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Chapter 15

Genesis 15:2

RBT Hebrew Literal:

And Raised-Father is saying, `My master554 Yahweh, what do you give to-myself, and myself he-walking stripped?555 And a builder of Meshek in my house, himself is Dammeshek El-is-Help.`556

RBT Paraphrase:
ערירי - Stripped of Children
And Raised Up Father is saying, "Inner master of myself, He is, what are you giving to myself, and myself who is walking stripped childless, and a son of Greed ("Mesheq") of the house of myself, himself is God of Help ("Eliezar") of Blood-Greed ("Dammasheq")?"
Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And Abram will say, My Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give to me, and I going childless, and the son of Masek in my house, he Eliezer of Damascus?
LITV Translation:
And Abram said, Lord Jehovah, what will You give to me since I am going childless and the son of the inheritance of my house is Eleazar of Damascus?
ESV Translation:
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Brenton Septuagint Translation:
And Abram said, Master and Lord, what wilt thou give me? whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my homeborn female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus is mine heir.

Footnotes

554

Adonai אדני

Strong’s #136, אדני adonay. Tradition made this a proper title. The concrete meaning however is clear according to Gesenius who writes,

“The termination ־ַי is an older form of pluralis excellentiœ, for the common ־ִים (as in שַׁדַּי) …but for ־ַי, the lengthened form ־ָי has been put by the grammarians, so as to distinguish it from אֲדֹנַי ‘my masters.’”

What this means is that the plural form was taken to be a formal title and the Masoretes modified a vowel point to make the distinction. But originally there was no distinction. The word then became the traditional word to use to refer to God or Yahweh in speech as it was considered a taboo by Jews to utter the name. Even to write out the Anglo word “God” is taken as a no-no, so instead they write or type “G-d”. This is also the case with אֵל שַׁדַי “el Shaddai” which means god of destroyers/all-mighty. See note on Genesis 17:1.

555

Strong’s #6185, ariri. Stripped, childless. From the root arar (#6209) to strip oneself.

556

Strong’s #461, Eliezer, el is help.

The word “meshek” is a rare word only here and as a part of Dammashek, which is related to Damascus. Gesenius opines, “I judge that the sacred writer used meshek, an uncommon word, in order to allude to the word Dammeshek” Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon (1846). Meshek is sometimes interpreted as possession. But the meaning has to do with running/rushing and is used as such (Strong's #4944) for the behavior of locusts. From שקק to rush/seek greedily (cf. Strong's #8624).