Genesis15:17

Translation

Now it came to pass that, when the sun went,

and it was dark, behold a smoking kiln

and a flaming torch that passed between the parts.

Paraphrase

Now it so happened that, when the sun had set and it was dark, Look! an amazing sight! A smoking fire that lit everything up like a burning torch passed between the cut pieces of the animals.

Footnotes

1

“the sun went”. It is a different form of the same word used in verse 12. Context could cause it to be translated with some explanatory preposition, such as “went in, went out” or here “went down.” I have chosen to keep it simple in the translation side to show you that the text only says “the sun went;” it is our understanding of what the sun does every day that informs us where the sun went – it went down, out of sight.

2

We are not sure what Abraham saw. The word I have rendered as “a kiln” could mean anything in which one could put fire – a furnace, an oven, a kiln, a wood stove for cooking, or a wood stove for heating a home. The idea being conveyed is that fire, serving as a representation of God Himself, passed between the pieces. The vessel that contained that fire is not the focus here. Therefore, the paraphrase column communicates the intended meaning that fire passed between the cut pieces. In the translation column I have chosen “kiln” because it would usually contain a larger, hotter fire than the other options. In reality we don’t know what he saw.

The fire Abraham saw produced both smoke and light. Although the light and the smoke are listed separately, it was one entity that passed between the pieces, not two. This entity (God) had three qualities that were highlighted by the way the event was described.

Re: Imagery: Is it possible, or even likely, that some symbolism was intended? Yes. First of all God took the form of something which could not possibly represent all of Him, but it did represent some of what He is like. Fire symbolized purification or punishment; smoke represented destruction; light stood for the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom. In this way God was communicating the following truths as they related to this covenant relationship: “I am the one that can purify you, but if you don’t follow my ways (the covenant conditions) you will be punished harshly and your destruction will be complete. Therefore, obey what I am trying to teach you.”