יֵצֵ֣א (yê·ṣê) in Genesis 15:4: Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
יֵצֵ֣א (yê·ṣê) in Genesis 15:4
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Genesis 15:4 links the English rendering "comes from" with יֵצֵ֣א, Strong's H3318, and the morphology label V-Qal-Imperf-3ms.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form clarifies that the Lord's promise turns from a household substitute to a bodily descendant.
How To Communicate It
In explanation of Genesis 15:4, use this form to show how the promise identifies the heir's origin.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not treat the Hebrew imperfect as a simple English future in every passage.
- Do not use the Qal stem by itself to settle a theological claim.
- Do not turn this occurrence into a complete word study for the whole lemma.
- Let the surrounding clause decide whether the form is question, promise, assurance, or narrative expectation.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Qal
Imperfect
Third person
Masculine
Singular
The imperfect form presents the action as unfolding, expected, or desired in context; Genesis 15:4 determines how that force is heard.
This form carries the BSB rendering "comes from" within Genesis 15:4. Genesis 15 anchors God's covenant promise to Abram, moving from promise and faith to assurance and covenant sign.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The heir promise in Genesis 15:4, where the heir is one who comes from Abram's own body
The Hebrew imperfect form within the clause and speaker setting
It identifies the promised heir by origin, not merely by household arrangement.
It does not make the Hebrew imperfect a simple English future in every context or settle the passage theology by itself.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form helps define the promised heir in the Lord's direct answer to Abram.
Qal imperfect third masculine singular in an identifying promise phrase. describes the origin of the promised heir. Attached to the heir promise in Genesis 15:4, where the heir is one who comes from Abram's own body. Governed by the clause, speaker setting, and covenant-promise context. The imperfect should be interpreted from the sentence movement, not flattened into one English tense value.
Where will Abram's heir come from? The heir will come from Abram's own body.
Direct: The imperfect directly supports the rendering "comes from" in this occurrence.
Hebrew imperfect forms can express future, modal, expected, or context-shaped action. The clause determines whether the form is heard as question, assurance, promise, or expectation. The Qal stem identifies the form but does not carry the full theological claim.
Hebrew imperfect always means simple future: The imperfect is shaped by clause context and should not be flattened into one English tense. Qal means the claim is simple: Qal identifies the stem; the covenant context carries the theological weight. grammar alone proves covenant doctrine: The form supports the clause; the passage and canon govern larger doctrine.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Genesis 15:4 links the English rendering "comes from" with יֵצֵ֣א, Strong's H3318, and the morphology label V-Qal-Imperf-3ms.
H3318 is represented here by the lemma יָצָא. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "comes from" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The imperfect functions inside the promise statement that identifies the heir as one coming from Abram himself.
Genesis 15 anchors God's covenant promise to Abram, moving from promise and faith to assurance and covenant sign.
The form fits Scripture's covenant pattern in which God speaks, promises, judges, gives, and keeps his word.
When teaching Genesis 15:4, use this form to show how the promise identifies the heir's origin.
Do not derive the whole theology of seed, heirship, or promise from V-Qal-Imperf-3ms alone. The form identifies the heir phrase in this verse.