„Abram pvjerova Jahvi, i on mu to uračuna u pravednost"
"Abram believed the Lord: and the Lord reckoned it to him as Righteousness"

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, produced following the author’s participation in the biblical symposium organized by Croat biblical scholars in Sarajevo on the 14 and 15 December 2012, the author analyzes the intriguing and extremely challenging biblical text Genesis 15 (specifically, Gen 15:6). The author begins by reviewing the rich and abundant literature dealing with this text. He goes on to analyze the ways in which different authors have approached Genesis 15 in the last hundred years, from Julius Wellhausen to Norbert Lohfink, examining their conclusions. In this way he highlights the differences in approaches to the text and the different conclusions reached. However, there is broad consensus among the researchers that the first part of the text (Gen 15: 1-5) belongs to the Elohist and the second part (Gen 15:7-22) to the Jahvist tradition, with some editing additions, corrections and omissions relating to the source tradition. Genesis 15 was probably written, or at least edited, in the middle of the seventh century BC. The researchers agree that the text does not constitute a historical narration, in the strict sense, but is more probably a prophetic collection of salvation oracles. Using these salvation oracles the inspired author or the redactor emphasizes the exemplar figure of Abraham in the tradition of the Old Testament. The author proceeds to analyze the history of the text in light of biblical traditions and examines its place in these traditions. He then shows the compact and precise nature of the text’s structure: 15:1-5 → 15:6 ← 15:7-22, where 15:6 has the central place and the role of connecting the two parts in one literal unity. In the main analysis, the author looks in depth at the sentence “Vĕhe ͗ĕmin baJHVH vayyaḥšĕbehā lô tsĕḏāqāh”, translated as “Abram put his faith in Yahweh, and he credited it to him as righteousness”. As this sentence is a central element in the whole of Genesis 15, the author analyzes it as extensively as space allows. From the semantic perspective, he analyzes the Hebrew terms he ͗ĕmin, ḥāšaḇ and tsĕḏāqāh. The first Hebrew word he ͗ĕmin is the hiphil form of ͗aman and means to believe, to put one’s faith in someone. Abram became steadfast in Yahweh. This is the first time that the word he ͗ĕmin appears in the Bible. The second part of this verse records Yahweh’s response to Abram’s exercise of faith: he credited it (wayyaḥšĕbehā) to him as righteousness. The author analyzes the verbs ḥāšaḇ and tsĕḏāqāh and explains the meaning of ḥāšaḇ and tsĕḏāqāh. At the end of the paper the author explores the meaning of faith and justice in the framework of the Old Testament.

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