And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
And he brought him forth abroad. It appears, from several instances, that things are related in Scripture as actually done which yet were only transacted in a vision; and this is one of them, where the text says that God brought Abram forth abroad, and bade him number the stars; while it is evident from Genesis 15:12 that the sun had not gone down (cf. Jeremiah 13:4; Jeremiah 25:17). In the transparent nocturnal sky with which Abram was familiar at Hebron, the firmament would be seen studded in every part with innumerable radiant gems; and although the stars have been mapped and counted by modern astronomers, yet as, to the naked eye, they appear in myriads, it was in this popular sense the sign was now given to Abram.
So shall thy seed be. Of course, his natural seed are here meant-the Jews. He had now a sensible sign to support his faith, when it might be apt to flag or waver. The starry heavens would be thenceforth indissolubly associated with his cherished habits of thought; and we may well suppose that, since his heart was so intently set upon the promise, he would feed his faith with the nightly spectacle, welcoming in the countless stars that sparkled in the ethereal vault an image of his own posterity.