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Genesis 13

Abram yields the choice of land to Lot, while YHWH declares that Abram’s inheritance rests on his promise.

Abram returns from Egypt with his wife, Lot, and great wealth, then calls on YHWH at his former altar near Bethel. Their herds have grown too large for the land to support them together, and their herdsmen quarrel. Abram offers Lot the choice of where to settle. Lot chooses the well-watered Jordan plain and moves toward Sodom. After they separate, YHWH promises Abram the land and descendants beyond counting. Abram settles near Hebron and builds another altar.

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1Abram went up out of Egypt—he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him—into the South.
2Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
3He went on his journeys from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. There Abram called on the LORD’s name.
5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, herds, and tents.
6The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together; for their possessions were so great that they couldn’t live together.
7There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land at that time.
8Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives.
9Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
10Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.
11So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves from one another.
12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
13Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against the LORD.
14The LORD said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, “Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,
15for I will give all the land which you see to you and to your offspring forever.
16I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted.
17Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”
18Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Genesis 13:15After Abram lets Lot choose, YHWH declares that the land will belong to Abram and his offspring.
Genesis 13:16The image of dust makes the promised number of Abram’s descendants exceed any human attempt to count them.
Genesis 13:10The plain’s abundant water draws Lot’s attention, while the narrator’s mention of Sodom’s destruction casts a shadow over his choice.
Where this chapter reaches

Psalm recounts God’s promise of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants, and Joshua describes the giving of that land, sharing this chapter’s theme of land granted by God. Hebrews recalls Abraham living in tents in the promised land, linking his unsettled dwelling with trust in God’s promise.

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What stands out about Abram’s response when shared prosperity becomes a source of conflict?

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How does the warning about Sodom affect your reading of Lot’s choice of the well-watered plain?

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Questions people ask about Genesis 13

Why did Abram and Lot separate in Genesis 13?

Their flocks and herds had become too large for the land to support them together, and conflict broke out between their herdsmen. Abram proposed separate grazing territories to end the strife between relatives. He let Lot choose his direction first and agreed to take the other.

Why did Lot choose the Jordan plain?

Lot saw that the Jordan plain had abundant water. The narrator compares it to the garden of YHWH and the land of Egypt. The text presents this visible abundance as the attraction, then warns readers about Sodom’s wickedness and mentions its destruction before that event is narrated.

What did God promise Abram in Genesis 13?

God promised to give Abram and his offspring all the land he could see, forever. He also promised descendants beyond counting, compared with the dust of the earth. God then told Abram to walk through the land. These promises come after Lot’s departure; the chapter gives no timetable for their fulfillment.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).