12:6 And Abram {e} passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the {f} Canaanite [was] then in the land.(e) He wandered to and fro in the land before he could find a settling place: thus God exercises the faith of his children.(f) Which was a cruel and rebellious nation, by whom God kept his in continual exercise. read more
12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he {g} an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.(g) It was not enough for him to worship God in his heart, but it was expedient to declare by outward profession his faith before men, of which this altar was a sign. read more
12:8 And he removed from {h} thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, [having] Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an {i} altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.(h) Because of the troubles that he had among that wicked people.(i) And so served the true God, and renounced all idolatry. read more
12:9 {k} And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.(k) Thus the children of God may look for no rest in this world, but must wait for the heavenly rest and quietness. read more
THE CALL OF ABRAM The Lord had before told Abram to leave his country, his kindred and his father's house, and go to a land He would show him. This call took place while he was still in Ur of the Chaldees (Acts 7:2-4). God declared that He would make of Abram a great nation, that he would be a blessing (v.2). More than this, God would bless those who blessed Abram and curse those who cursed him. Further still, in Abram all the families of the earth would be blessed (v.3). This is above all a... read more
ABRAM ’S CALL AND HIS RESPONSE How does the King James Version indicate an earlier date for the call of Abram than that which chapter 12 narrates? How is this corroborated by Acts 7:2 ? Stephen, speaking of this call, indicates that God “was seen to Abraham,” as if some visible manifestation was vouchsafed to him at the beginning. In what form this may have been we do not know, but sufficiently clear to have shown the patriarch the distinction between gods of wood and stone and the only... read more
The Same-varied Gen 12:1 God's claim upon the individual life is here asserted. God detaches men from early associations, from objects of special care and love, and makes them strangers in the earth. The family idea is sacred, but the Divine will is, so to speak, more sacred still; when the God of the families of the earth calls men from their kindred and their father's house, all tributary laws must be swallowed up by the great stream of the Divine Fatherhood. These calls, so shattering in... read more
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. Nine times (if I mistake not) it is noticed of God's appearing to Abram. The Holy Ghost by the mouth of Stephen explains how: Acts 7:2 See Genesis 22:15; Genesis 22:15 . read more
And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. Abram not only served God for himself, but erected an altar for his public worship. read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Genesis 12:1-20
CHAPTER 12 The First Events in Abram’s Life 1. The call and the promise (Genesis 12:1-3 ) 2. Abram’s obedience (Genesis 12:4-6 ) 3. The second communication of Jehovah (Genesis 12:7-9 ) 4. Abram in Egypt and first denial of Sarai (Genesis 12:10-20 ) We come now to a new beginning, the Abrahamic covenant. It marks the beginning of that wonderful race, the seed of Abraham, the people of Israel. Abraham’s name is mentioned 74 times in the New Testament. How closely his history is... read more