Genesis 12 | Understand Your Bible

Introduction

Abram leaving Ur God asks Abram to leave Ur. The start of the nation through whom God's plan is worked out.

Verses

¹Now the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.

²I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.

³I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

⁴So Abram went, as the LORD had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

⁵Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. They entered into the land of Canaan.

⁶Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, Canaanites were in the land.

⁷The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.”
He built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

⁸He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the LORD’s name.

⁹Abram travelled, still going on towards the South.

¹⁰There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land.

¹¹When he had come near to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at.

¹²It will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me, but they will save you alive.

¹³Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.”

¹⁴When Abram had come into Egypt, Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

¹⁵The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

¹⁶He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷The LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

¹⁸Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife?

¹⁹Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way.”

²⁰Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they escorted him away with his wife and all that he had.

Questions

v 1 Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you

v 2 and 3 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

v 12 and 13 It will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me, but they will save you alive. Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.”

Summary Points

v 1 to 3 God tells Abram to leave his country and family and go to a land God will lead him to. God makes promises to him if he does what God asks
v 4 to 9 Abram and Lot (his nephew) leave Haran and come to Shechem in Canaan where he builds an altar. God promises to give Canaan to Abram's offspring. He then moves on to the area between Bethel and Ai where he builds another altar
v 10 to 20: Due to a famine, Abram goes down to Egypt and he tells Sarai, his wife, to say that she is his sister. Sarai being very attractive is praised by the princes, and taken into Pharaoh's house. God afflicts Pharaoh's household and Sarai is returned to Abram who then leaves Egypt

Timeline 2000 BC

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