יוֹרֵ֥שׁ (yō·w·rêš) in Genesis 15:3: Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
יוֹרֵ֥שׁ (yō·w·rêš) in Genesis 15:3
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Genesis 15:3 links the English rendering "will be my heir" with יוֹרֵ֥שׁ, Strong's H3423, and the morphology tag V-Qal-Prtcpl-ms.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form clarifies that Abram is not merely discussing property, but naming the heir problem before God's promise is reaffirmed.
How To Communicate It
When teaching Genesis 15:3, use the participle to show Abram naming the heir problem inside his complaint, while God's promise carries the larger covenant answer.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the participle label carry the whole promise-and-inheritance theology of Genesis 15.
- Do not treat Qal as if it always means simple action in an interpretive sense.
- Do not treat this occurrence as a complete word study for the whole Hebrew lemma.
- Do not use the grammar profile as a shortcut around the wording and logic of the verse.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Qal
Participle
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
The participle presents the action or description in a sustained way, while the verse decides how that description functions.
This form carries the BSB rendering "will be my heir" within Genesis 15:3. 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 phrase rendered "will be my heir" in Genesis 15:3
The participle stands inside Abram's complaint that no offspring has been given, and the household-servant language supplies the identity of the proposed heir.
It identifies the one who would inherit in Abram's stated situation, rather than creating a separate inheritance doctrine by itself.
The form does not by itself settle every use of H3423, every inheritance custom, or the whole promise theology of Genesis 15.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The participle identifies the heir relation at the center of Abram's complaint before God's promise is answered.
Participial description of the heir figure. describes the person who would be heir in Abram's stated situation. Attached to the household-servant phrase in Abram's complaint. Governed by the no-offspring complaint in Genesis 15:3. The participle describes the heir relation, while the covenant promise supplies the larger interpretation.
Who is being described as heir? Abram describes the household servant as the one who would be his heir if no offspring is given.
Direct: The participle directly supports the heir wording in this complaint.
The participle is descriptive here and should not be isolated as a timeless inheritance rule. The promise context, not the participle alone, governs the theology of heirship.
Participle proves a separate doctrine: The participle supports Abram's complaint, while Genesis 15 supplies the covenant promise. Qal means simple: Qal names the stem label; the clause determines the form's contribution.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Genesis 15:3 links the English rendering "will be my heir" with יוֹרֵ֥שׁ, Strong's H3423, and the morphology tag V-Qal-Prtcpl-ms.
H3423 is represented here by the lemma יָרַשׁ. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "will be my heir" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The Qal masculine singular participle functions descriptively, naming the one who stands as heir in Abram's complaint.
The form helps the reader hear Abram naming the tension between God's promise and his childless situation.
The form fits Scripture's covenant pattern in which God speaks, promises, judges, gives, and keeps his word.
When teaching Genesis 15:3, use the participle to show Abram naming the heir problem inside his complaint, while God's promise carries the larger covenant answer.
Do not derive a full theology of inheritance from the participle alone. The form identifies the heir relation in this verse, while Genesis 15 supplies the covenant frame.