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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 12:1 Then the LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your kindred, and your father's household, and go to the land I will show you.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/12-1.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/13/01_Gen_12_01.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Genesis 12:1 - The Calling of Abram" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Then the LORD said to Abram, Leave your country, your kindred, and your father's household, and go to the land I will show you." /><script 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id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/genesis/11-32.htm" title="Genesis 11:32">◄</a> Genesis 12:1 <a href="/genesis/12-2.htm" title="Genesis 12:2">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Study Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Crossref </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Hebrew </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/genesis/12.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/genesis/12.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />The LORD had said to Abram, &#8220Go from your country, your people and your father&#8217s household to the land I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/genesis/12.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/genesis/12.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/genesis/12.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/genesis/12.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/genesis/12.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/genesis/12.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/genesis/12.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Now the LORD said to Abram, &#8220Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father&#8217s house, To the land which I will show you;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/genesis/12.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/genesis/12.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go forth from your land, And from your kin And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/genesis/12.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Now [in Haran] the LORD had said to Abram, “Go away from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/genesis/12.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />The LORD said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/genesis/12.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father&#8217s house to the land that I will show you. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/genesis/12.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/genesis/12.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />The LORD said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/genesis/12.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Now the LORD said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will shew thee:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/genesis/12.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your land, your relatives, and your father's home. Go to the land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/genesis/12.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's home, and go to a land that I am going to show you. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/genesis/12.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />The LORD told Abram, "You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father's house and go to the land that I'm going to show you. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/genesis/12.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/genesis/12.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father's household to the land that I will show you. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/genesis/12.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Now God had said to Abram, "Go out from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/genesis/12.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Now the LORD had said to Abram, Depart from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, to a land that I will show thee:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/genesis/12.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/genesis/12.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And YHWH says to Abram, “Go for yourself, from your land, and from your family, and from the house of your father, to the land which I show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/genesis/12.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> And Jehovah saith unto Abram, 'Go for thyself, from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from the house of thy father, unto the land which I shew thee.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/genesis/12.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And Jehovah will say to Abram, Go for thyself from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, to the land which I will shew thee.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/genesis/12.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And the Lord said to Abram: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and out of they father's house, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/genesis/12.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Then the Lord said to Abram: “Depart from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and come into the land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/genesis/12.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />The LORD said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/genesis/12.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/genesis/12.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />NOW the LORD said to Abram, Depart from your country, and from the place of your nativity, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/genesis/12.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And LORD JEHOVAH said to Abram: “Go from your land and from where you were born and from the house of your father to the land I shall declare to you:<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/genesis/12.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/genesis/12.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And the Lord said to Abram, Go forth out of thy land and out of thy kindred, and out of the house of thy father, and come into the land which I will shew thee.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/genesis/12-1.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ehevn8iSgc?start=2560" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/genesis/12.htm">The Calling of Abram</a></span><br> <span class="reftext">1</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3068.htm" title="3068: Yah·weh (N-proper-ms) -- The proper name of the God of Israel. From hayah; self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.">Then the LORD</a> <a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: way·yō·mer (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say.">said</a> <a href="/hebrew/413.htm" title="413: ’el- (Prep) -- To, into, towards. ">to</a> <a href="/hebrew/87.htm" title="87: ’aḇ·rām (N-proper-ms) -- Exalted father, the original name of Abraham. Contracted from 'Abiyram; high father; Abram, the original name of Abraham.">Abram,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1980.htm" title="1980: leḵ- (V-Qal-Imp-ms) -- To go, come, walk. Akin to yalak; a primitive root; to walk.">“Leave</a> <a href="/hebrew/lə·ḵā (Prep:: 2ms) -- ">your</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: mê·’ar·ṣə·ḵā (Prep-m:: N-fsc:: 2ms) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">country,</a> <a href="/hebrew/4138.htm" title="4138: ū·mim·mō·w·laḏ·tə·ḵā (Conj-w, Prep-m:: N-fsc:: 2ms) -- Kindred, birth, offspring. From yalad; nativity; by implication, lineage, native country; also offspring, family.">your kindred,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1.htm" title="1: ’ā·ḇî·ḵā (N-msc:: 2ms) -- Father. A primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application).">and your father’s</a> <a href="/hebrew/1004.htm" title="1004: ū·mib·bêṯ (Conj-w, Prep-m:: N-msc) -- A house. Probably from banah abbreviated; a house.">household,</a> <a href="/hebrew/413.htm" title="413: ’el- (Prep) -- To, into, towards. ">and go to</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: hā·’ā·reṣ (Art:: N-fs) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">the land</a> <a href="/hebrew/834.htm" title="834: ’ă·šer (Pro-r) -- Who, which, that. A primitive relative pronoun; who, which, what, that; also when, where, how, because, in order that, etc."></a> <a href="/hebrew/7200.htm" title="7200: ’ar·’e·kā (V-Hifil-Imperf-1cs:: 2mse) -- To see. A primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively.">I will show you.</a> </span><span class="reftext">2</span>I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/11-8.htm">Hebrews 11:8</a></span><br />By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/7-2.htm">Acts 7:2-4</a></span><br />And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, / and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’ / So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/15-7.htm">Genesis 15:7</a></span><br />The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/17-8.htm">Genesis 17:8</a></span><br />And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-7.htm">Nehemiah 9:7</a></span><br />You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/41-9.htm">Isaiah 41:9</a></span><br />I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/joshua/24-3.htm">Joshua 24:3</a></span><br />But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/4-3.htm">Romans 4:3</a></span><br />For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/galatians/3-8.htm">Galatians 3:8</a></span><br />The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/galatians/3-16.htm">Galatians 3:16</a></span><br />The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/13-14.htm">Genesis 13:14-17</a></span><br />After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west, / for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever. / I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/22-18.htm">Genesis 22:18</a></span><br />And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/26-4.htm">Genesis 26:4</a></span><br />I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/28-13.htm">Genesis 28:13-14</a></span><br />And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. / Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/exodus/6-4.htm">Exodus 6:4</a></span><br />I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as foreigners.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Now the LORD had said to Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you:</p><p class="hdg">had.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/11-31.htm">Genesis 11:31,32</a></b></br> And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/15-7.htm">Genesis 15:7</a></b></br> And he said unto him, I <i>am</i> the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/nehemiah/9-7.htm">Nehemiah 9:7</a></b></br> Thou <i>art</i> the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;</p><p class="hdg">Get.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joshua/24-2.htm">Joshua 24:2,3</a></b></br> And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, <i>even</i> Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/45-10.htm">Psalm 45:10,11</a></b></br> Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/luke/14-26.htm">Luke 14:26-33</a></b></br> If any <i>man</i> come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/genesis/11-31.htm">Abram</a> <a href="/genesis/11-2.htm">Country</a> <a href="/james/2-16.htm">Depart</a> <a href="/genesis/7-1.htm">Family</a> <a href="/genesis/9-23.htm">Father's</a> <a href="/genesis/11-31.htm">Forth</a> <a href="/revelation/7-17.htm">Guide</a> <a href="/genesis/7-1.htm">House</a> <a href="/genesis/7-1.htm">Household</a> <a href="/revelation/14-6.htm">Kindred</a> <a href="/genesis/2-24.htm">Leave</a> <a href="/1_timothy/5-8.htm">Relatives</a> <a href="/revelation/22-6.htm">Shew</a> <a href="/revelation/22-6.htm">Show</a> <a href="/genesis/6-21.htm">Thyself</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/genesis/12-4.htm">Abram</a> <a href="/genesis/14-6.htm">Country</a> <a href="/genesis/13-9.htm">Depart</a> <a href="/genesis/19-12.htm">Family</a> <a href="/genesis/19-32.htm">Father's</a> <a href="/genesis/12-4.htm">Forth</a> <a href="/exodus/6-8.htm">Guide</a> <a href="/genesis/12-15.htm">House</a> <a href="/genesis/12-17.htm">Household</a> <a href="/genesis/24-4.htm">Kindred</a> <a href="/genesis/18-16.htm">Leave</a> <a href="/genesis/13-8.htm">Relatives</a> <a href="/genesis/20-13.htm">Shew</a> <a href="/genesis/20-13.htm">Show</a> <a href="/genesis/13-9.htm">Thyself</a><div class="vheading2">Genesis 12</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-1.htm">God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-4.htm">He departs with Lot from Haran, and comes to Canaan.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-6.htm">He journeys through Canaan,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-7.htm">which is promised to him in a vision.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-10.htm">He is driven by famine into Egypt.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-11.htm">Fear makes him feign his wife to be his sister.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-14.htm">Pharaoh, having taken her from him, is compelled to restore her.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">18. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/12-18.htm">Pharaoh reproves Abram, whom he dismisses.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/genesis/12.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>Then the LORD said</b><br />The phrase begins with "Then," indicating a continuation from the previous narrative, where the genealogy of Terah is detailed. "LORD" is translated from the Hebrew "YHWH," the personal name of God, emphasizing His covenantal relationship with His people. This divine communication marks a pivotal moment in biblical history, as God initiates His redemptive plan through Abram. The direct speech underscores the personal nature of God's call and His sovereign authority.<p><b>to Abram</b><br />Abram, later renamed Abraham, is a central figure in the biblical narrative. His name means "exalted father" in Hebrew, which is significant given God's promise to make him a great nation. Abram's background in Ur of the Chaldeans, a sophisticated urban center, highlights the radical nature of God's call to leave behind a life of comfort and familiarity.<p><b>Leave your country</b><br />The command to "leave" (Hebrew: "lek-lekha") is a call to obedience and faith. It requires Abram to abandon his homeland, a significant act in ancient times when one's identity and security were closely tied to their land. This departure symbolizes a break from the past and a step into the unknown, relying solely on God's promise.<p><b>your kindred</b><br />Abram is also instructed to leave his "kindred," or family relations. In the ancient Near Eastern context, family ties were crucial for social and economic support. This command emphasizes the cost of discipleship and the necessity of prioritizing God's call over familial obligations.<p><b>and your father's household</b><br />Leaving "your father's household" further underscores the depth of Abram's sacrifice. It involves forsaking his inheritance and the security of his father's protection. This act of faith prefigures the call of Jesus to His disciples to leave everything and follow Him, highlighting the theme of total commitment to God's purposes.<p><b>and go to the land I will show you</b><br />The phrase "go to the land I will show you" introduces the element of divine guidance and promise. Abram is not given a specific destination, requiring him to trust in God's leading. This journey to an unknown land is a metaphor for the life of faith, where believers are called to trust in God's promises without knowing all the details. The "land" signifies not only a physical territory but also the fulfillment of God's covenant promises, ultimately pointing to the inheritance of God's people.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/genesis/12.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div><span class= "bld">XII.</span><p>(1) <span class= "bld">Now the Lord had said unto Abram</span>.--Heb., <span class= "ital">And Jehovah said unto Abram. </span>There is no new beginning; but having briefly sketched the family from which Abram sprang, and indicated that he had inherited from them the right of primogeniture, the narrative next proceeds to the primary purpose of the Told垄th Terah, which is to show how in Abram Jehovah prepared for the fulfilment, through Israel, of the prote-vangelium contained in the promise made to Eve at the fall (<a href="/genesis/3-15.htm" title="And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.">Genesis 3:15</a>). The rendering "had said" was doubtless adopted because of St. Stephen's words (<a href="/acts/7-2.htm" title="And he said, Men, brothers, and fathers, listen; The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelled in Charran,">Acts 7:2</a>); but it is the manner of the Biblical narrative to revert to the original starting point.<p><span class= "bld">Thy country.</span>--A proof that Abram and his father were no new settlers at Ur, but that the race of Shem had at this time long held sway there, as is now known to have been the case.<p><span class= "bld">Thy kindred.</span>--This rendering is supported by <a href="/genesis/43-7.htm" title="And they said, The man asked us straightly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have you another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?">Genesis 43:7</a>; but it more probably means <span class= "ital">thy birthplace. </span>It is the word translated "nativity" in <a href="/genesis/11-28.htm" title="And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.">Genesis 11:28</a>. where its meaning is settled by the prefixed "land;" and the sense is probably the same here. If so, the command certainly came to Abram at Ur, though most of the versions suppose that it happened at Haran. . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/genesis/12.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 1-5.</span> - Designed to trace the outward development of God's kingdom on the earth, the narrative now concentrates its attention on one of the foregoing Terachites, whose remarkable career it sketches with considerable minuteness of detail, from the period of his emigration from Chaldea to his death at Hebron in the land of Canaan. Distinguished as a man of undoubted superiority both of character and mind, the head of at least two powerful and important races, and standing, as one might say, on the threshold of the historical era, it is yet chiefly as his life and fortunes connect with the Divine purpose of salvation that they find a place in the inspired record. The progress of infidelity during the four centuries that had elapsed since the Flood, the almost universal corruption of even the Shemits portion of the human family, had conclusively demonstrated the necessity of a second Divine interposition, if the knowledge of salvation were not to be completely banished from the earth. Accordingly, the son of Terah was selected to be the founder of a new nation, in which the light of gospel truth might be deposited for preservation until the fullness of the times, and through which the promise of the gospel might he conducted forward to its ultimate realization in the manifestation of the woman's seed. Partly to prepare him for the high destiny of being the progenitor of the chosen nation, and partly to illustrate the character of that gospel with which he was to be entrusted, he was summoned to renounce his native country and kinsmen in Chaldaea, and venture forth upon an untried journey in obedience to the call of Heaven, to a land which he should afterward receive for an inheritance. In a series of successive theophanies or Divine manifestations, around which the various incidents of his life are grouped - in Ur of the Chaldees (<a href="/acts/7-2.htm">Acts 7:2</a>), at Moreh in Canaan (<a href="/genesis/12-7.htm">Genesis 12:7</a>), near Bethel (<span class="accented">ibid</span>. 13.), at Mature (ibid. 15, 17.), and on Moriah (ibid. 22.) - he is distinctly promised three things - a land, a seed, and a blessing - as the reward of his compliance with the heavenly invitation; and the confident persuasion both of the reality of these gracious promises and of the Divine ability and willingness to fulfill them forms the animating spirit and guiding principle of his being in every situation of life, whether of trial or of difficulty, in which he is subsequently placed. The miraculous character of these theophanies indeed has been made a ground on which to assail the entire patriarchal history as unhistorical. By certain writers they have been represented as nothing more than natural occurrences embellished by the genius of the author of Genesis (Eichhorn, Bauer, Winer), as belonging to the domain of poetical fiction (De Wette), and therefore as undeserving of anything like serious consideration. But unless the supernatural is <span class="accented">to be in toto</span> eliminated from the record, a concession which cannot possibly be granted by an enlightened theism, the Divine appearances to Abraham cannot be regarded as in any degree militating against the historical veracity of the story of his life, which, it may be said, is amply vouched for by the harmony of its details with the characteristics of the period to which it belongs (cf. Havernick's 'Introduction,' § 18). Nor does the employment of the name Jehovah in connection with these theophanies warrant the conclusion that the passages containing them are interpolations of a post Mosaic or Jehovistic editor (Tuch, Bleek, Colenso, Davidson). "Such a hypothesis," says Keil, "can only be maintained by those who' misunderstand the distinctive meaning of the two names, Elohim and Jehovah (q.v. on Genesis 2:4), and arbitrarily set aside the Jehovah in <a href="/genesis/17-1.htm">Genesis 17:1</a>, on account of an erroneous determination of the relation in which El Shaddai stands to Jehovah." Indications of the literary unity of the patriarchal history will be noted, and replies to objections given, in the progress of the Exposition. <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 1.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Now the Lord.</span> Jehovah = the God of salvation, an indication that the narrative is now to specially concern itself with the chosen seed, and the Deity to discover himself as the God of redemption. The hypothesis that vers. 1-4 were inserted in the fundamental document by the Jehovist editor is not required for a satisfactory explanation of the change of the Divine name at this particular stage of the narrative. <span class="cmt_word">Had said</span>. Literally, said. In Ur of the Chaldees, according to Stephen (<a href="/acts/7-2.htm">Acts 7:2</a>), reverting, after the usual manner of the writer, to the original point of departure in the Abrahamic history (Aben Ezra, Mede, Piscator, Pererius, Calvin, Willet, Rosenmüller, Dathins, Alford, Murphy, 'Speaker's Commentary'); or in Haran, after Terah's death, as the first call given to the patriarch (LXX., Chaldee, Syriac, Raschi, Lyra, Keil, Kalisch, Dykes), or as a repetition of the call addressed to him in Ur (Clarke, Wordsworth, Inglis). Luther conjectures that the call in Ur was given "<span class="accented">fortasse per patti</span>. <span class="accented">archam Shem</span>;" but if the authority of Stephen be recognized, this was the occasion of the first theophany vouchsafed to Abram. <span class="cmt_word">Get thee out.</span> Literally, <span class="accented">go for thyself</span>, a frequent Hebraism, expressive of the way in which the action of the verb returns upon itself, is terminated and completed (cf. <a href="/genesis/21-16.htm">Genesis 21:16</a>; <a href="/genesis/22-2.htm">Genesis 22:2</a>; <a href="/isaiah/31-8.htm">Isaiah 31:8</a>; <a href="/songs/2-11.htm">Song of Solomon 2:11</a>; <span class="accented">vide</span> Ewald's 'Hebrew Syntax,' § 314); hence, though not necessarily emphatic, it may be equivalent to "Go thou," whoever else remains behind (Jarchi, Ainsworth, Bush). <span class="cmt_word">Of thy country</span>. A proof that the date of the call was while Abram was in Ur (Calvin), though if Ur was at Edessa (<span class="accented">vide supra</span>) the patriarch could scarcely have been said to be from home. <span class="cmt_word">And from thy kindred.</span> At Ur in all probability Nahor and Milcah were left behind; at Haran, Nahor and his family, if they had already arrived thither, and according to some (Kalisch, Dykes) Terah also. <span class="cmt_word">And from thy father's house.</span> <span class="accented">I.e.</span> if they will not accompany thee. No Divine interdict forbade the other members of the family of Terah joining in the Abrahamic emigration. <span class="cmt_word">Unto a</span> (literally, the) <span class="cmt_word">land that I will show thee.</span> Through a revelation (Lange), or simply by the guidance of providence. The land itself is left unnamed for the trial of the patriarch's faith, which, if it sustained the proof, was to be rewarded by the exceeding great and precious promises which follow: - according to one arrangement, seven in number, one for each clause of the next two verses (Cajetan, Willet); according to another, four, corresponding to the clauses of the second verse, the last of which is expanded in the third (Keil); according to a third, six, forming three pairs of parallels (Alford); according to a fourth, and perhaps the best, two, a lower or personal blessing, comprising the first three particulars, and a higher or public blessing, embracing the last three (Murphy). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/genesis/12-1.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Then the LORD</span><br /><span class="heb">יְהוָה֙</span> <span class="translit">(Yah·weh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3068.htm">Strong's 3068: </a> </span><span class="str2">LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel</span><br /><br /><span class="word">said</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיֹּ֤אמֶר</span> <span class="translit">(way·yō·mer)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_559.htm">Strong's 559: </a> </span><span class="str2">To utter, say</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to</span><br /><span class="heb">אֶל־</span> <span class="translit">(’el-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_413.htm">Strong's 413: </a> </span><span class="str2">Near, with, among, to</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Abram,</span><br /><span class="heb">אַבְרָ֔ם</span> <span class="translit">(’aḇ·rām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_87.htm">Strong's 87: </a> </span><span class="str2">Abram -- 'exalted father', the original name of Abraham</span><br /><br /><span class="word">“Leave</span><br /><span class="heb">לֶךְ־</span> <span class="translit">(leḵ-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1980.htm">Strong's 1980: </a> </span><span class="str2">To go, come, walk</span><br /><br /><span class="word">your country,</span><br /><span class="heb">מֵאַרְצְךָ֥</span> <span class="translit">(mê·’ar·ṣə·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> </span><span class="str2">Earth, land</span><br /><br /><span class="word">your kindred,</span><br /><span class="heb">וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖</span> <span class="translit">(ū·mim·mō·w·laḏ·tə·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4138.htm">Strong's 4138: </a> </span><span class="str2">Nativity, lineage, native country, offspring, family</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and your father’s</span><br /><span class="heb">אָבִ֑יךָ</span> <span class="translit">(’ā·ḇî·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1.htm">Strong's 1: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father</span><br /><br /><span class="word">household,</span><br /><span class="heb">וּמִבֵּ֣ית</span> <span class="translit">(ū·mib·bêṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1004.htm">Strong's 1004: </a> </span><span class="str2">A house</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and go to</span><br /><span class="heb">אֶל־</span> <span class="translit">(’el-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_413.htm">Strong's 413: </a> </span><span class="str2">Near, with, among, to</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the land</span><br /><span class="heb">הָאָ֖רֶץ</span> <span class="translit">(hā·’ā·reṣ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> </span><span class="str2">Earth, land</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I will show you.</span><br /><span class="heb">אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(’ar·’e·kā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7200.htm">Strong's 7200: </a> </span><span class="str2">To see</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/genesis/12-1.htm">OT Law: Genesis 12:1 Now Yahweh said to Abram Get out (Gen. Ge Gn)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/genesis/11-32.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 11:32"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 11:32" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/genesis/12-2.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 12:2"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 12:2" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>