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Exodus 12:40
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt,was four hundred and thirty years.

Amorites.

1 Kings 21:26
And he did very abominably in following idols, according to allthings as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

2 Peter 3:8,9
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one dayis with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day…

not.

Daniel 8:23
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

Zechariah 5:5-11
Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see whatis this that goeth forth…

Matthew 23:32-35
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers…

your descendants will return here
This promise refers to the land of Canaan, which God has promised to Abram and his descendants. The return signifies the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abram, where his descendants will inherit the land. This is a prophetic statement pointing to the eventual conquest of Canaan under Joshua, as recorded in the book of Joshua. The return also signifies God's faithfulness to His promises, despite the intervening period of hardship in Egypt.

for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete
The Amorites were one of the Canaanite peoples inhabiting the land promised to Abram. This phrase suggests that God is allowing time for the Amorites to reach a full measure of sin before judgment is executed upon them. It reflects God's justice and patience, as He does not bring judgment prematurely. This concept is echoed in other scriptures, such as2 Peter 3:9, which speaks of God's patience and desire for repentance. The eventual conquest of Canaan is thus portrayed as a divine judgment on the Amorites' accumulated sin, rather than an arbitrary act of aggression by the Israelites.

– “Generation” points to four successive family lines, not a vague era.

– The larger context includes the earlier word to Abram: “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own” (Genesis 15:13). Four generations readily fit the 400–430 year sojourn recorded inExodus 12:40.

– Scripture’s historical record confirms the count: Levi ➔ Kohath ➔ Amram ➔ Moses (Exodus 6:16-20). God’s timetable is exact, underscoring His sovereignty over history.

– “Here” is Canaan, the land originally promised inGenesis 12:7 and restated inGenesis 13:14-17.

– The return is future-tense because Abram is still a nomad; the exodus and conquest await.

– God ties deliverance and land together: “I have come down to rescue them… and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land” (Exodus 3:8).

– This promise anchors Israel’s identity; Moses would later remind the people, “See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess it” (Deuteronomy 1:8).

– “Amorites” often represents the entire Canaanite population (Genesis 10:16;Joshua 24:15).

– Their “iniquity” refers to entrenched idolatry, sexual perversion, and child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:24-25;Deuteronomy 12:31).

– God’s justice is morally grounded: “It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out” (Deuteronomy 9:4-5).

– The coming conquest is not ethnic aggression but divine judgment on unrepentant sin.

– The phrase reveals God’s patience. Judgment is withheld until sin fills up its measure—an echo of “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ sins” (Matthew 23:32).

– This principle shows up throughout Scripture:

• God waited in Noah’s day while the ark was being prepared (1 Peter 3:20).

• He gave Nineveh forty days, and they repented (Jonah 3:10).

• He “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3:9).

– Yet patience has an endpoint. Persistent rebellion stores up wrath (Romans 2:4-5). When the Amorites’ iniquity reached its full measure, Israel became the appointed instrument of judgment (Joshua 10:8-10).

Genesis 15:16 reveals God’s perfectly balanced character: sovereign control over history, unwavering faithfulness to His promises, and patient but certain justice. Four generations would pass; Israel would leave Egypt and return to Canaan exactly as foretold. Meanwhile, the Amorites received time to repent, yet their escalating sin confirmed the righteousness of their eventual removal. The verse assures believers that God’s timing is precise, His promises are sure, and His judgments are always founded on both holiness and mercy.

The iniquity of the Amorites.--As the chief and leading tribe, they are used here for all the Canaanite nations. We learn from this declaration that the Canaanites were not extirpated by any wilful decree to make room for Israel, but as an act of justice, like that which, because of their moral depravity, overwhelmed the Sethites with a flood. So, subsequently, Israel and Judah had each to bear a punishment in accordance with their sinfulness; and so, throughout the history of the world, whenever nations settle down in vice and corruption, the decay of their institutions follows upon that of their morals, and they either waste away or give place to some more manly race of conquerors. The conquest of Canaan by Israel was parallel to that of the enervated Roman empire of the West by the Germans; only we see the preparation for it. and God's purpose explained; and we also see that if the Amorites had not made the scale of justice weigh down heavily, they would not have been deprived of their country.