1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. After Abraham and his household have recovered from their circumcision (we know this since they are working again), God appears visibly to Abraham, as he is taking a break…
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Thirteen years have passed since the birth of Ishmael, Abram’s attempt to see God’s promise…
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the…
1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” After the success in defeating Chedorlaomer and rescuing the people of Sodom, Abram had made deals with kings, and was celebrated publicly. Now he has returned to…
1 In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 And all these joined forces…
1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. After being ordered to leave Egypt, Abram, Sarai, and Lot, return to Canaan. The text is not clear if there is still a severe famine, although that may explain the coming conflict between…
1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. The last person god spoke directly to was Noah and his family. Now after ten generations of silence, God reaches out to Abram. Abram does not call out to God,…
1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. Up until now there had been one human language. Whatever language was spoken by Noah and his sons, was likely the same language used by Adam and Eve. The implications of this statement are outstanding. Language is a huge part of how humans…
1 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood. This chapter begins with another “These are the generations of…” statement, marking a decisive shift in the narrative, and officially closing out the story of Noah. This chapter is the second major genealogy…
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. After the offering made by Noah prompts God to promise to never strike down all life while the earth remains, God issues a command similar to the one he gave Adam and Eve, to be fruitful…