1 After these things the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram : I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus ?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed : and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir ; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them : and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in Jehovah ; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
Note · Genèse 15.1–6
Une confiance qui parle de son manque
Abram expose à Dieu ce qu’il ne comprend pas. La promesse d’une descendance répond à cette inquiétude sans faire apparaître immédiatement un enfant. Le fait que sa foi soit reconnue ne signifie pas que toutes ses conduites ultérieures seront justes ni que ses questions auraient été interdites.
7 And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it ?
9 And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.
10 And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other : but the birds divided he not.
11 And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
Note · Genèse 15.7–11
Un rite dont les gestes doivent être distingués
Les animaux préparés appartiennent à la scène d’alliance. Le récit détaille les gestes sans fournir une explication complète de chaque élément. Il faut éviter de transformer les animaux ou les oiseaux en un code symbolique dont on prétendrait connaître toutes les correspondances.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram ; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them ; and they shall afflict them four hundred years ;
14 and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge : and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15 But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace ; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16 And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again : for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.
Note · Genèse 15.12–16
La promesse traverse une histoire douloureuse
L’annonce de la servitude des descendants empêche de confondre élection et protection contre toute souffrance. Le retour n’est pas immédiat. Le délai lié à la faute des Amoréens indique aussi que l’avenir d’Abram ne se raconte pas sans considération pour les autres habitants du pays.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces.
18 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 :
19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
Note · Genèse 15.17–21
L’engagement vient de Dieu
Les signes de feu traversent les morceaux pendant qu’Abram a été plongé dans un profond sommeil. La scène met ainsi au premier plan l’initiative divine. Les frontières annoncées appartiennent à la promesse du récit ; leur usage politique contemporain demande des distinctions que ce passage ne fournit pas à lui seul.
