# Genesis 12 đ: The Call of Abram
[[đ Explore the Bible Books]]
[[-Genesis Overview]] | [[Genesis 11]] | [[Genesis 13]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Observations / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Obedience of Abram
[[#Verse 01.]] Now the Lord said to Abram, âGo out from your country, your relatives, and your fatherâs household to the land that I will show you.
[[#Verse 02.]] Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.
[[#Verse 03.]] I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, so that all the families of the earth may receive blessing through you.â
[[#Verse 04.]] So Abram left, just as the Lord had told him to do, and Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.)Â
[[#Verse 05.]] And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they left for the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
[[#Verse 06.]] Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree of Moreh at Shechem. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.)Â
[[#Verse 07.]] The Lord appeared to Abram and said, âTo your descendants I will give this land.â So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
[[#Verse 08.]] Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord.Â
[[#Verse 09.]] Abram continually journeyed by stages down to the Negev.
### The Promised Blessing Jeopardized
[[#Verse 10.]] There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay for a while because the famine was severe.Â
[[#Verse 11.]] As he approached Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, âLook, I know that you are a beautiful woman.Â
[[#Verse 12.]]Â When the Egyptians see you they will say, âThis is his wife.â Then they will kill me but will keep you alive.Â
[[#Verse 13.]] So tell them you are my sister so that it may go well for me because of you and my life will be spared on account of you.â
[[#Verse 14.]]Â When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.Â
[[#Verse 15.]] When Pharaohâs officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abramâs wife was taken into the household of Pharaoh,Â
[[#Verse 16.]] and he did treat Abram well on account of her. Abram received sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
[[#Verse 17.]] But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases because of Sarai, Abramâs wife.Â
[[#Verse 18.]] So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, âWhat is this you have done to me? Why didnât you tell me that she was your wife?Â
[[#Verse 19.]] Why did you say, âShe is my sister,â so that I took her to be my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!âÂ
[[#Verse 20.]] Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran (12:4).
2. The journey from Haran to Canaan was roughly 400 miles.
3. Shechem (12:6), Abram's first stop, later became the place where Joshua renewed the covenant (Joshua 24).
4. "Moreh" (12:6) means "teacher," and the oak may have been a known place of instruction.
5. Bethel and Ai (12:8) appear again in Israel's conquest of the land (Joshua 7-8).
6. The promise in 12:1-3 is the foundation of the covenant God makes formal in Genesis 15 and 17.
7. Famines drove people from Canaan to Egypt because the Nile made Egypt's food supply more dependable.
8. "Pharaoh" was a title meaning "great house," not a personal name.
9. Sarai was about 65 at this time (12:4; 17:17), which shows how striking her beauty was.
10. Paul calls 12:3 the gospel announced to Abraham in advance (Galatians 3:8).
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the offspring of Abraham through whom all the families of the earth are blessed (12:3; Galatians 3:8, 16).
## đ Key Observations / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. God called Abram to leave what was familiar without telling him where he was going (12:1; Hebrews 11:8). What has following God cost you?
2. Abram built altars wherever he went (12:7-8). How can you mark God's faithfulness in your life?
3. Abram lied about Sarai in Egypt out of fear (12:11-13). What does this show about faith and fear living in the same person?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verses 1-3: God calls Abram and promises to bless all the families of the earth through him.
- đ verse 4: Abram left, just as the Lord told him.
- đ verse 7: The Lord promises the land to Abram's descendants.
## đ Related Passages
- đ [[Galatians 03#Verse 08.|Galatians 3:8-9]] - The gospel announced in advance to Abraham.
- đ [[Hebrews 11#Verse 08.|Hebrews 11:8-10]] - Abraham obeyed and went out by faith.
- đ [[Acts 07#Verse 02.|Acts 7:2-4]] - Stephen retells Abraham's call.
- đ [[Romans 04#Verse 13.|Romans 4:13]] - The promise came through faith.
- đ [[Genesis 20#Verse 01.|Genesis 20:1-2]] - Abraham repeats the same lie.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Genesis 12- SOAP|A Brave Adventure]]
## đ Internal Notes