Genesis 15:11

The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

BSB

And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

KJV

And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

ASV

And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

BBE

And evil birds came down on the bodies, but Abram sent them away.

Original Hebrew

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וַיֵּרֶד vai·ye·red and it came down H3381 הָעַיִט ha·'a·yit the bird[s] of prey H5861 עַל־ 'al- on H5921 הַפְּגָרִים ha·pe·ga·rim the carcasses H6297 וַיַּשֵּׁב vai·ya·shev and he drove away H5380 אֹתָם 'o·tam (marks the object) them H853 אַבְרָם 'av·ram Abram H87

The early church

The fowls coming down on the divided carcasses represent nothing good but [rather] the spirits of this air, seeking some food for themselves in the division of carnal people. But that Abraham sat down with them signifies that even amid these divisions of the carnal, true believers shall persevere to the end. With the going down of the sun great fear fell upon Abraham and a horror of great darkness. This signifies that about the end of this world believers shall be in great perturbation and tribulation, of which the Lord said in the Gospel, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning."

Augustine of Hippo · d. 430City of God

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 7–11

Assurance was given to Abram of the land of Canaan for an inheritance. God never promises more than he is able to perform, as men often do. Abram did as God commanded him. He divided the beasts in the midst, according to the ceremony used in confirming covenants, Jer 34:18, 19. Having prepared according to God's appointment, he set himself to wait for the sign God might give him. A watch must be kept upon our spiritual sacrifices. When vain thoughts, like these fowls, come down upon our sacrifices, we must drive them away, and seek to attend on God without distraction.

Read Matthew Henry on Genesis 15 →

Cross-references

People & places

Abraham

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.