Genesis 12:7-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:8

And he removed— literally, caused (i.e. his tent) to be broken up (cf. Genesis 26:22 — from thence —no cause for which being assigned, the hostility of his neighbors (Luther, Calvin) and the commencement of the famine (Alford, Keil) have been conjectured as the probable reasons— unto a (literally, the) mountain east of Bethel . Here proleptically named "house of God," being called in the time of Abram Luz ( Genesis 28:19 ). Its present name is Beitin. And pitched his tent ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:8

Abraham's altar. "And there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord." There is a solemn word ( Matthew 10:32 , Matthew 10:33 ). The distinction is not between Christians and heathen; it is within the visible Church. To confess Christ is more than professing Christianity. It must be in the life, not merely in religious services. No doubt these have their use; without them spiritual life would wither and die, like a light under a vessel. They are as food;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:9

And Abram journeyed (literally, broke up , e. g; his encampment, going on still —literally, going on and breaking up (cf. Genesis 8:3 ); "going and returning"— towards the south . Negleb, the dry region, from nagabh , to be dried, the southern district of Palestine ( Genesis 13:3 ; Genesis 20:1 ; Genesis 24:62 ). The LXX . render, ἐστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν , τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Of this section Genesis 12:5 , Genesis 12:6 , Genesis 12:8 are commonly assigned to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

And there was a famine . רָעָב , from a root signifying to hunger, the primary. idea appearing to lie in that of an ample, i.e. empty, stomach (Gesenius, Furst). The term is used of individuals, men or animal ( Psalms 34:11 ; Psalms 50:12 ); or of regions ( Psalms 41:1-13 :55). In the land . Of Canaan, which, though naturally fertile, was, on account of its imperfect cultivation, subject to visitations of dearth (cf. Genesis 26:1 ; Genesis 41:56 ), especially in dry... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

The descent into Egypt. I. THE STORY OF A GOOD MAN 'S FALL . 1. Experiencing disappointment . Arrived in Canaan, the patriarch must have felt his heart sink as he surveyed its famine-stricken fields and heathen population; in respect of which it was so utterly unlike the fair realm of his imaginings. So God educates his children, destroying their hopes, blighting their, expectations, breaking their ideals, "having provided some better thing for them, some loftier and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

Famines. 1. Not even the Holy Land is exempt from famine. Neither is the saint's condition free from suffering, nor the believer's portion on earth from defects. 2. Lands naturally fertile can be rendered barren by a word from God. So circumstances that might conduce to the Church's comfort can be made to disappear when God wills. 3. The drought was sent on Canaan just as Abram arrived. So God often sends his judgments on the world for the sake of his people, and can always time... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10-20

The Church and the world. The genesis of intercourse and controversy between the kingdom of God and the world power, as represented in the great southern kingdom of Egypt. I. THE PRESSURE OF EARTHLY NECESSITIES FORMS THE OCCASION OF THE SOJOURN IN EGYPT . We are not told that Abram was sent by Divine direction amongst the temptations of the South; still there is providential protection even where there is not entire Divine approval. The Lord suffers his people to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:11-13

And it came to pass (literally, it was ), when he was come near to enter into Egypt (that he had his misgivings, arising probably from his own eminence, which could scarcely fail to attract attention among strangers, but chiefly from the beauty of his wife, which was calculated to inflame the cupidity and, it might be, the violence of the warm-blooded Southrons, and) that he said unto Sarai his wife . The arrangement here referred to appears ( Genesis 20:13 ) to have been... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:13

Abraham and carnal policy. "Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister: that it may be well with me.' These words were partially true ( Genesis 11:20 ). Abraham had real ground for saying that Sarah was his sister, but he hid the fact that she was his wife. He asked her to consent to an equivocal statement and to repeat it. I. CONTEMPLATE THE NATURE OF CARNAL POLICY . A truth which is part a lie is ever a dangerous lie. The temptation to this carnal policy came Possibly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:14-15

And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also— literally, and the princes ( שָׂרֵי , mas. of Sarah), chief men or courtiers, who, in accordance with the ancient custom of Egypt that no slave should approach the priestly person of Pharaoh, were sons of the principal priests ( vide Havernick, § 18)— of Pharaoh. The official title of the kings of Egypt (cf. Caesar, the designation of the Roman... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:8

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:8

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:11-13

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:13

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:14-15

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