What does Genesis 13:8 mean?
Previous verses revealed a conflict had between Abram's servants and Lot's servants. Both had extremely large herds of animals, and there simply was not room for them to occupy the same limited space when they had settled around Bethel. Abram didn't want conflict with his kinsman Lot, his brother's son. He didn't want any reason to quarrel to exist between them. So Abram begins, in this verse, to propose a solution.Genesis clearly shows that Abram has a soft spot in his heart for Lot. His nephew is mentioned as part of Abram's original traveling entourage (Genesis 12:4). Abram will later rescue Lot from kidnappers in a full-blown military raid (Genesis 14:1–16). After taking the name Abraham, Abram will plead with God on behalf of Lot's hometown of Sodom (Genesis 18:22–33). The offer made in the next verse is yet another example of Abram's gracious love for Lot. That offer turns the normal convention of seniority—or the rights of the elder—upside down.