Genesis 15:16

Summary

The verse states that a fourth generation will return to "here," giving as the reason (ki, "for") that the iniquity of the Amorite has not yet reached completion. It links a future return to a specific place with the moral/legal state of a named people.

Key words

• Dor ("[the] generation", H1755) — masculine singular noun, paired with the ordinal re.vi.'i ("fourth", H7243) to mark a temporal span measured in generations rather than years.
• yashuvu ("they will return", H7725G) — qal imperfect, third person masculine plural; the imperfect aspect marks this as an ongoing or future action, here pointing to a future return rather than a completed one.
• ki ("for", H3588A) — a subordinating particle introducing the reason clause; it connects the statement about the fourth generation to the condition described afterward.
• shalem ("[is] complete", H8003) — masculine singular adjective, predicated with the negation lo' ("not", H3808), describing a state not yet reached.
• 'avon ("[the] iniquity of", H5771G) — masculine singular noun in construct form, meaning it is grammatically bound to the following word ha-'Emori ("the Amorite", H0567) to form "iniquity of the Amorite."

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence divides into two clauses joined by ki ("for", H3588A). The first clause, ve-dor revi'i yashuvu henah ("and [the] fourth generation they will return hither"), uses the qal imperfect yashuvu (H7725G) to project the return into future time, paired with the adverb henah ("hither", H2008) indicating direction toward a place. The subject "fourth generation" (dor revi'i) functions as the grammatical agent of the return, though the plural verb form agrees with an implied group rather than the singular noun dor.

The second clause supplies the reason for the delay: lo' shalem 'avon ha-'Emori 'ad henah ("not complete [is] the iniquity of the Amorite until now"). Here shalem (H8003) is a predicate adjective negated by lo' (H3808), asserting an incomplete state. The construct chain 'avon ha-'Emori (H5771G + H0567) binds "iniquity" tightly to "the Amorite," specifying whose iniquity is measured. The repetition of henah (H2008) at the end, glossed here as "now," creates a temporal frame parallel to its earlier locative use, marking two boundaries — a future place of return and a present point of incompleteness.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders dor revi'i ("fourth generation") as tetartē...genea ("fourth generation"), matching the Hebrew closely, and translates shalem (H8003, "complete") with anapeplērōntai ("have been filled up"), using a verb rather than the Hebrew's adjective construction. The Vulgate similarly shifts to a verbal form, completae sunt ("have been completed"), for the adjectival shalem. The English BSB and Spanish SBLIBRE render 'avon (H5771G) as "iniquity" and "maldad" respectively, both singular abstractions, consistent with the Hebrew singular noun.