Genèse 15

¹ After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield;
your reward will be very great.

² But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

³ Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

⁴ Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as 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 He also said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

⁸ But he said, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”

⁹ He said to him, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

¹⁰ So he brought all these to him, cut them in half, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut the birds in half.

¹¹ Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but 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 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep came over Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed.

¹⁴ However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.

¹⁵ But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.

¹⁶ In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

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 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals.

¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, from the Brook of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River:

¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

²⁰ Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim,

²¹ Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

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.