Kenites, and the Kenezites, and the Kedmoneans,

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

יָת שָׁלְמָאֵי, וְיָת קְנִזָּאֵי, וְיָת, קַדְמוֹנָאֵי׃

Vulg. Cinaeos, et Cenezaeos, Cedmonaeos,

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) The Cineans and Cenezites, the Cedmonites,

• Field Cap. XV at 15:19: Greek: LXX 'the Kedmonaeans' (Κεδμωναίους); Symmachus 'the easterners' (ἀνατολικοὺς).
• The Kenite is a Shalmaean to the Targum (שָׁלְמָאֵי) — the first of the Targum's identifications in the list.

Gen 15:20

MT

וְאֶת־הַחִתִּ֥י וְאֶת־הַפְּרִזִּ֖י וְאֶת־הָרְפָאִֽים׃

LXX καὶ τοὺς Χετταίους καὶ τοὺς Φερεζαίους καὶ τοὺς Ραφαϊν

Eng. (Brenton) and the Chettites, and the Pherezites, and the Raphaim,

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְיָת חִתָּאֵי וְיָת פְּרִזָּאֵי, וְיָת גִּבָּרַיָּא׃

Vulg. et Hethaeos, et Pherezaeos, Raphaim quoque,

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the Hethites, and the Pherezites, the Raphaim also,

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:20.
• The Rephaim are giants to the Targum (גִּבָּרַיָּא), as at 14:5. — But not to the Greek here: the LXX renders רְפָאִים as γίγαντες at 14:5, yet at 15:20 it transliterates, Ραφαϊν — as it does in Deuteronomy (2:11, 3:11, 3:13). At this verse only the Targum calls them giants; the Greek, the Vulgate (Raphaim), and the Hebrew keep the name.

Gen 15:21

MT

וְאֶת־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְאֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י וְאֶת־הַגִּרְגָּשִׁ֖י וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִֽי׃ {ס}

LXX καὶ τοὺς Αμορραίους καὶ τοὺς Χαναναίους καὶ τοὺς Ευαίους καὶ τοὺς Γεργεσαίους καὶ τοὺς Ιεβουσαίους.

Eng. (Brenton) and the Amorites, and the Chananites, and the Evites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְיָת אֱמוֹרָאֵי, וְיָת כְּנַעֲנָאֵי, וְיָת גַּרְגִּישָׁאֵי, וְיָת יְבוּסָאֵי׃

Vulg. et Amorrhaeos, et Chananaeos, et Gergesaeos, et Jebusaeos.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the Amorrhites, and the Chanaanites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 15:21.
• Eleven nations, not ten. The Greek adds the Evites (τοὺς Ευαίους) between the Canaanites and the Girgashites — eleven peoples where the Hebrew, the Vulgate, and the Targum have ten. Brenton follows the Greek, 'and the Evites.'
• The paragraph break {ס} closes the chapter (and the verse).

Cross-verse patterns

• Divine names — MT: first name ×7 (15:1, 15:2, 15:4, 15:6, 15:7, 15:8, 15:18); no second-name token in the chapter. TO: first name ×7 at the same verses; second name ×2 (15:2, 15:8 — where MT has the double address). LXX: 'Lord' (κύριος) at 15:1, 15:4, 15:18; 'God' (ὁ θεός) at 15:6, 15:7; 'Master' (δέσποτα) at 15:2 and 15:8, with 'Lord' (κύριε) also at 15:8. Vulgate: 'Lord' (Dominus) at 15:1, 15:4, 15:7, 15:18; 'Lord God' (Domine Deus) at 15:2 and 15:8; 'God' (Deo) at 15:6.
• Vulgate sentence boundaries — one sentence runs across MT boundaries at 15:18→15:19→15:20→15:21.
• MT paragraph breaks — {ס} at 15:21 only; the chapter closes with the break.
• Field cites no distinct reading (main entries) for 15:3, 15:5, 15:6, 15:7, 15:8, 15:10, 15:13, 15:14, 15:16, 15:17, 15:18, 15:20, 15:21 — recorded here as absence, not as a claim that no variant exists anywhere. Main entries on p. 32 cover 15:1, 15:2, 15:4 (Greek only), 15:9, 15:11, 15:12, 15:15, and 15:19.
• Targum punctuation — transferred (see header): Mechon Mamre vocalized chapter 15, punctuation only, Yemenite wording/vocalization kept.
• The double address: 15:2 and 15:8.
• The Targum's 'sons' for 'seed': 15:5 (as at 13:15–16).
• The wealth word: רְכֻשׁ at 15:14 — Greek 'baggage' (ἀποσκευή) as at 14:12; Vulgate 'substance'; Targum 'acquisition.'
• The Targum's identifications: Kenite = Shalmaeans (15:19); Rephaim = giants (15:20).
• 'I have given' against 'I will give': 15:18.
• The nations: ten in the Hebrew, the Vulgate, and the Targum; eleven in the Greek, which adds the Evites (15:21).
• The sun sets twice: the deep sleep at 15:12, the furnace and the lamp at 15:17.
• Brenton against the Greek. Brenton renders 'Master and Lord' at 15:2 where the Greek has 'Master' (δέσποτα) alone, and adds 'is mine heir'; at 15:3 he adds 'I am grieved' and has 'shall succeed me' for 'shall inherit me'; at 15:4 he follows the Greek's 'voice of the Lord' against the Hebrew's 'word'; at 15:7 he follows the Greek's 'land of the Chaldeans,' dropping Ur; at 15:11 he has 'sat down by them' for the Greek's 'sat down by them' (συνεκάθισεν), with his own footnote 'Or, drove them away'; at 15:14 he has 'property' for the Greek's 'baggage' (ἀποσκευῆς); at 15:15 he has 'nourished' for the Greek's 'nourished' (τραφείς); at 15:17 he has 'there was a flame' for the Greek's 'a flame came to be' (φλὸξ ἐγένετο) and 'lamps of fire' (plural) for the Hebrew's one torch; at 15:21 he has 'the Evites,' the extra nation of the Greek.

Open questions, not claims

• Targum punctuation — transferred 2026-11-08 (see header): 21/21 lines, 3 variant-kept, no hard gate failure.
• BL LXX 15:1 — the breathing sits on the vowel, not the rho: BL prints 'ρἥματα' and 'ρἧμα' where Rahlfs/Swete print ῥήματα and ῥῆμα. A BL text quirk, not a variant; the site's Greek line carries it as printed.
• The double address at 15:2 and 15:8 — the MT line keeps the double address as printed.

Latin witnesses from Field's Hexapla

The Latin below is the rendering printed with the Hebrew in Field's Hexapla. It is not the Vulgate: where it agrees with the Vulgate it is not listed. Only readings that genuinely differ are given.

• 15:1. Where the Vulgate reads “ego protector tuus sum” (I am thy protector), Field's Latin reads “Sum clypeus tibi” (I am a shield to you) — the shield kept where the Vulgate turns it into “protector.” The Greek sides with Field (“I shield thee,” ὑπερασπίζω σου); Symmachus goes further (“I fight for thee as a weapon,” ὑπερμάχομαι καθάπερ ὅπλον).
• 15:2. Where the Vulgate reads “et filius procuratoris domus meae” (and the son of the steward of my house), Field's Latin reads “Et filius possessionis (possessor, heres) domus meae” (and the son of the possession of my house) — the possession where the Vulgate reads stewardship. BDB agrees the phrase means “the son of acquisition (= he who is to acquire, the heir of) my house,” and notes the word-play with Damascus. The Greek reads Masek as a proper name (“the son of Masek, my home-born female slave”); Aquila sides with Field in sense (“the son of him that watereth my house”).
• 15:9. Where the Vulgate reads “et columbam” (and a dove), Field's Latin reads “Et pullum columbinum” (and a young dove) — the youth kept where the Vulgate drops it to a plain dove. Aquila sides with Field (“a young dove,” περιστερίδα); Theodotion likewise (“a nestling of a dove,” νεοσσὸν περιστερᾶς); the Greek has the plain dove (περιστεράν).

Chapters

© 2026 Ad Fontes. The notes on this page are original commentary; the ancient texts quoted are in the public domain.