Texts in Conversation
Genesis 15 says God counted Abram’s trust as righteousness. The Samaritan Pentateuch reverses this and has Abram view God’s promise as righteous, creating a different picture of how trust and righteousness are connected.
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Genesis 15:6
Hebrew Bible
4 But look, the Lord’s message came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 The Lord took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars—if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord credited it as righteousness to him. 7 The Lord said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, by what can I know that I am to possess it?”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Samaritan Genesis 15:6
Samaritan Penteteuch
Samaritan
4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; And he reckoned it to Him as righteousness. 7 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. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
Date: 130-120 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Genesis 15:6 “To Him” — It is Abram who took it as righteousness from Him to him. Later Abram learned from Him and he did the same with others. (Genesis 18:19 — Abram was righteous and would raise his children to be righteous) ..."
Tsedaka, Benyamim
The Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah: First English Translation Compared with the Masoretic Version
(p. 27) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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The Samaritan version is consistent with the dialogue in Genesis 18:23-25, where we see Abraham interviewing (a potential candidate for the position of) God, speaking to him not as an equal, but as a "greater than", with language like "Far be it from you!".