Genesis 12:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

NIV: Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

NASB: Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time.

CSB: Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.)

NLT: Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

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

NKJV: Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.

God called Abram to leave his home behind, and go to a land God would show to him. God also gave Abram great and powerful promises that He would bless him and make him a great nation.

Abram believed God and went. He entered the land of Canaan, which would become the Promised Land (Genesis 12:7). He traveled across it, perhaps walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee on his way to a town called Shechem. Joshua 20:7 describes Shechem as being "in the hill country of Ephraim," roughly in the center of the land.

In Shechem, Abram goes to a tree called the oak of Moreh. The Hebrew term moreh means "teacher." It's possible this tree was in an oak grove used by the Canaanites in their religious cults. It was a common practice of these cults to use nature, including trees, to seek messages from their gods. Perhaps Abram came to this place hoping to hear from the Lord. That's what will happen in the following verse.

The verse reminds us that the Canaanites possessed the land at this time.

Genesis 12:1–9 is a landmark passage in the Bible. God calls Abram to leave his people and land behind. He also promises to bless Abram and to make his descendants into a great nation who will one day occupy the land of Canaan. Though childless, and with no obvious path to becoming a father of an entire culture, Abram begins to worship the Lord in the land of Canaan, journeying through the land and building altars to God.

Genesis 12 contains one of the key moments in the history of the world. God chooses Abram as the first step in building His people Israel. Abram obeys God's call, and heads into the land of Canaan, territory which God promises to Abram's offspring. Quickly, though, Abram fails a test of faith in the land of Egypt while seeking food in a famine. God does not fail, however, to step in to save Abram's family and protect His agenda for Abram's life.

The end of Genesis 11 tells the story of Terah, Abram's father, and the family's journey to a new home in Haran. Genesis 12 shifts the story to Abram and his journey on into the land of Canaan. God promises to make Abram the father of a great nation, and to give Abram's descendants that very land. Abram begins to worship the Lord, but quickly fails a test of his faith in Egypt. God shows Himself faithful in a miraculous way, preparing Abram for what's to come in chapter 13.

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.

Accessed 5/8/2024 5:18:37 PM