And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
he believed.
Romans 4:3-6,9,20-25 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness…
Galatians 3:6-14 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness…
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
he counted.
Psalm 106:31 And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.
Romans 4:11,22 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: …
2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
and it was credited to him
The term "credited" is an accounting term, indicating that something is reckoned or counted. In the cultural and historical context, this implies a legal or formal acknowledgment of a status or condition. This concept of crediting righteousness is pivotal in understanding the doctrine of justification by faith, which is a cornerstone of Christian theology. It suggests that righteousness is not earned by works but is granted by God through faith. This principle is further elaborated in the New Testament, where it is applied to all believers, showing that righteousness before God is a gift, not a result of human effort.
as righteousness
Righteousness in this context refers to a right standing before God. In the ancient Near Eastern context, righteousness was often associated with fulfilling obligations in relationships, whether with God or with others. Abram's faith is seen as fulfilling his relational obligation to trust God, and thus God considers him righteous. This sets a precedent for the biblical theme that righteousness is based on faith rather than adherence to the law, a theme that is central to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The concept of righteousness through faith is also prophetic, pointing to the coming of Jesus Christ, who embodies perfect righteousness and offers it to believers through faith in Him.
Before the verse unfolds, God has just promised Abram innumerable offspring and an heir from his own body (Genesis 15:1-5). Standing under a star-filled sky, Abram hears the promise and responds.
• Abram’s response was trust, not negotiation or skepticism.
• Faith here is personal reliance—Abram rests in God’s word rather than his own sight (compare Hebrews 11:8-12; Romans 4:18-21).
• This faith is active: it moves Abram to follow, wait, and obey (Genesis 12:4; 22:1-3).
• The object of Abram’s faith is the covenant-making LORD, the same One who called him out of Ur (Genesis 12:1-3).
• Trust is only as strong as its object; Abram’s faith is sure because the LORD’s character is sure (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 18:2).
• The covenant name highlights God’s personal, faithful commitment to Abram and his descendants (Exodus 3:14-15).
• “Credited” speaks of an accounting term: God places righteousness on Abram’s ledger (Romans 4:3-8).
• The act is entirely God’s; Abram does not earn but receives (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• This sets a pattern for imputed righteousness later clarified in Christ (Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• The pronoun stresses individual application: Abram, with all his imperfections, is personally declared right before God (Genesis 12:10-13; 20:1-2).
• Salvation has always been personal as well as corporate (Galatians 3:6-9).
• Faith, not ancestry or effort, is what God looks for in each heart (John 1:12-13).
• God considers Abram fully righteous—legally cleared, relationally accepted (Romans 5:1).
• This righteousness is God’s gift, not a human achievement (Titus 3:5-7).
• The principle foretells the gospel: “the righteous will live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17).
Genesis 15:6 shows that God counts faith, not works, as righteousness. Abram hears God’s promise, trusts the Promiser, and is declared righteous. This verse anchors the doctrine of justification by faith, revealing that from the earliest pages of Scripture right standing with God has always come through trusting His word and His saving initiative.
(6) He believed in the Lord (in Jehovah) . . . --We have here the germ of the doctrine of free justification. Abram was both a holy man and one who proved his faith by his works; but nevertheless the inspired narrator inserts this reflection, not after the history of the offering of Isaac, but in the account of this vision, where all that Abram did was to believe, and for that belief's sake was accounted righteous before God. For the definite conclusions deduced from this verse by St. Paul see Romans 4. The quotation there is from the LXX., and gives the general sense, but the correct rendering of the Hebrew is that given in our version.Verse 6. - And he believed in the Lord. The hiphil of the verb aman, to prop or stay, signifies to build upon, hence to rest one's faith upon; and this describes exactly the mental act of the patriarch, who reposed his confidence in the Divine character, and based his hope of a future seed on the Divine word. And he counted it to him. Ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ (LXX.), which is followed by nearly all the ancient versions, and by Paul in Romans 4:3; but the suffix ך (a feminine for a neuter, as in Job 5:9; Psalm 12:4; Psalm 27:4; vide Glass, ' Phil,' lib. 3. cp. 1:19), clearly indicates the object of the action expressed by the verb הָשַׁב, to think, to meditate, and then to impute (λογίζομαι), followed by לְ of pers. and acc. of the thing (cf. 2 Samuel 19:20; Psalm 32:2). The thing in this case was his faith in the Divine promise. For righteousness. צְדְקְהְ - εἰς δίκαιοσύνην (LXX.); neither for merit and justice (Rabbi Solomon, Jarchi, Ealiseh), nor as a proof of his probity (Gesenius, Rosenmüller); but unto and with a view to justification (Romans 4:3), so that God treated him as a righteous person (A Lapide), not, however, in the sense that he was now "correspondent to the will of God both in character and conduct" (Keil), but in the sense that he was now before God accepted and forgiven' (Luther, Calvin, Murphy, Candlish), which "passive righteousness, however, ultimately wrought in him an "active righteousness of complete conformity to the Divine will" ('Speaker's Commentary'). CHAPTER 15:7-21
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