Year of the Bible
Genesis 12
Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 12:
Genesis now shifts from relating epic events impacting the whole world to focusing on the one family God will use in His plan of salvation. When the Lord calls Abram to leave his family, He makes promises that will drive much of the rest of Old Testament history and theology. Although Abram, his wife, and his nephew follow God’s lead, there are two problems: 1) Abram is elderly does not have any direct descendants to inherit God’s promises, and 2) there is a drought in the land. Abram moves to Egypt where, to protect his own life, he emphasizes Sarai’s relationship as his sister (see 20:12). The Lord keeps His promises by bringing trouble to Pharaoh who has troubled Abram, and by blessing Abram through great material wealth that Abram retains as he leaves Egypt.
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 12:
The Call of Abram
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. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 Thence he removed to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful to behold; 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, menservants, maidservants, she-donkeys, and camels.
17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
The story of all God will do through Abram/Abraham begins with the Lord telling Abram to leave his country. Ask the Lord to show you the places he asks you to leave in order to accomplish His loving plan to prosper you.
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Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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Génesis 12
1 El Señor dijo a Abrán:
–Vete de tu tierra y de tu patria
y de casa de tu padre,
a la tierra que yo te mostraré;
2 de ti haré un gran pueblo,
te bendeciré,
y engrandeceré tu nombre
que servirá de bendición. Bendeciré a quienes te bendigan,
y maldeciré a quienes te maldigan;
en ti serán bendecidos
todos los pueblos de la tierra.
4 Abrán se marchó tal como le había
mandado el Señor, y con él fue Lot.
Tenía Abrán setenta y cinco años cuando
salió de Jarán. 5 Abrán llevó consigo a
Saray, su mujer, y a Lot, su sobrino, con
todos los bienes que había obtenido y la
gente que había adquirido en Jarán. Salieron
para ir a la tierra de Canaán, y llegaron
a la tierra de Canaán.
6 Abrán atravesó la tierra de Canaán
hasta el lugar sagrado de Siquem, hasta
la encina de Moré. Los cananeos habitaban
entonces en el país. 7 El Señor se manifestó
a Abrán y le dijo:
–A tu descendencia daré esta tierra.
Abrán construyó allí un altar al Señor
que se le había manifestado. 8 Desde
allí pasó a la montaña al oriente de
Betel, donde plantó la tienda, entre Betel
a occidente y Ay a oriente; y construyó
allí un altar al Señor e invocó el
nombre del Señor. 9 Después Abrán reemprendió
el viaje yendo, por etapas, al
Négueb.
10 Entonces sobrevino el hambre en
el país, y Abrán bajó a Egipto a habitar
allí porque el hambre apretaba en el
país. 11 Cuando estaba a punto de entrar
en Egipto, le dijo a Saray, su mujer:
–Mira, sé que eres mujer hermosa;
12 en cuanto te vean los egipcios dirán:
«Ésa es su mujer»; y me matarán a mí,
y a ti te dejarán con vida. 13 Por favor, di
que eres mi hermana para que me vaya
bien gracias a ti, y con tu ayuda conserve
la vida.
14 En efecto, cuando Abrán entró en
Egipto, los egipcios vieron que la mujer
era muy hermosa. 15 La vieron los ministros
del faraón y la elogiaron ante el faraón;
y la mujer fue llevada al palacio
del faraón. 16 A Abrán le fue bien gracias
a ella y obtuvo ovejas y vacas, asnos,
esclavos y esclavas, asnas y camellos.
17 Pero el Señor hirió al faraón y a su
casa con grandes plagas, debido a Saray
mujer de Abrán. 18 Entonces el faraón
llamó a Abrán y le dijo:
–¿Qué es lo que me has hecho? ¿Por
qué no me advertiste que era tu mujer?
19 ¿Por qué me dijiste que era tu hermana,
dejando que yo la tomara por esposa?
Pues ahora, ahí tienes a tu mujer, tómala
y vete.
20 Y el faraón dio órdenes a sus hombres
para que les despidieran a él y a su
mujer con todo lo que tenía.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
La historia de todo lo que Dios hará a través de Abram/Abraham comienza con el Señor diciendo a Abram que abandone su páis. Pídele al Señor que te muestre los lugares que te pide que dejes para complir Su plan amoroso para tu prosperidad.
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).