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Read Genesis Chapter 12

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1Now 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:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

8And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

15The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.

18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Genesis 12

In short

God calls Abram to leave his home and travel to a new land, promising to make him the founder of a great nation and a blessing to all people. Abram obeys and journeys through Canaan, but when famine strikes, he goes to Egypt and deceives the ruler about his wife, leading to trouble that God resolves.

What the text says

In verse 1, God tells Abram to leave his country, family, and father's house and go to a land God will show him. Verses 2 and 3 contain God's promises: Abram will become a great nation, God will bless him and make his name great, he will be a blessing to others, and "all families of the earth" will be blessed through him. God also promises to bless those who bless Abram and curse those who curse him.

In verse 4, Abram obeys immediately, taking his nephew Lot with him at age seventy-five. Verse 5 lists what he takes: his wife Sarai, Lot, all their belongings, and people they had acquired in Haran. They arrive in Canaan in verse 6, arriving at Shechem where Canaanites already live. In verse 7, God appears to Abram and confirms he will give this land to Abram's descendants, so Abram builds an altar there. Verses 8 and 9 show Abram moving to another location between Bethel and Hai, building another altar, and continuing south.

Verses 10 through 20 describe what happens when famine comes. Abram goes to Egypt to find food. Before entering Egypt, he tells his wife Sarai to say she is his sister, fearing the Egyptians will kill him to take her because she is beautiful. In Egypt, her beauty is noticed by Pharaoh's officials and she is brought to Pharaoh's house. Pharaoh treats Abram well because of her and gives him livestock and servants. But God sends plagues on Pharaoh's house because of Sarai. Pharaoh discovers the truth, calls Abram to account, and orders him to leave Egypt with his wife and all his possessions.

Takeaways

  • Abram's obedience to an uncertain call becomes the start of God's plan for blessing all people through his descendants.
  • Abram's deception about his wife shows that even a faithful person can act from fear and self-protection.
  • God protects Abram and his wife even when Abram has acted wrongly, and brings consequences to Pharaoh through plagues.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.