Genesis 12:7-17

7 The LORD 1appeared to Abram and said, "2To your descendants I will give this land." So he built 3an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.
8 Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with 4Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and 5called upon the name of the LORD.
9 Abram journeyed on, continuing * toward 6the Negev.
10 Now there was 7a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was 8severe in the land.
11 It came about when he came * near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a 9beautiful woman;
12 10and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife '; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.
13 "Please say that you are 11my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that 12I may live on account of you."
14 It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
15 Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and 13the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16 Therefore 14he treated Abram well for her sake; and 15gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.
17 But the LORD 16struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because * of Sarai, Abram's wife.

Genesis 12:7-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 12

In this chapter an account is given of the call of Abram to depart from his own country, with a promise of a divine blessing, Ge 12:1-3 of his obedience to it, Ge 12:4,5 of his journey through the land of Canaan, and of the Lord's appearance to him in it, and his promise of it to his seed, and of Abram's building altars in it, and calling on the name of the Lord, Ge 12:6-9 and of a famine there, which occasioned him to go into Egypt, Ge 12:10 where, through fear of being slain, he desired his wife to call herself his sister, Ge 12:11-13 and she being greatly admired by the Egyptians for her beauty, it went well with Abram for her sake, Ge 12:14-16 but the Egyptians were plagued because of her, who, when they understood she was Abram's wife, sent them both away, and all that belonged to them, Ge 12:17-20.

Cross References 16

  • 1. Genesis 17:1; Genesis 18:1
  • 2. Genesis 13:15; Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 34:4; Ps 105: 9-12; Acts 7:5; Galatians 3:16
  • 3. Genesis 13:4, 18; Genesis 22:9
  • 4. Joshua 8:9, 12
  • 5. Genesis 4:26; Genesis 21:33
  • 6. Genesis 13:1, 3; Genesis 20:1; Genesis 24:62
  • 7. Genesis 26:1
  • 8. Genesis 43:1
  • 9. Genesis 26:7; Genesis 29:17
  • 10. Genesis 20:11
  • 11. Gen 20:2, 5, 12; Genesis 26:7
  • 12. Jeremiah 38:17, 20
  • 13. Genesis 20:2
  • 14. Genesis 20:14
  • 15. Genesis 13:2
  • 16. Genesis 20:18; 1 Chronicles 16:21; Psalms 105:14

Footnotes 7

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