Chapter 13

1 Abram and Lot return out of Egypt. 7 By disagreement they part asunder. 10 Lot goeth to wicked Sodom. 14 God reneweth the promise to Abram. 18 He removeth to Hebron, and there buildeth an altar.

1. Abram went up out of Egypt. It was in the mercy of God that Abram returned safely from Egypt with his wife, his family, and his possessions. The mention of Lot as returning with Abram prepares the reader for the succeeding account of relations between Lot and his uncle. Their immediate destination was the Palestinian southland, the Negeb which extends from Kadesh-barnea in the south to the area north of Beersheba, its chief city (see ch. 12:9).

2. Abram was very rich. The word here translated “rich” literally means “heavy” or “weighty,” used in the sense of being “loaded” with possessions. A wealthy man before he went to Egypt, Abram came back greatly increased in goods, owing to the generosity of Pharaoh. For the first time the Bible mentions silver and gold as precious metals, and their possession as making a man wealthy. Abram may have had silver when he left Mesopotamia, a country rich in this metal; but the gold probably came to him in Egypt, the richest god-mining country of antiquity. About the middle of the second millennium b.c. Asiatic rulers begged for gold in almost every letter they wrote to the Pharaohs. It was commonly believed that “gold was as plentiful in Egypt as stones.” The tombs of some Phoenician rulers of Byblos, discovered in the 1920’s, contained many precious gifts from Egyptian kings of the 19th and 18th centuries b.c. Beautiful vessels, boxes, ornaments, and other luxury objects may have been included in the present Abram received from Pharaoh.

3. To Beth-el. Traversing the southland, Abram retraced his steps to the vicinity of Bethel, where he had camped previously. The word here translated “journeys” means “stations,” or places where he pitched his tent. This indicates, not a direct, continuous journey from Egypt through the southland to Bethel, but a trek made in gradual stages from one pastureland to another, in the general direction of Bethel (see ch. 12:8).

4. The place of the altar. Moses emphasizes Abram’s return to a place in which he had previously conducted public worship. Bethel was dear to his heart because of the sacred memory of communion he there had enjoyed with the Lord. Perhaps, also, he expected to find ready ears and willing hearts among the people of the vicinity, who must have remembered his earlier sojourn there. The site of each encampment of Abram was marked by an altar at which roving Canaanites learned of the true God and where, after Abram had moved on, they returned to worship Him (PP 128). An important point to consider in choosing a home is “the place of the altar.”

6. Their substance was great. The uncle’s prosperity overflowed upon his nephew. Lot, the only other member of Terah’s family who had obeyed God’s command to go to Canaan, shared in the blessing promised Abram. Inasmuch as the land was already occupied by the Canaanites, and the mountains of Canaan were heavily wooded, as ancient records show, there was scant permanent grazing land for the large flocks and herds of the newcomers.

7. Strife. The scarcity of available pastureland, and sometimes of water as well, resulted in strife between Abram’s shepherds and those of Lot. Each group naturally wanted to see his master’s possessions prosper.

The Canaanite and the Perizzite. The Perizzites are mentioned, together with the Canaanites, in other passages (see Gen. 34:30; Judges 1:4, 5), and are frequently enumerated with the various other tribes that occupied Canaan in patriarchal times (Gen. 15:19–21; Ex. 3:8, 17; 23:23; etc.). Many commentators have thought the Perizzites to be village dwellers (Heb. perazi, “the inhabitants of the open land,” Esther 9:19), in contrast to the Canaanites who dwelt in walled cities. The relationship of the Perizzites to other nations of Palestine is uncertain, inasmuch as they do not appear either in the table of nations of ch. 10 or in non-Biblical sources.

8. Let there be no strife. The quarrels of the shepherds were probably reflected in Lot’s attitude and conduct. Anxious to avert discord and enmity between himself and his nephew, Abram proposed the separation of their flocks and herds as a solution to the difficulty. In view of the fact that Lot was his junior, and that the entire country had been promised to Abram, his dealings with Lot reflect a truly generous spirit. The nobility of soul revealed upon this occasion stands forth in sharp contrast to the weakness of character he had so recently exhibited in Egypt. Abram proved himself to be a man of peace.

We be brethren. Abram recognized the pernicious influence that hatred and strife between himself and Lot would have upon the surrounding nations. Nothing would have more effectively thwarted God’s plan to evangelize the nations of Canaan than continuous discord between the two families. Although Abram was the elder of the two, he took no advantage of his seniority of age and position to make preferential claims. His reference to himself and Lot as “brethren” was meant to assure his nephew equality of position and treatment. He sought to disperse any doubt Lot may have had regarding the honesty of his uncle’s intentions.

9. Is not the whole land before thee? Though appointed heir to the entire country, Abram manifested true humility by subordinating his own interests to those of Lot and so permitting him to take as much of the land as he wanted. Abram waived his own rights for the sake of peace, but in so doing earned our highest respect. He displayed a generosity of spirit, a nobility of mind, a character worthy of emulation. To do otherwise than he did would have been to follow the selfish principles that usually govern men in their dealings with one another. But a spiritual man lives according to higher principles and looks beyond the temporary advantages of this world to eternal gains. This Abram did by defeating Satan’s purpose to create discord and strife between him and his nephew.

10. All the plain of Jordan. Less noble than his uncle, Lot proceeded immediately to take advantage of the offer. In his mind he surveyed the country as far as he knew it. He had noticed that the plain of the Jordan, called in ancient times the Kikkar, today elРGhor, was well watered. Lot, a citizen of Mesopotamia, where rivers and canals imparted great fertility to the land, could not have failed to compare his former homeland with the mountainous and seemingly less fertile country to which he had come. Abram had induced him to come to Canaan, he reasoned, and accordingly should see to it that he was comfortably settled.

Western Palestine does not possess any rivers worth the name. The only river of importance is the Jordan, and most of its tributaries flow from the east. With its source in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, the Jordan runs through what was once Lake Huleh in Upper Galilee, some 7 ft. above sea level. Falling then rapidly in altitude, it enters the Sea of Galilee 10 mi. south of Lake Huleh, 685 ft. below sea level. Leaving the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan flows for 65 mi., as the crow flies, to the Dead Sea. But in that distance it meanders 200 mi., entering the Dead Sea at an altitude of 1,275 ft. below sea level. Lying deeply embedded between the mountains of western Palestine and the high plateau of Transjordan, the whole valley of the Jordan has a tropical climate all the year round with a corresponding fertility.

Sodom and Gomorrah. For the first time the two wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are linked with Lot’s fortunes. These cities seem to have been situated to the south of the Dead Sea, which in the time of Abram was much smaller than now (see chs. 14:3 and 19:24, 25). Hence the valley in which these cities lay is probably included by Moses in the expression the “plain of the Jordan,” called in v. 12 simply the “plain.”

As the garden of the Lord. The fertile Jordan valley, with its tropical vegetation, seemed to compare favorably with what Moses had heard of the long-lost Paradise, and with the fertile Nile delta, which Lot and Abram had recently left.

11. Lot chose. Allured by its beauty and fertility and heedless of other considerations, Lot chose the Jordan valley as his future place of abode. Impelled by selfishness and guided only by his own inclinations and the prospect of temporal advantage, Lot made the fateful decision of his life. This decision led him through a series of unfortunate experiences which imperiled his life, his soul, and his family. Leaving Abram at Bethel, Lot and his family departed eastward.

12. Pitched his tent toward Sodom. Desirous of settling in the immediate neighborhood of the cities of the Jordan valley, in whose wealth he hoped to share, Lot stands in marked contrast to his uncle, who remained a wanderer throughout life (see Heb. 11:9). The experience of Lot is a lesson for the Christian who is tempted to choose earthly associates and temporal gain in exchange for eternal happiness. First he “beheld,” and then he “chose.” Leaving the Jordan valley, north of the Dead Sea, he pitched his tent toward Sodom, then moved into the city (see Gen. 14:12; 19:1). Though he himself was righteous, his fateful decision meant the loss of almost everything he held dear (PP 168).

13. The men of Sodom. It is clear that the men Lot chose for neighbors were already wicked when Lot made his home among them. The greatest depravity is often found among people situated in the most fertile lands and enjoying the advantages of an advanced civilization. Such is the ingratitude of human nature that where the gifts of God are most abundantly lavished, there men forget Him first (see Hosea 4:7; 10:1). It is one of the moral dangers of prosperity that men become so satisfied with the things of this present world that they feel no need of God.

14. Lift up now thine eyes. This is the fourth occasion on which the patriarch was addressed directly by God. Each of these occasions marked a crisis in his life. Evidently approving the separation of Lot from Abram, God again bade Abram survey the country, all of which would eventually belong to him and his posterity. The divine command, “Lift up now thine eyes,” must have reminded Abram of Lot, who had recently “lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan” (v. 10). Although Lot had chosen that portion which appeared to be the most favorable part of the land, Abram was told that in time it would all belong to his descendants.

15. For ever. The promise of God is immutable. As the seed of Abram were to exist before God forever, so Canaan was ever to be their homeland. This promise, originally made with respect to the literal descendants of Abram, is vouchsafed in turn to his true spiritual posterity, of the household of faith (see Gal. 3:29). This promise, therefore, did not preclude the expulsion of the unbelieving seed from the land of Canaan.

16. As the dust of the earth. This is a repetition of the previous promise that Abram should be the father of “a great nation” (ch. 12:2). The promise is expressed in the colorful imagery of the Orient, now comparing Abram’s seed to the innumerable dust of the earth, as at a later time to the stars of heaven (ch. 15:5).

18. The plain of Mamre. Obeying God’s directions, Abram set forth once more. If he believed the word of God literally, this journey took him gradually through the length and breadth of the land. Abram finally pitched his tent at a grove near Hebron. The Hebrew word Хelone, translated “plain” in the KJV, should be rendered “oaks” (see on ch. 12:6). Here it is used in the plural and clearly indicates the presence of a number of large trees. This grove belonged to an Amorite chieftain, Mamre, who later became the friend and ally of Abram (ch. 14:13, 24).

Which is in Hebron. The city of Hebron lies 22 mi. south of Jerusalem, on the way to Beersheba. It is a city of great antiquity, having been built seven years before Zoan (Tanis) in Egypt (Num. 13:22). Since the date of the foundation of the Egyptian Tanis is not known, this chronological statement from the book of Numbers is unfortunately without meaning for us. The name Hebron was used at a later period. In the time of the patriarchs it was known as Kirjath-arba, or the city of Arba (see Gen. 23:2; Joshua 14:15). This is one of several instances in which Bible writers favored contemporary names in order to make the story more intelligible for their readers.

An altar unto the Lord. As earlier at Shechem (Gen. 12:7) and at Bethel (ch. 12:8), Abram again set up an altar. Each memorial to the true God expressed gratitude for His mercies and loyalty to His principles. That Abram’s Amorite and Hittite neighbors became his friends (chs. 14:13, 24; 23:7–17) may have been due to his wholesome influence upon them. Perhaps, also, they appreciated to some extent at least the fact that God’s blessing rested upon him, and felt they might share it with him (see ch. 12:3). There must have awakened in their hearts the conviction that the God Abram worshiped and served was indeed the true God, Creator of heaven and earth. Abram’s witness by precept and example was certainly not without results (PP 128).

Ellen G. White comments

1-18PP 132-134

8-11ML 192

10 PK 229; PP 156, 174

10, 11 4T 110

10-13PP 133

12 Ev 78; MYP 419; PK 229

14-16SR 76