Genesis 15:9

He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

World English Bible
Learn

Your notes

Private to you. Anything you write on this verse, here or while reading, shows up here and in My study.

Other translations

WEBBE

He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

BSB

And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

KJV

And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

ASV

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.

BBE

And he said, Take a young cow of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a sheep of three years old, and a dove and a young pigeon.

Original Hebrew

Look up a word

Tap a word to see what it means and everywhere else it's used.

וַיֹּאמֶר vai·yo·mer and he said H559 אֵלָיו 'e·lav to him H413 קְחָה ke·chah bring H3947 לִי li to (the) me H9030 עֶגְלָה 'eg·lah a heifer H5697 מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת me·shu·le·shet three years old H8027 וְעֵז ve·'ez and a goat H5795 מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת me·shu·le·shet three years old H8027 וְאַיִל ve·'a·yil and a ram H352 מְשֻׁלָּשׁ me·shu·lash three years old H8027 וְתֹר ve·tor and a turtle-dove H8449 וְגוֹזָל ve·go·zal and a young pigeon H1469

The early church

Here also, in fine, a symbol was given, consisting of these animals: a heifer, a she-goat, a ram and two birds, a turtledove and pigeon, that he might know that the things which he had not doubted should come to pass were to happen in accordance with this symbol. The heifer may be a sign that the people should be put under the law, the she-goat that the same people were to become sinful, the ram that they should reign. Perhaps these animals are said to be of three years old for this reason: that there are three remarkable divisions of time, from Adam to Noah, and from him to Abraham, and from him to David. David, on the rejection of Saul, was first established by the will of the Lord in the kingdom of the Israelite nation. In this third division, which extends from Abraham to David, people grew up as if passing through the third age of life. Or perhaps it may be that they had some other more suitable meaning. Still I have no doubt whatever that spiritual things were prefigured by them as well as by the turtledove and pigeon.
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

14

Topics

CovenantGoatDove, TurtlePigeon

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