We’ve seen a few things written on Genesis 15 recently (by David and John) and now it’s my turn.
Crucial to this whole passage is verse 8:
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” (ESV)
We know it’s crucial, because God answers saying “Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Know for certain … ‘” (verse 13, ESV)
My question is, what’s going on here? “How am I to know …” is at least very odd English, if not non-standard. It’s even stranger considering what was just said about Abram, “And he believed the LORD.”
A handful of translations (NLT, God’s Word) use “how can I be sure/certain”, but is that the right approach? Is this verse about Abram’s cognitive dissonance, or do all these translations miss the point completely?
© 2010, Matt. All rights reserved.
