Genesis 17:3

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ¹  and God said to him, ² 

Genesis 17:8

17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ³  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ⁴  possession. I will be their God.”

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¹ tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.

² tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

⁴ tn Or “as an eternal.”