Genesis xv: Sequence and Unity* Ruth Fidler he University of Haifa Abstract Genesis xv has puzzled many generations of readers. It exhibits leitmotifs and structural features that suggest unity, but also inconsistencies and doublets that suggest the opposite. Rather than gloss over the latter or play down the former, this investigation tries to account for both. A trans- position of the two major promise themes, offspring and land, reveals a coherent narrative: vss. 1a, 7-18*, 3-6. Comparison of complex promise speeches in “P” with their “non-P” counterparts shows that the present offspring-land sequence is a great favourite with “P”, while “non-P” uses the land-offspring sequence whenever it suits the context. A P-inspired redactor was probably responsible for moving the offspring-centered dialogue to the beginning of Genesis xv, reworking it as a separate episode (vv. 1-6). his hypothesis is further supported by an examination of transposition and redactional practice elsewhere, particularly in Gen. xxxv 9-12. Keywords Abraham, covenant, sequence, promise(s), offspring, land he bibliography on Genesis xv in some commentaries on Genesis 1 would suffice to show that the ‘Covenant between the Pieces’ has received its fair share of scholarly attention. Not the least reason for this attention is the apparent lack of unity in this promise narrative. 2 he present addition to the bulk of publications is offered as a fresh attempt at this vexed question that takes its cue from the sequence of the two main themes of promise: offspring (vss. 1-6) * ) he first version of the hypothesis proposed in this article was presented in the 14th IOSOT Congress, Paris, 1992. Some responses are acknowledged in nn. 20, 39, 64. 1) E.g. C. Westermann, Genesis 12-36: A Commentary (trans. J. J. Scullion S. J.; Minneapolis, 1985), pp. 209-212; G. W. Coats, Genesis, with an Introduction to Narrative Literature (FOTL, 1; Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983), pp. 126f.; G. J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15 (Word Biblical Commentary, 1; Waco, Texas, 1987), pp. 322f. 2) For this and similar definitions (“Verheißungs-Erzhälung”, “für die Verheißungen konstruierte Erzählung”, as well as “nachgeahmte Erzhälung” = “factitious narrative”) see N. Lohfink, Die Landverheißung als Eid: Eine Studie zu Gn 15 (Stuttgarter Bibelstudien 28; Stuttgart, 1967), p. 33; Vetus Testamentum www.brill.nl/vt © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007 DOI: 10.1163/156853307X183695 Vetus Testamentum 57 (2007) 162-180