Genesis — Chapter 13
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1So Abram went up out of Egypt into the Negev—he and his wife and all his possessions—and Lot was with him.
2And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.
3From the Negev he journeyed from place to place toward Bethel, until he came to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched,
4to the site where he had built the altar. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
6But the land was unable to support both of them while they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they were unable to coexist.
7And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.
8So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are kinsmen.
9Is not the whole land before you? Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”
10And Lot looked out and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well watered like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
11So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself and set out toward the east. And Abram and Lot parted company.
12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.
14After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west,
15for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.
16I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.
17Get up and walk around the land, through its length and breadth, for I will give it to you.”
18So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.
1And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
14And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
1And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South.
2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3And he went on his journeys from the South even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Ai,
4unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of Jehovah.
5And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram`s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot`s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land.
8And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we are brethren.
9Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If [thou wilt take] the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if [thou take] the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar.
11So Lot chose him all the Plain of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
13Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly.
14And Jehovah said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward:
15for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: So that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then may thy seed also be numbered.
17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.
18And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto Jehovah.
1So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot.
2(Now Abram was very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold.)
3And he journeyed from place to place from the Negev as far as Bethel. He returned to the place where he had pitched his tent at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.
4This was the place where he had first built the altar, and there Abram worshiped the Lord.
5Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.
6But the land could not support them while they were living side by side. Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live alongside one another.
7So there were quarrels between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.)
8Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives.
9Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
10Lot looked up and saw the whole region of the Jordan. He noticed that all of it was well watered (this was before the Lord obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, all the way to Zoar.
11Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled toward the east. So the relatives separated from each other.
12Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain and pitched his tents next to Sodom.
13(Now the people of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.)
14After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west.
15I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants forever.
16And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted.
17Get up and walk throughout the land, for I will give it to you.”
18So Abram moved his tents and went to live by the oaks of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.
1Abram went up out of Egypt—he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him—into the South.
2Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
3He went on his journeys from the South even to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. There Abram called on Yahweh’s name.
5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, herds, and tents.
6The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together; for their substance was great, so that they could not live together.
7There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land at that time.
8Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives.
9Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
10Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.
11So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
13Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.
14Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, “Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,
15for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever.
16I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted.
17Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”
18Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahweh.
Summary
Abram returns from Egypt to the Negev and then Bethel, now very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold (vv. 1-4). Strife breaks out between the herdsmen of Abram and his nephew Lot because the land cannot support both their growing flocks (vv. 5-7). Abram graciously offers Lot the first choice of land to avoid conflict between kinsmen, and Lot chooses the well-watered plain of the Jordan near Sodom, whose people are described as wicked sinners against the Lord (vv. 8-13). After Lot departs, the Lord reaffirms His promise to Abram, telling him to look in every direction because all the land will belong to his offspring, who will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and Abram moves his tents to Hebron and builds an altar there (vv. 14-18).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Bethel (v.4) — Abram returns to where he built an altar, re-establishing worship after the Egypt detour. Located in the central hill country.
- The Jordan plain (v.10) — described as "well watered every where... even as the garden of the LORD" — an Eden-like paradise. Lot chooses it for its appearance, not its righteousness.
- Sodom and Gomorrah (v.10) — located in the Jordan plain, likely near the southern end of the Dead Sea. Choosing beauty over godliness.
- Hebron/Mamre (v.18) — Abram settles here after Lot departs. Located in the southern hill country, about 19 miles south of Jerusalem.
Places on this map
- BethelBeitin, West BankA ridge-road town about 11 miles north of Jerusalem, where Jacob dreamed of the stairway and named the place house of God. Jeroboam later put one of his two golden calves here precisely because pilgrims already came. Wikipedia
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
- Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia
- Dead SeaIsrael / JordanThe lowest exposed ground on earth, about 1,400 feet below sea level, and roughly ten times saltier than the ocean because water leaves only by evaporation. Nothing lives in it, which is the image Ezekiel 47 overturns when he has it filled with fish. Wikipedia
- HebronHebron, West BankThe highest town in the Judean hills at about 3,000 feet, 19 miles south of Jerusalem. Abraham bought a burial cave here, and David reigned from it for seven years before moving north, so it carries both the patriarchal and the royal claim to the land. Wikipedia
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the return to Bethel, the generous separation, Lot's dangerous choice, and God's expanded promise.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: how its opening chapters work as literature and how they set up everything that follows.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Genesis -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Returning to the Altar (v.4) — After the failure in Egypt, Abram goes back to the place where he had first built an altar and calls on the LORD's name again. When you fail, do you return to God, or stay away out of shame?
- Choosing Peace Over Rights (v.8) — Abram moves to end the strife with Lot's herdsmen even though he could rightfully claim first choice of the land. Are you willing to release your rights for the sake of peace, trusting God to provide either way?
- Choosing by Appearance (v.10) — Lot looks at the well-watered Jordan plain and chooses it purely on how good it appears. Where are you making decisions based on what looks good rather than what is actually good?
- A Tent Facing Sodom (v.12) — Lot pitches his tent toward Sodom, a small, gradual step that sets his whole trajectory. What direction is your life quietly facing, and where is it leading over time?
- A Promise That Follows Generosity (vv.14-17) — Right after Abram gives Lot the better land, God expands His promise to Abram even further. When you release something with open hands, are you trusting God to be the one who fills them?