Genesis 15:16
New International Version
In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

New Living Translation
After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

English Standard Version
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Berean Standard Bible
In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

King James Bible
But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

New King James Version
But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

New American Standard Bible
Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

NASB 1995
“Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

NASB 1977
“Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

Amplified Bible
Then in the fourth generation your descendants shall return here [to Canaan, the land of promise], for the wickedness and guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete (finished).”

Christian Standard Bible
In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

American Standard Version
And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.

Contemporary English Version
Four generations later, your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here be so sinful that they deserve to be punished.

English Revised Version
And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, because the sin of the Amorites will not have run its course until then."

Good News Translation
It will be four generations before your descendants come back here, because I will not drive out the Amorites until they become so wicked that they must be punished."

International Standard Version
Your descendants will return here in the fourth generation, since the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet run its course."

Majority Standard Bible
In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

NET Bible
In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit."

New Heart English Bible
In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

Webster's Bible Translation
But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

World English Bible
In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the fourth generation turns back here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

Young's Literal Translation
and the fourth generation doth turn back hither, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the fourth generation they shall turn back hither: for the crime of the Amorite has not been completed till now.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But in the fourth generation they shall return hither: for as yet the iniquities of the Amorrhites are not at the full until this present time.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But in the fourth generation, they will return here. For the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet completed, even to this present time.”

New American Bible
In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the wickedness of the Amorites is not yet complete.

New Revised Standard Version
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And after four centuries, they shall return here; for the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet full.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And in the fourth age they shall return here, because the debts of the Amorites are not yet fulfilled.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And in the fourth generation they shall return hither, for the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up, even until now.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Confirms His Promise
15You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. 16In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses.…

Cross References
Exodus 12:40-41
Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years. / At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 18:24-28
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. / Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. / But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. ...

Deuteronomy 9:4-5
When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. / It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Acts 7:6-7
God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. / ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’

Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Galatians 3:17
What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God, so as to nullify the promise.

Hebrews 11:9-10
By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. / For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

1 Kings 21:26
He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)

2 Kings 21:11
“Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin,

Nehemiah 9:8
You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites and Hittites, of the Amorites and Perizzites, of the Jebusites and Girgashites—to give it to his descendants. You have kept Your promise, because You are righteous.

Jeremiah 25:12
But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

Ezekiel 20:9-10
But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. / So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.

Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Matthew 23:32
Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.

Luke 21:24
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.


Treasury of Scripture

But in the fourth generation they shall come here again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

in the.

Exodus 12:40
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

Amorites.

1 Kings 21:26
And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

2 Peter 3:8,9
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day…

not.

Daniel 8:23
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

Zechariah 5:5-11
Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth…

Matthew 23:32-35
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers…

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Amorite Amorites Complete Descendants Fourth Full Generation Hither Iniquity Measure Present Reached Sin Turn
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Amorite Amorites Complete Descendants Fourth Full Generation Hither Iniquity Measure Present Reached Sin Turn
Genesis 15
1. God encourages Abram, who asks for an heir.
4. God promises him a son, and a multiplying of his seed.
6. Abram is justified by faith.
7. Canaan is promised again,
9. and confirmed by a sign, and a vision,
18. prophetic of the condition of his posterity till brought out of Egypt.














In the fourth generation
This phrase indicates a specific period of time, suggesting a divine timetable. The Hebrew word for "generation" is "dor," which can mean a period of time or a cycle of life. In the context of ancient Near Eastern culture, a generation was often considered to be about 40 years. Thus, "the fourth generation" implies a span of approximately 160 years. This reflects God's sovereign control over history and His precise timing in fulfilling His promises. It reassures believers that God's plans unfold according to His perfect schedule, even when human understanding is limited.

your descendants
The Hebrew term "zera" is used here, meaning "seed" or "offspring." This word emphasizes the continuity of God's covenant promises through Abraham's lineage. It highlights the importance of family and generational blessings in the biblical narrative. The promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land is a central theme in the Bible, underscoring God's faithfulness to His covenant people. This assurance of a future inheritance encourages believers to trust in God's promises for their own lives and future generations.

will return here
The phrase "will return" signifies a future action and fulfillment of God's promise. The Hebrew verb "shuv" means "to return" or "to come back." This indicates a restoration to a place of origin, in this case, the land of Canaan. It reflects the theme of redemption and restoration that runs throughout Scripture. The promise of return is a powerful reminder of God's commitment to His people, even when they are in a foreign land or in difficult circumstances. It inspires hope and confidence in God's ability to bring His people back to their rightful place.

for the iniquity of the Amorites
The term "iniquity" is translated from the Hebrew word "avon," which denotes sin, guilt, or moral perversity. The Amorites were one of the Canaanite tribes inhabiting the land promised to Abraham's descendants. This phrase indicates that God is patient and just, allowing time for the Amorites to repent before executing judgment. It underscores the biblical principle that God is slow to anger and abounding in mercy, yet He will not leave the guilty unpunished. This serves as a warning and a call to repentance for all nations and individuals.

is not yet complete
The Hebrew word "shalem" means "complete" or "full." This suggests that there is a measure of sin that, once reached, will result in divine judgment. It reflects the concept of God's justice and the idea that He allows time for repentance before enacting judgment. This phrase reassures believers that God is in control and that His justice will ultimately prevail. It encourages patience and trust in God's timing, knowing that He will address all wrongs in His perfect time. This understanding calls believers to live righteously and to intercede for those who have not yet turned to God.

(16) The fourth generation.--Heb., dor. (See Note on Genesis 6:9.) As the four generations are identical with the four centuries of Genesis 15:13, we have here an undesigned testimony to the long duration of human life. So Abram was 100 years old when Isaac was born, and Isaac was 60 at the birth of his children, and Jacob 64 years of age at his marriage. But the word dor had probably come down from a remote antiquity, and, like the Latin word seculum, signified a century.

The iniquity of the Amorites.--As the chief and leading tribe, they are used here for all the Canaanite nations. We learn from this declaration that the Canaanites were not extirpated by any wilful decree to make room for Israel, but as an act of justice, like that which, because of their moral depravity, overwhelmed the Sethites with a flood. So, subsequently, Israel and Judah had each to bear a punishment in accordance with their sinfulness; and so, throughout the history of the world, whenever nations settle down in vice and corruption, the decay of their institutions follows upon that of their morals, and they either waste away or give place to some more manly race of conquerors. The conquest of Canaan by Israel was parallel to that of the enervated Roman empire of the West by the Germans; only we see the preparation for it. and God's purpose explained; and we also see that if the Amorites had not made the scale of justice weigh down heavily, they would not have been deprived of their country.

Verse 16. - But in the fourth generation, - τετάρτη δὲ γενεᾷ (LXX.); but, more correctly, the fourth generation, calculating 100 years to a generation. "Caleb was the fourth from Judah, and Moses from Levi, and so doubtless many others" (Bush). Drs. Oort and Kuenen, reckoning four generations as a far shorter space of time than four centuries, detect a contradiction between this verse and Ver. 13, and an evidence of the free use which the ancient and uncritical Israelitish author made of his materials ('Bible for Young People,' vol. 1. p. 158). On the import of דּור vide Genesis 6:9 - they shall come hither again (literally, shall return hither): for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Literally, for not completed the iniquity of the Amorites (vide Genesis 14:7; here put for the entire population! until then (the same word as "hither, which is its usual signification).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
In the fourth
רְבִיעִ֖י (rə·ḇî·‘î)
Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 7243: Fourth, a fourth

generation
וְד֥וֹר (wə·ḏō·wr)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1755: A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwelling

[your descendants] will return
יָשׁ֣וּבוּ (yā·šū·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

here,
הֵ֑נָּה (hên·nāh)
Adverb
Strong's 2008: Hither, thither

for
כִּ֧י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the iniquity
עֲוֺ֥ן (‘ă·wōn)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity

of the Amorites
הָאֱמֹרִ֖י (hā·’ĕ·mō·rî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 567: Amorites -- perhaps 'mountain dwellers', a Canaanite tribe

[is] not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

yet
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

complete.”
שָׁלֵ֛ם (šā·lêm)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 8003: Complete, safe, at peace


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OT Law: Genesis 15:16 In the fourth generation they will come (Gen. Ge Gn)
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