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The Torah · Old Testament

Genesis 12

The call to Abram and the journey to Egypt

General context

The Lord calls Abram to leave his country, relatives and father's house for a land he will be shown, promising blessing, a great nation and a great name. The promise includes blessing for all families of the earth and blessing or cursing for those who bless or curse him. Abram leaves Haran at seventy-five with Sarai, Lot and their household and possessions. In Canaan he receives a promise of land for his descendants and builds altars. A severe famine takes him to Egypt. Fearing that he will be killed because of Sarai, Abram asks her to say she is his sister. Sarai is taken into Pharaoh's house. The Lord plagues Pharaoh and his household because of her, and Pharaoh rebukes Abram and sends him away with Sarai and his possessions.

Cited passages: Genesis 12:1, Genesis 12:2, Genesis 12:3, Genesis 12:4, Genesis 12:5, Genesis 12:6, Genesis 12:7, Genesis 12:8, Genesis 12:10, Genesis 12:11, Genesis 12:12, Genesis 12:13, Genesis 12:15, Genesis 12:17, Genesis 12:18, Genesis 12:19, Genesis 12:20

Genesis 12 (KJV)

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 Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el 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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The route runs from Haran into Canaan, through Sichem and the plain of Moreh, then to a camp between Beth-el and Hai and onward toward the south. The narrator states that Canaanites were already in the land. Famine brings Abram to Egypt as a temporary resident. Pharaoh is identified by his title, without a personal name. Sarai is described throughout as Abram's wife, while Abram's request that she be called his sister is tied to his stated fear for his own life.

Cited passages: Genesis 12:4, Genesis 12:5, Genesis 12:6, Genesis 12:8, Genesis 12:9, Genesis 12:10, Genesis 12:11, Genesis 12:12, Genesis 12:13, Genesis 12:15, Genesis 12:17, Genesis 12:18, Genesis 12:19

Literary context

Commands and promises open the chapter, followed by Abram's departure. The promise to make his name great contrasts with the preceding chapter's builders, who seek to make a name for themselves. Altars mark his movement through Canaan before famine changes the route. In Egypt, Abram's plan for safety is followed by Sarai's removal into Pharaoh's house and divine plagues. Pharaoh's questions expose the difference between the sister claim and the marriage. The chapter records no reply from Abram and closes with an ordered departure.

Cited passages: Genesis 11:4, Genesis 12:1, Genesis 12:2, Genesis 12:3, Genesis 12:4, Genesis 12:7, Genesis 12:8, Genesis 12:10, Genesis 12:12, Genesis 12:13, Genesis 12:15, Genesis 12:17, Genesis 12:18, Genesis 12:19, Genesis 12:20

Key moments

  1. Abram is called to leave (Genesis 12:1). The Lord directs Abram to leave his country, relatives and father's house for a land he will be shown.
  2. A promise and an altar (Genesis 12:7). The Lord promises the land to Abram's descendants, and Abram builds an altar.
  3. Sarai enters Pharaoh's house (Genesis 12:15). Pharaoh's officials praise Sarai to him, and she is taken into his house.
  4. Pharaoh questions Abram (Genesis 12:18). Pharaoh asks why Abram did not tell him that Sarai was his wife.

For reflection

What tension do you notice between the promises at the chapter's opening and Abram's plan for his safety in Egypt?

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