1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. (of Canaan)
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Abram left Egypt with Sarai and his nephew, plus all the animals and riches he owned. He would have been a millionaire by our standards, important enough, in fact, to have contact with kings.
3 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;
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 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.
Both men were so rich, had so many animals, that their animals were overgrazing the land. This can be a serious problem, sometimes causing permanent damage. They were knowledgeable enough, though, to know the dangers.
7 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 dwelt then in the land.
The herdsmen could tell that there was not enough forage for both households and they were fighting over the land.
8 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.
9 “Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou will 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.”
Abram knew the solution was for them to go different directions and not live together anymore. He gave Lot the choice of directions.
10 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 come unto Zoar.
The land surrounding the Jordan river was much like the area around the Nile river which irrigated all the surrounding land.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Abram left Egypt with Sarai and his nephew, plus all the animals and riches he owned. He would have been a millionaire by our standards, important enough, in fact, to have contact with kings.
3 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;
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 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.
Both men were so rich, had so many animals, that their animals were overgrazing the land. This can be a serious problem, sometimes causing permanent damage. They were knowledgeable enough, though, to know the dangers.
7 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 dwelt then in the land.
The herdsmen could tell that there was not enough forage for both households and they were fighting over the land.
8 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.
9 “Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou will 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.”
Abram knew the solution was for them to go different directions and not live together anymore. He gave Lot the choice of directions.
10 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 come unto Zoar.
The land surrounding the Jordan river was much like the area around the Nile river which irrigated all the surrounding land.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Lot picked the prettiest land, the land with the most greenery. Later, this land would not be so lush; but at this time it is very beautiful.
12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
In picking the prettier land, Lot put himself and his family in danger, spiritually as well as physically. A wise man makes decisions for his family based not on financial betterment or comfort, but on spiritual growth. How different this story might have been if Lot had chosen to settle farther away from the evil of Sodom.
14 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:
15 “For all the land which thou see, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
God promises to compensate Abram for his loss of pasture land. The area away from the Jordan valley is very deserty, much like the American west for desolateness. (Though the standard in most of the world is one acre per cow you want to feed, in the American West it is forty acres per cow. There is simply not enough rain to grow more food than that.) It would have taken a great deal more land to support his animals in this area. God promises to give him more than enough land.
16 “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.
God repeats His promise to bless Abram with many descendants; so many they can’t even be counted. When you count not just the Jews, but the many other people from the Arabian Peninsula who are genetic descendants of Abraham, (most of the Arabic nations today are descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael, and grandson Esau) you realize that God fulfilled this promise to the full.
17 “Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.”
18 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.