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1 And Abram goeth up from Egypt (he and his wife, and all that he hath, and Lot with him) towards the south; |
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2 and Abram [is] exceedingly wealthy in cattle, in silver, and in gold. |
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3 And he goeth on his journeyings from the south, even unto Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the commencement, between Bethel and Hai |
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4 unto the place of the altar which he made there at the first, and there doth Abram preach in the name of Jehovah. |
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5 And also to Lot, who is going with Abram, there hath been sheep and oxen and tents; |
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6 and the land hath not suffered them to dwell together, for their substance hath been much, and they have not been able to dwell together; |
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7 and there is a strife between those feeding Abram's cattle and those feeding Lot's cattle; and the Canaanite and the Perizzite [are] then dwelling in the land. |
And the Canaanite – The Lowlanders. R2848:4
And the Perizzite – The Highlanders. R2848:4
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8 And Abram saith unto Lot, 'Let there not, I pray thee, be strife between me and thee, and between my shepherds and thy shepherds, for we [are] men brethren. |
There be no strife – "Blessed are the peacemakers." (Matt. 5:9) R3939:2
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9 Is not all the land before thee be parted, I pray thee, from me; if to the left, then I to the right; and if to the right, then I to the left.' |
Before thee – "The liberal soul shall be made fat." (Prov. 11:25) R3939:3
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10 And Lot lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the whole circuit of the Jordan that it [is] all a watered country (before Jehovah's destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, as Jehovah's garden, as the land of Egypt,) in thy coming toward Zoar, |
Garden of the LORD – The Dead Sea area is to be watered by a river from Jerusalem. R2507:3
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11 and Lot chooseth for himself the whole circuit of the Jordan; and Lot journeyeth from the east, and they are parted a man from his companion; |
Then Lot – Manifesting covetousness and worldly-mindedness, perhaps from a desire to please his wife and daughters. R3939:4
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12 Abram hath dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot hath dwelt in the cities of the circuit, and tenteth unto Sodom; |
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13 and the men of Sodom [are] evil, and sinners before Jehovah exceedingly. |
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14 And Jehovah said unto Abram, after Lot's being parted from him, 'Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and look from the place where thou [art], northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; |
And the LORD said – Confirming the covenant previously made. B45
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15 for the whole of the land which thou are seeing, to thee I give it, and to thy seed to the age. |
For all the land – The promises made to Abram were earthly. A293; R4966:2, R5171:4, R5859:2; CR116:6
The Ancient Worthies did not look for heavenly things. HG131:6
Will I give it – At a future time from Stephen. (Acts 7:5) HG131:6
To thee – Primarily to Abraham himself. R5178:1
Abraham must have a resurrection for God's Word to come true. R5291:2
To thy seed forever – Although it was given to them by Joshua to be their inheritance this did not fulfill the conditions of the promise. R5178:1
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16 And I have set thy seed as dust of the earth, so that, if one is able to number the dust of the earth, even thy seed is numbered; |
As the dust – This promise was to an earthly people. R5171:4
Then – Implying a far-distant period ample for the multiplication of the seed. C245
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17 rise, go up and down through the land, to its length, and to its breadth, for to thee I give it.' |
Through the land – "All the land of Canaan., (Gen. 17:8) C245
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18 And Abram tenteth, and cometh, and dwelleth among the oaks of Mamre, which [are] in Hebron, and buildeth there an altar to Jehovah. |
Built there an altar – In typical acknowledgment of sin and hope of the coming sin-offering. R2849:5
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