Génesis 12

1 Pero el SEÑOR había dicho a Abram: Vete de tu tierra y de tu naturaleza, y de la casa de tu padre, a la tierra que yo te mostraré;

2 y haré de ti una nación grande, y te bendeciré, y engrandeceré tu nombre, y serás bendición.

3 Y bendeciré a los que te bendijeren, y a los que te maldijeren maldeciré; y serán benditas en ti todas las familias de la tierra.

4 Y se fue Abram, como el SEÑOR le dijo; y fue con él Lot; y era Abram de edad de setenta y cinco años cuando salió de Harán.

5 Y tomó Abram a Sarai su mujer, y a Lot hijo de su hermano, y toda su hacienda que habían ganado, y las almas que habían hecho en Harán, y salieron para ir a tierra de Canaán; y a tierra de Canaán llegaron.

6 Y pasó Abram por aquella tierra hasta el lugar de Siquem, hasta el alcornoque de More; y el cananeo estaba entonces en la tierra.

7 Y apareció el SEÑOR a Abram, y le dijo: A tu simiente daré esta tierra. Y edificó allí un altar al SEÑOR, que se le había aparecido.

8 Y se pasó de allí a un monte al oriente de Betel, y tendió su tienda, teniendo a Betel al occidente y Hai al oriente; y edificó allí altar al SEÑOR, e invocó el nombre del SEÑOR.

9 Y movió Abram de allí , caminando y yendo hacia el mediodía.

10 Y hubo hambre en la tierra, y descendió Abram a Egipto para peregrinar allá; porque era grande el hambre en la tierra.

11 Y aconteció que cuando llegó para entrar en Egipto, dijo a Sarai su mujer: He aquí, ahora conozco que eres mujer hermosa de vista;

12 y será, que cuando te vean los egipcios, dirán: Su mujer es; y me matarán a mí, y a ti te darán la vida.

13 Ahora pues, di que eres mi hermana, para que yo halle bien por causa tuya, y viva mi alma por amor de ti.

14 Y aconteció que, cuando entró Abram en Egipto, los egipcios vieron la mujer que era hermosa en gran manera.

15 También la vieron los príncipes del Faraón, y se la alabaron al Faraón; y fue llevada la mujer a casa del Faraón,

16 que hizo bien a Abram por causa de ella; y tuvo ovejas, y vacas, y asnos, y siervos, y criadas, y asnas y camellos.

17 Mas el SEÑOR hirió al Faraón y a su casa de grandes plagas, por causa de Sarai, mujer de Abram.

18 Entonces el Faraón llamó a Abram y le dijo: ¿Qué es esto que has hecho conmigo? ¿Por qué no me declaraste que era tu mujer?

19 ¿Por qué dijiste: Es mi hermana? ¡Y yo la tomé para mí por mujer! Ahora, pues, he aquí tu mujer, tómala y vete.

20 Entonces el Faraón mandó acerca de él a varones, que le acompañaran, y a su mujer, con todo lo que tenía.

Génesis 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ. (1-3) Abram departs from Haran. (4,5) He journeys through Canaan, and worships God in that land. (6-9) Abram is driven by a famine into Egypt, He feigns his wife to be his sister. (10-20)

Verses 1-3 God made choice of Abram, and singled him out from among his fellow-idolaters, that he might reserve a people for himself, among whom his true worship might be maintained till the coming of Christ. From henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only subject of the history in the Bible. Abram was tried whether he loved God better than all, and whether he could willingly leave all to go with God. His kindred and his father's house were a constant temptation to him, he could not continue among them without danger of being infected by them. Those who leave their sins, and turn to God, will be unspeakable gainers by the change. The command God gave to Abram, is much the same with the gospel call, for natural affection must give way to Divine grace. Sin, and all the occasions of it, must be forsaken; particularly bad company. Here are many great and precious promises. All God's precepts are attended with promises to the obedient. 1. I will make of thee a great nation. When God took Abram from his own people, he promised to make him the head of another people. 2. I will bless thee. Obedient believers shall be sure to inherit the blessing. 3. I will make thy name great. The name of obedient believers shall certainly be made great. 4. Thou shalt be a blessing. Good men are the blessings of their country. 5. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. God will take care that none are losers, by any service done for his people. 6. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world possessed. All the true blessedness the world is now, or ever shall be possessed of, is owing to Abram and his posterity. Through them we have a Bible, a Saviour, and a gospel. They are the stock on which the Christian church is grafted.

Verses 4-5 Abram believed that the blessing of the Almighty would make up for all he could lose or leave behind, supply all his wants, and answer and exceed all his desires; and he knew that nothing but misery would follow disobedience. Such believers, being justified by faith in Christ, have peace with God. They hold on their way to Canaan. They are not discouraged by the difficulties in their way, nor drawn aside by the delights they meet with. Those who set out for heaven must persevere to the end. What we undertake, in obedience to God's command, and in humble attendance on his providence, will certainly succeed, and end with comfort at last. Canaan was not, as other lands, a mere outward possession, but a type of heaven, and in this respect the patriarchs so earnestly prized it.

Verses 6-9 Abram found the country peopled by Canaanites, who were bad neighbours. He journeyed, going on still. Sometimes it is the lot of good men to be unsettled, and often to remove into various states. Believers must look on themselves as strangers and sojourners in this world, ( hebrews 11:8 hebrews 11:13 hebrews 11:14 ) . But observe how much comfort Abram had in God. When he could have little satisfaction in converse with the Canaanites whom he found there, he had abundance of pleasure in communion with that God, who brought him thither, and did not leave him. Communion with God is kept up by the word and by prayer. God reveals himself and his favours to his people by degrees; before, he had promised to show Abram this land, now, to give it to him: as grace is growing, so is comfort. It should seem, Abram understood it also as a grant of a better land, of which this was a type; for he looked for a heavenly country, ( Hebrews 11:16 ) . As soon as Abram was got to Canaan, though he was but a stranger and sojourner there, yet he set up, and kept up, the worship of God in his family. He not only minded the ceremonial part of religion, the offering of sacrifice; but he made conscience of seeking his God, and calling on his name; that spiritual sacrifice with which God is well pleased. He preached concerning the name of the Lord; he taught his family and neighbours the knowledge of the true God, and his holy religion. The way of family worship is a good old way, no new thing, but the ancient usage of the saints. Abram was rich, and had a numerous family, was now unsettled, and in the midst of enemies; yet, wherever he pitched his tent, he built an altar: wherever we go, let us not fail to take our religion along with us.

Verses 10-20 There is no state on earth free from trials, nor any character free from blemishes. There was famine in Canaan, the glory of all lands, and unbelief, with the evils it ever brings, in Abram the father of the faithful. Perfect happiness and perfect purity dwell only in heaven. Abram, when he must for a time quit Canaan, goes to Egypt, that he might not seem to look back, and meaning to tarry there no longer than needful. There Abram dissembled his relation to Sarai, equivocated, and taught his wife and his attendants to do so too. He concealed a truth, so as in effect to deny it, and exposed thereby both his wife and the Egyptians to sin. The grace Abram was most noted for, was faith; yet he thus fell through unbelief and distrust of the Divine providence, even after God had appeared to him twice. Alas, what will become of weak faith, when strong faith is thus shaken! If God did not deliver us, many a time, out of straits and distresses which we bring ourselves into, by our own sin and folly, we should be ruined. He deals not with us according to our deserts. Those are happy chastisements that hinder us in a sinful way, and bring us to our duty, particularly to the duty of restoring what we have wrongfully taken or kept. Pharaoh's reproof of Abram was very just: What is this that thou hast done? How unbecoming a wise and good man! If those who profess religion, do that which is unfair and deceptive, especially if they say that which borders upon a lie, they must expect to hear of it; and they have reason to thank those who will tell them of it. The sending away was kind. Pharaoh was so far from any design to kill Abram, as he feared, that he took particular care of him. We often perplex ourselves with fears which are altogether groundless. Many a time we fear where no fear is. Pharaoh charged his men not to hurt Abram in any thing. It is not enough for those in authority, that they do not hurt themselves; they must keep their servants and those about them from doing hurt.

Chapter Summary

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.