Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 15:8

"And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" — Genesis 15:8 (ASV)

Lord God. —Hebrew, Lord Jehovah, as in Genesis 15:2.

Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? —Jehovah had required Abram to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees on a general promise of future endowment with the land of Canaan. Abram now asks this question, not from a lack of faith, but from a desire for a more direct confirmation of the promise and fuller knowledge of the details. What Abram, therefore, receives is an exact and detailed prophecy, made in the form of a solemn covenant.