What Does Genesis 15:8 Mean in the King James?
And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
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
The verb “know” reaches beyond information toward encounter, so the question asks how the promise becomes tangible.
THE MEANING
A promise can be trusted while its fulfillment still feels unseen. Your question asks how what is promised becomes something you can know and hold. The request keeps uncertainty and relationship in the same breath: the LORD is still the one being addressed.
THE ROOT
אֵדַע
ʾēdaʿ
GROWS FROM
ידע
To know, recognize, or perceive.
“know” in this verse is ʾēdaʿ. Yada can mean more than possessing information; it can include recognition through encounter. Its branches keep knowledge and knowing on the same seed, giving the question a reach beyond “How can I be certain?” toward “How will I recognize this as real?”
ALSO GROWS
daʿat: Knowledge, understanding
דַּעַת
This noun shows that the question about knowing belongs to a wider family of perception and understanding.
yediʿah: Knowledge, knowing
יְדִיעָה
The shared root links the act of knowing to knowledge itself, keeping the verse focused on recognition rather than mere possession of a promise.
אִירָשֶׁנָּה
ʾîrāšennāh
GROWS FROM
ירשׁ
To inherit or take possession; in causative forms, to dispossess.
The root behind “inherit” can describe both taking possession and dispossessing. That makes the promised inheritance concrete: the question concerns land becoming possessed, not only an inward feeling of assurance.
ALSO GROWS
yerushah: Inheritance, possession
יְרוּשָׁה
This branch names the inheritance itself, tying the question to what is promised.
yōrēš: Heir, one who inherits
יוֹרֵשׁ
This branch names the person who receives or takes possession, bringing the question close to the one who will inherit.
THE PATTERN
When a promise reaches beyond what can be seen, a question asks for confirming knowledge or a sign.
And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.THE THREAD
And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.The prior verse names the promised inheritance as land given to him, using the same ירשׁ root as “inherit” in this question. Together, the verses show that knowing concerns a promised, tangible possession, not a vague feeling of certainty.
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