“I am a shield to you”: the vision and the reward
Says אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה is “after these things”; BSB has “After these events.” Then הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־אַבְרָם, “the word of the Lord came to Abram,” and בַּמַּחֲזֶה, “in the vision.” The lexicon gives makhazeh as “n.[m.] vision”; the Greek has “ἐν ὁράματι.”
Says אַל־תִּירָא אַבְרָם is “do not fear, Abram.” אָנֹכִי מָגֵן לָךְ is “I am a shield to you,” with the noun magen. שְׂכָרְךָ הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד is “your reward is very great”: harbeh is a Hiphil infinitive used as an adverb. BSB has “I am your shield, your very great reward,” setting the reward beside “I.” The Greek has a verb, “ἐγὼ ὑπερασπίζω σου” (“I shield you”), and a separate clause, “ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς ἔσται σφόδρα” (“your reward will be very great”).
Implies The Lord answers Abram’s fear with a pledge in his own first person: “I” am the shield, so the protection rests on the speaker himself.
Uncertain The Hebrew can be read as two clauses (“I am your shield; your reward is very great”) or with the reward in apposition to “I” (“I am … your very great reward”). No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysאַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה is “after these things”; BSB has “After these events.” Then הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־אַבְרָם, “the word of the Lord came to Abram,” and בַּמַּחֲזֶה, “in the vision.” The lexicon gives makhazeh as “n.[m.] vision”; the Greek has “ἐν ὁράματι.”
- Saysאַל־תִּירָא אַבְרָם is “do not fear, Abram.” אָנֹכִי מָגֵן לָךְ is “I am a shield to you,” with the noun magen. שְׂכָרְךָ הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד is “your reward is very great”: harbeh is a Hiphil infinitive used as an adverb. BSB has “I am your shield, your very great reward,” setting the reward beside “I.” The Greek has a verb, “ἐγὼ ὑπερασπίζω σου” (“I shield you”), and a separate clause, “ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς ἔσται σφόδρα” (“your reward will be very great”).
- ImpliesThe Lord answers Abram’s fear with a pledge in his own first person: “I” am the shield, so the protection rests on the speaker himself.
- UncertainThe Hebrew can be read as two clauses (“I am your shield; your reward is very great”) or with the reward in apposition to “I” (“I am … your very great reward”). No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 15:1 (WLC/OSHB; morph HRd/Ncmsa HNcbsa HNcmsc/Sp2ms HVha)
- BSB public domain Gen 15:1 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 303 (leaf n326), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H4236 “n.[m.] vision”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 15:1, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 23 (leaf n54). Checked against the printed page (scan).
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-12
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