After reading chapter 15:
*We see that Abram has another personal revelation from God. He will have a son and his descendants will be numerous. Plus, God made a binding covenant giving Abram's descendants all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates! This was in spite of the land being well occupied already. I don't think it ever happened, but I guess there is still time.
*Abram believes this and cuts open a bunch of animals, because God told him to. Then he falls asleep and continues his conversation with God, who tells him his descendants will be enslaved for four hundred years. Not to worry, they will come back greater than ever.
* When it got dark a magical torch appeared and passed between the pieces of the cut up animals. Because that's what magical torches do?
*About the Amorites- they did exist at that time. In fact, history records them covering about the same territory that God promises to Abram. They also experienced a downfall about 400 years from Abram's time. This is one of the few historical items in Genesis that actually can be confirmed by reliable extra-biblical evidence. It was probably well known by ancient historians. However, the historical details of the Amorites downfall are somewhat different than the biblical account, as we will see later. What was "the sin of the Amorites?" We may never know.
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