Chapter Overview
Abram leaves Egypt, apparently far richer then before, and his brother Lot suddenly appears in the story line. Abram makes some more altars and resolves some problems with too many cattle and sheep in the same area with Lot. Then he receives another promise from god and builds another altar.
Additional thoughts
Abram’s sudden wealth is crazy. If he had all this when he went down to Egypt, why would he have needed to leave due to the famine at all? That would imply that he had all this food that he could have used to help alleviate the famine, but chose not to. The alternative, that he acquired everything from the Pharaoh, is just as ludicrous. That would imply that he spent his time in Egypt pimping out Sarai to Pharaoh as hard as possible until the Pharaoh found out that she was actually Abram’s wife. And that the Pharaoh wouldn’t have said “Ya know, I’m taking that stuff back because you were lying to me”.
The Scientific/logic/sequence mistakes in this chapter
- Where did Lot come from? We haven’t heard that he was in Egypt till now. (Genesis 13:1)
- Why would the pharaoh let Abram keep all this? (Genesis 13:2)
- Where did the herdsmen come from? (Genesis 13:7)
- Earth literally couldn’t support this many humans (Genesis 13:16)
- Canaan was already given to Ham (Genesis 13:17)
Chapter 13: Brothers Separate
- And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
- And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
- And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
- Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
- And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
- And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
- And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
- And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
- Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
- And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
- Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
- Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
- But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
- And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
- For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
- And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
- Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
- Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
- Lot suddenly shows up here. There’s no mention of him being in Egypt in the previous chapter.
- Where would he have received all of this? From the Pharaoh while pimping Sarai?
- Also note that if he had all these cattle at the time of the famine, he preferred to leave everyone to starve rather than give up some cattle for food.
- I’m pretty sure he’s called on the name of the lord a few times by now. Which time are we talking?
- Again… why would they have all of this? Seems like a hassle.
- See also: Cattle and sheep probably grazed too much and started to kill off all of the grass around.
- Where did these herdmen come from? I thought it was just Abram and Lot?
- Sounds reasonable. Simply asking “Why are we fighting? Aren’t we brothers?”
- “Let’s just go separate ways so we don’t have to fight over resources. Our herds are so massive that we can’t have them in the same place.”
- See this? This is called foreshadowing kids. Keep those cities in mind for later.
- An amicable separation at least. Doesn’t seem like anyone lied to the other for this one to happen.
- Sounds like Lot has a thing for the city of Sodom.
- Foreshadowing! Note that it doesn’t specify WHY they are wicked
- So…. look all around you?
- Including the Jordan plain which Lot just settled on?
- That would be a lot of people.
- Again, remember that this is the land of Canaan, which technically belongs to Ham, Noah’s son.
- And yet another altar.