And Abram added: But to me thou hast not given seed: and lo my servant, born in my house, shall be my heir.

And Abram said, Lo, to me thou hast given no seed, and behold, a son of my house will be mine heir.

And Abram saith, 'Lo, to me Thou hast not given seed, and lo, a domestic doth heir me.'

And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.

Abram said, 'Look, to me you have given no offspring: and, look, one born in my house is my heir.'

And Abram added: "Yet to me you have not given offspring. And behold, my servant born in my house will be my heir."

Et dixit Abram, Ecce, mihi non dedisti semen: et ecce, filius domus meae haeres meus est.

And Abram said, behold, to me thou hast given no seed,.... He had bestowed many temporal blessings on him, as well as spiritual ones, having given himself in covenant, and all things in it, but he had not given him a child:
and lo, one born in my house is mine heir; meaning either Eliezer or his son, whom he had made his heir, or intended to make him, since he had no child; or of course he would have been to, Lot his nephew having no sons; and this Eliezer descending from Aram, the youngest son of Shem, was like to be next heir, if Abram should have no child of his own, as Dr. Lightfoot observes (g).
(g) Works, vol. 1. p. 695.

Eliezer of Damascus . . . one born in my house is mine heir--According to the usage of nomadic tribes, his chief confidential servant, would be heir to his possessions and honors. But this man could have become his son only by adoption; and how sadly would that have come short of the parental hopes he had been encouraged to entertain! His language betrayed a latent spirit of fretfulness or perhaps a temporary failure in the very virtue for which he is so renowned--and absolute submission to God's time, as well as way, of accomplishing His promise.

Behold to me thou hast given no seed - Not only no son, but no seed. If he had had a daughter, from her the promised Messias might have come, who was to be the Seed of the Woman; but he had neither son nor daughter.