NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 41
Genesis 12:16 | 45
12:6 y Heb 11:9
Dt 11:30
a Ge 10:18
b
12:7 Ge 17:1; 18:1;
Ex 6:3 c Ge 13:15, 17;
15:18; 17:8; Ps 105:9-11
d Ge 13:4
12:8 e Ge 13:3
12:9 f Ge 13:1, 3
12:13 g Ge 20:2; 26:7
z Ge 35:4;
6 Abram traveled through the land y as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh z at She
chem. At that time the Canaanites a were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram b and
said, “To your offspring a I will give this land.” c So he built an altar there to the Lord, d who
had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Beth el e and pitched his tent, with Bethel
on the west and Ai on the east. There he b
uilt an altar to the Lord and c alled on the name
of the Lord.
9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. f
Abram in Egypt
12:10-20Ref — Ge 20:1-18; 26:1-11
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to E
gypt to live t here for a
while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife
Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will
say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, g so
that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.
15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken
into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle,
male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and c amels.
a 7 Or
seed
12:6 traveled through the land. Abram’s jour-
ney brings him to Shechem in Canaan. His life-
style as a seminomadic herdsman involved
living in a tent away from urban settlements.
Occasionally large trees identify the locations
of his encampments (13:18). Heb 11:8 – 16 em-
phasizes that Abram intentionally lived in a
tent because he anticipated the creation of
a city designed and built by God. This hope
distinguishes him from the God-defiant city-
builders of Babel (11:1 – 9). Canaanites were in
the land. Although God promises Abram the
land of Canaan, it is already occupied.
12:7 The Lord appeared. Genesis records a
number of occasions when God appeared
12:9 Negev. Means “south” in Hebrew. See
map, p. 2548. Abram moves southward from
Shechem, eventually coming by stages to the
Negev.
12:10 – 20 Abram in Egypt. Egypt was better
equipped than Canaan to withstand famine
caused by drought because of irrigation along
the banks of the Nile River. Given Abram’s
southward trek from Harran to Canaan, Egypt
was a natural place to seek refuge.
12:11 – 13 Rather than trusting in God’s protec-
tion, Abram selfishly devises a cunning ruse.
12:16 camels. It is often stated that refer-
ences to camels in Genesis are anachronis-
tic because camels were not domesticated
to the patriarchs. God pledges to transform
Abram’s present circumstances; at this stage
Abram is both childless and landless.
12:8 Bethel. Means “house of God” in Hebrew.
built an altar. The religious practices of the
patriarchs predate the construction of the
tabernacle and later the temple. The altars
built by the patriarchs anticipate a future
time when God will dwell on the earth per-
manently. Although they did not view God as
residing at these altars, they could encoun-
ter him there (Exod 20:24). Their existence
served as reminders of the patriarch’s spe-
cial relationship with God and the promise
of land.
map_01_12_abraham
~75%
ABRAM’S TRAVELS
Harran
Emar
Tuttul
Euphra
te
Mari
Damascus
Shechem
Salem
Egy
To
pt
Ur
(Tell el-Muqayyar)
Abram’s migration route
Abram’s alternative migration routes
0
0
100 km.
100 mi.