Read Genesis 15 here or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph division:
Gen 15:1-21 {s} Promise reaffirmed by covenant
And he believed in YHVH, and He counted it to him for righteousness. Gen 15:6
Many biblical scholars believe Hebrew to be the original language of Eden, and the parent language from which the other languages at Babel were divided. Hebrew Root Words are one of the Teaching Tools of the Bible. Ancient Hebrew was a pictorial language of 22 characters, each character representing something familiar and concrete, such as seeds or suns or houses. The parables told by the ancient Hebrew roots help define abstract concepts like “belief” and “righteousness.”
“Belief” is an abstract concept, defined by its verbal root, “to believe in;” which is in Hebrew, aman, Strong’s H539, the three-letter Hebrew root, אמן, aleph + mem + nun.
aleph א = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
mem מ ם = the water, thus chaos, mighty, blood
nun נ ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son
According to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, ancient people used to put animal hides in a pot of boiling water, and skim off the thick substance that formed at the surface. This strong (aleph) water (mem) was used as glue, and is still the basis of glue production today. In fact the concrete noun that comes from the verbal root is “glue.” The story being told is of the bond (aleph + mem) that continues (nun). The Hebrew language defines the abstract concept of “belief” as ideas or truths that stick with us continually.
Abram believed in YHVH, i.e., he and those in his household were of the few (the only?) who believed that YHVH was the Creator of heaven and earth, the one true God, while the rest of the earth practiced paganism; and he believed YHVH–he believed YHVH’s words were true, even if he had yet to see them fulfilled.
“Righteousness” is an abstract concept, defined by its verbal root, “to be right;” which is in Hebrew, tsadaq, Strong’s H6663, the three-letter Hebrew root צדק, tsadey + dalet + quph.
tsadey צ ץ = the trail, thus a man concealed, journey, chase, hunt
dalet ד = the door, thus enter, move, hang
quph ק = sun on the horizon, thus condense, circle, time
The story the ancient pictographs are painting is of the path (tsadey) that is straight, as when a hung door (dalet) is measured against the plumb line, in perpetuity (quph), as the setting sun is the biblical symbol of the seventh day Sabbath marking the close of the week, and thus the endless cycle of time and completion of time. The idea is a straight way of walking out life which applies across all cultures and all times, rather than what a culture considers an ethical custom, but which only applies to a narrow place or time.
If there are questions, these are good resources:
Ancient Hebrew Research Center – Dr. Jeff Benner
Living Word Pictures – Dr. Frank Seekins
What Language Does YHVH Speak? – Brad Scott on Truth2U Radio
Covenant of Grant and the Abrahamic Covenant – Tim Hegg
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