Genesis 13:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.

NIV: So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:

NASB: So Lot chose for himself all the vicinity of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. So they separated from each other.

CSB: So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other.

NLT: Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.

KJV: Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

NKJV: Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.

To resolve recurring conflicts caused by sharing limited resources, Abram approached Lot and suggested they move in two different directions to occupy different areas of the land. Abram gave Lot the first choice of where to settle. This was a generous gesture, since Abram was the older and more entitled member of the family.

The previous verse describes the best spot, the well-watered plain along the Jordan river. Lot surveyed it, and now he chooses it for himself. Some have suggested this was a selfish choice, but the text does not say so. Lot simply received the generous gift Abram had offered to him. Lot's choice is not necessarily wrong, nor is it sinful. It was certainly the most profitable land.

What we learn in the next few chapters, however, proves that this decision is unwise. Lot's choice to move his large estate to the east and settle near Sodom will prove destructive in the end. By this time, the reputation of this region has been established (Genesis 13:13). The depravity is so bad that God will eventually destroy these cities. By then, however, Lot will become so accustomed to the culture that he has to be dragged from the city by angels (Genesis 19:15–16)!

Genesis 13:1–13 describes Abram's generosity to his nephew Lot, offering Lot the choice of where to settle his large herds. Lot chooses the fertile lands along the well-watered Jordan, near the city of Sodom. Abram settles near Hebron after hearing from the Lord once more that he and his uncountable descendants will one day possess all the land he can see.

Both Abram and his nephew Lot have grown so wealthy in animals that they cannot occupy the same area together. They split up. At Abram's gracious offer to choose which land to take for himself, Lot elects to live on the well-watered plains of Jordan near Sodom. After the Lord speaks to Abram, reaffirming and expanding on His promises, Abram settles near Hebron, near the great trees of an Amorite man called Mamre. Abram builds an altar to the Lord there and continues to worship Yahweh.

Genesis 12 ended with Abram and his large company being kicked out of Egypt by an angry Pharaoh. Back in Canaan, Abram and his nephew Lot are forced to split up due to the large size of their herds. Lot's choice to live near the wicked city of Sodom will have grave implications in coming chapters. God reaffirms and expands on His promises to Abram, who settles near Hebron, building another altar to the Lord and worshiping God there.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.