For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.
15. to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever ] The gift to Abram is one of promise and prediction. The gift to his “seed” was to be fulfilled in history. If the words “for ever” are to have their fullest meaning, the land is a pledge symbolic of God’s mercy and goodness towards the people. Their expansion and discipline will be in Palestine. The land and the people will be identified.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 15. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.] This land was given to Abram, that it might lineally and legally descend to his posterity; and though Abram himself cannot be said to have possessed it, Ac 7:5, yet it was the gift of God to him in behalf of his seed; and this was always the design of God, not that Abram himself should possess it, but that his posterity should, till the manifestation of Christ in the flesh. And this is chiefly what is to be understood by the words for ever, ad olam, to the end of the present dispensation, and the commencement of the new. olam means either ETERNITY, which implies the termination of all time or duration, such as is measured by the celestial luminaries: or a hidden, unknown period, such as includes a completion or final termination of a particular era, dispensation, c. therefore the first is its proper meaning, the latter its accommodated meaning. See Clarke on Ge 17:7. See Clarke on Ge 21:33.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Object. Abram could see but a little part of the land.
Answ.
1. He might now possibly be upon a mountain, from whence he might have a large prospect every way.
2. He gave him all that he saw, but not only that, but also the rest of the land, and therefore he bids him walk through and view the whole land, Gen 13:17.
Quest. How was the land given to Abram, when it is expressly said: He, i.e. God, gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on, Act 7:5.
Answ.
1. God gave Abram the right to it, though not the actual possession of it, until the time that God appointed; as God gave the right of the kingdom to David, but not the possession till Saul’s death.
2. God explains himself, To thee and to thy seed, i.e. to thee, that is, to thy seed, and that for thy sake; the particle and being put oft for that is, as 1Ch 21:12, compared with 2Sa 24:13; Eph 1:3, and in many other plaecs, as we shall see.
Quest. How was this for ever, when after some hundreds of years they were turned out of it?
Answer.
1. This promise was made to them upon condition of their obedience, which is oft expressed in other places, as Lev 18:26; Deu 4:25-26; Isa 48:18-19.
2. The word olam, rendered for ever, doth not always signify eternity, but a long continuance, as is evident from Gen 17:13; 48:4; Exo 21:6; Psa 132:14, and many other places of Scripture; and in particular, when it is applied to the Jewish rites and privileges, it commonly signifies no more than during the standing of that commonwealth, or until the coming of the Messias; and so it may here be understood.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it,…. Not only so much of it as his eye could reach, but all of it, as far as it went, which way soever he looked; and this he gave him to sojourn in now where he pleased, and for his posterity to dwell in hereafter; he gave him the title to it now, and to them the possession of it for future times:
and to thy seed for ever; the meaning is, that he gave it to his posterity to be enjoyed by them until the Messiah came, when a new world would begin; and which Abram in person shall enjoy, with all his spiritual seed, after the resurrection, when that part of the earth will be renewed, as the rest; and where particularly Christ will make his personal appearance and residence, the principal seed of Abram, and will reign a thousand years; see Gill “Mt 22:32”; besides, this may be typical of the heavenly Canaan given to Abram, and all his spiritual seed, and which shall be enjoyed by them for evermore.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Gen 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
Ver. 15. For all the land which thou seest is thine. ] “God gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as a foot breadth”; Act 7:5 yet he promised that he would give it to him: and that Abram took for good freehold. Men use to reckon their wealth, not by what ready money they have only, but by the good bonds and leases they can produce. A great part of a Christian’s estate lies in bonds and bills of God’s hand.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
to thee. Repeated to Isaac (Gen 26:3), and to Jacob (Gen 28:13; Gen 35:12). See note on Gen 50:24.
for ever. Hence Israel is “the everlasting nation”, Isa 44:7. “To thee” ensures resurrection. Compare Mat 22:23-33.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Gen 12:7, Gen 15:18, Gen 17:7, Gen 17:8, Gen 18:18, Gen 24:7, Gen 26:3, Gen 26:4, Gen 28:4, Gen 28:13, Gen 35:12, Gen 48:4, Exo 33:1, Num 34:2, Num 34:12-29, Deu 26:2-4, Deu 34:4, 2Ch 20:7, Neh 9:7, Neh 9:8, Psa 37:22, Psa 37:29, Psa 105:9-12, Psa 112:1, Psa 112:2, Isa 63:18, Mat 5:5, Act 7:5
Reciprocal: Gen 15:7 – to give Gen 31:3 – land Gen 46:3 – I will Gen 50:24 – sware Exo 3:8 – unto a good Exo 32:13 – I will multiply Lev 10:15 – for ever Num 10:29 – the Lord Num 11:12 – the land Deu 1:8 – which Deu 3:27 – lift up Deu 6:10 – land Deu 9:5 – that he may Jos 21:43 – General 1Ki 8:34 – which thou gavest 1Ch 16:18 – Unto thee 2Ch 6:25 – which thou Neh 9:23 – which thou Psa 105:11 – Unto thee Jer 32:22 – which Eze 47:14 – lifted up mine hand Gal 3:16 – to Heb 11:8 – which
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for {l} ever.
(l) Meaning a long time, and till the coming of Christ as in Exo 12:14; Exo 21:6, De 15:17 and spiritually this refers to the true children of Abram born according to the promise, and not according to the flesh, which are heirs of the true land of Canaan.