Genesis 15:12

My Notes

What Does Genesis 15:12 Mean?

"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him." During the COVENANT ceremony (God's promise to Abraham), as the sun sets, Abraham falls into a DEEP SLEEP — and a HORROR OF GREAT DARKNESS falls on him. The covenant is accompanied by TERROR, not comfort. The deep sleep (tardemah — the same divine sleep God put on Adam in 2:21) is GOD-INDUCED. The horror is DIVINE in origin. The darkness is GREAT. The covenant-making includes the terrifying.

The phrase "a deep sleep fell upon Abram" (tardemah naphlah al Avram — a deep sleep fell upon Abram) uses the word for GOD-CAUSED unconsciousness: tardemah is the same word used when God put Adam to sleep to create Eve (2:21). The sleep isn't natural. It's DIVINELY IMPOSED. Abraham is PUT to sleep by God — removed from consciousness so that what follows (the covenant-ratification in verses 17-18) happens WITHOUT Abraham's active participation. The covenant is ratified while Abraham SLEEPS.

The "horror of great darkness" (eimah chashekhah gedolah — a dread/terror of great darkness) adds TERROR to the sleep: the sleep isn't peaceful. It's DREADFUL — accompanied by a horror (eimah — dread, terror, fearful awe) of GREAT DARKNESS (chashekhah gedolah — darkness that is massive, thick, overwhelming). The covenant-context includes TERROR. The promise-environment includes DREAD. The darkness is GREAT — not a mild dimming but an overwhelming blackness.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What covenant-experience has included horror and darkness rather than comfort?
• 2.What does Abraham being PUT to sleep teach about the covenant being God's work, not ours?
• 3.How does the horror of great darkness accompanying the promise teach about dread being part of divine encounter?
• 4.What has God done FOR you while you 'slept' — while you were unconscious of the divine activity?

Devotional

The sun goes down. A deep sleep falls on Abraham. And a HORROR of GREAT DARKNESS falls on him. The covenant ceremony includes TERROR — divine sleep, overwhelming dread, thick darkness. The promise that God is making is accompanied by the most terrifying experience Abraham has ever had. The covenant isn't comfortable. It's DREADFUL.

The 'deep sleep' (tardemah) is GOD-IMPOSED: the same divine sleep that put Adam under when God created Eve. Abraham doesn't FALL asleep naturally. He's PUT to sleep — by divine action, for divine purposes, to be unconscious during the divine event. The covenant-ratification (verse 17 — the smoking furnace and burning lamp passing between the pieces) happens while Abraham SLEEPS. The covenant is GOD'S work, not Abraham's. The sleeping proves it: Abraham contributed NOTHING to the ratification.

The 'horror of great darkness' is the TERRIFYING accompaniment: the covenant isn't all comfort and promise. It includes DREAD — the kind of darkness-horror that overwhelms. The eimah (terror) is the visceral dread that makes the body tremble. The chashekhah gedolah (great darkness) is darkness so thick it's SUBSTANCE — felt, experienced, overwhelming. The covenant includes the terrifying because the covenant covers TERRIFYING things (verse 13-16 — the prophecy of Egyptian slavery).

The combination — deep sleep AND horror of darkness — means Abraham EXPERIENCES dread without being AWAKE to process it: the horror falls ON him during the sleep. The terror is FELT but not consciously processed. The dread is experienced at the DEEPEST level — below consciousness, in the subterranean layers of the soul where sleep takes you. The covenant's horror enters Abraham at the level below waking thought.

What covenant-experience has included horror and darkness — and did you recognize the divine origin of the dread?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture