Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 13:1-7”
Categories: Genesis“So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.”
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“So Abram when up from Egypt to the Negev…” (verse 1) As Abram “went down to Egypt” (Genesis 12:10), so he now goes back up. This refers to elevation and not southward and northward direction. He and his clan travelled downward from the hills of Canaan into the plain of the Egyptian delta. Now they ascend back to higher elevation. “And Lot with him.” Even though Lot was not mentioned as being in the entourage that journeyed with Abram down to Egypt, it is obvious from this verse that he was a member of the travelling party. This is further corroborated by what Lot saw in verse 10 when he lifted his eyes and looked toward the land of Sodom and Gomorrah: “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere…like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.” Some scholars doubt that Lot went to Egypt with his uncle, but if he had not, how would he have known what “the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar” looked like?
“Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.” (verse 2) God had promised to bless Abram when He called him to go forth from his hometown and family, and journey into the Land of Promise (Genesis 12:1-3). Already by this time the Lord had blessed him with considerable material wealth. The text doesn’t say where Abram attained his silver and gold, but we learned from yesterday’s reading that Pharaoh paid him a substantial dowry for his “sister” in livestock – “sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels (Genesis 12:16).” Pharaoh lost Sarai from his harem when the Lord subsequently plagued him and his family, but Abram got to keep all his gifts as plunder. This is reminiscent of Pharaoh’s daughter paying Moses’ birthmother to nurse her own child, and future liberator of her people, before he went to live in the royal household (Exodus 2:9).
“He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel…” (verse 3) We see Abram setting his steps aright after having committed a terrible blunder by leaving the land of God’s choosing, and travelling to Egypt and betraying Sarai—his own covenant companion for life. “To the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.” (verse 4) There is little doubt that he made this journey to the place where he had first sacrificed to the Lord in Canaan with a heart full of remorse, begging forgiveness for his distrusting sinfulness; and with a heart filled with gratitude for his newfound wealth. “Abram renews his spiritual connection with the land by returning to worship at the altar he had previously built (12:8)” (Nahum Sarna), and reestablishes his commitment to the Lord by calling on His name.
“Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents” (verse 5) We can see how Lot’s association with his uncle Abram brought him a financial windfall as well. This is a prime example of God blessing those who were a blessing to Abram (Genesis 12:3). Good things are much more likely to happen to us if we consort and spend the preponderance of our time with the holy children of God. The famous New Testament verse powerfully and correctly states, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Unfortunately we will see this play out all too accurately in a reversal of fortune for Abram's nephew as he chooses to cast his lot (no pun intended) with the wicked Sodomites in the next few verses and culminating in chapter 19.
Verses 6-7 reveal that Abram and Lot’s accumulated wealth in livestock was so great that the land was bursting at the seams, and could not support watering and feeding the combination of their flocks and herds. To complicate things, “the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land” also, utilizing precious grazing land that was already pushed to the limits. Maybe if the “natives” weren’t already there Abram and Lot could have remained together. But as it was, relationships were beginning to be strained between the two companies. “There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock,” and Nahum Sarna suggests that since Lot was mentioned as being with Abram as kind of an afterthought—only after “his wife and all that belonged to him” (verse 5), that their personal relationship was likely a bit stressed as well. Something had to give. We shall see just what happened tomorrow!
Please read Genesis 13:8-13 for tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day!
- Louie Taylor
