What Does Genesis 15:6 Mean in the King James?
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Trust is not merely belief about the LORD here; it is reliance the LORD reckons as alignment.
THE MEANING
Trusting the LORD means leaning your full weight on one who is firm. The verse says that trust is counted to you as alignment: rightness is named by the LORD within a relationship, not manufactured as a claim about yourself.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that alignment with God must be self-earned: here, it is reckoned to the one who trusts.
THE ROOT
וְהֶאֱמִן
wehe'emin
GROWS FROM
אמן
Firmness; being reliable or steady.
The verb translated “believed” comes from a root of firmness and reliability, and here describes trust in the LORD. Its family includes אֱמוּנָה (emunah, trust and steadiness) and אָמֵן (amen, firm affirmation), so this trust carries the sense of resting on what is firm.
ALSO GROWS
emunah: Trust, firmness, or steadiness.
אֱמוּנָה
This branch shows that trust is a settled reliance, not merely agreement with an idea.
ne'eman: Reliable or trustworthy.
נֶאֱמָן
The same root describes what can be relied upon, illuminating the firmness of the one trusted.
amen: A firm affirmation; truly.
אָמֵן
This familiar word preserves the root’s sense of something confirmed and firm.
צְדָקָה
tsedaqah
GROWS FROM
צדק
To be right or just; rightness and alignment.
The word translated “righteousness” belongs to the צדק (ts-d-q, rightness/alignment) family. That gives the reckoning the texture of being recognized as aligned, rather than simply receiving a label.
ALSO GROWS
tsedeq: Rightness, justice, or alignment.
צֶדֶק
This closely related noun makes the alignment contained in “righteousness” visible.
tsaddiq: One who is just or aligned.
צַדִּיק
The branch names a person by the state of rightness that this verse says is reckoned to him.
וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ
wayyaḥsheveha
GROWS FROM
חשב
To think, reckon, or account.
The verb translated “counted” also carries the sense of thinking, reckoning, or accounting. Its branches connect the LORD’s reckoning with considered thought and an account: trust is regarded as alignment.
ALSO GROWS
machshavah: A thought, consideration, or plan.
מַחְשָׁבָה
This branch shows that reckoning involves considering or regarding something, not only tallying it.
cheshbon: An account or calculation.
חֶשְׁבּוֹן
This branch preserves the accounting sense of the verse’s “counted” while showing that a reckoning is being made.
THE PATTERN
The LORD’s reckoning names trust or a lived response as alignment.
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.THE THREAD
And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.Psalm 106:31 shares the Hebrew roots חשב (chashav, reckon) and צדק (tsedeq, rightness/alignment) with this verse. Genesis names trust as what is reckoned; the shared roots reveal the reckoning itself as the link between a response and alignment.
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