Genesis 12:1

Genesis 12:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now 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:
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

Context of Genesis 12:1

The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s home. Go to the land that I will show you. 2I will make you a great nation, I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse. Through you every family on earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1 word by word

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• had saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto Abramאַבְרָם'abrâm · AbramH87
• Get thee outיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• of thy countryאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and from thy kindredמוֹלֶ֫דֶתmôledeth · relativesH4138
• and from thy father’sאָב'âb · fatherH1
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• that I will shewרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200

Cross-references for Genesis 12:1

• Genesis 11:31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, wife of his son Abram. They set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came as far as Haran, they stayed there.
• Genesis 15:7Then the Lord said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land so that you will take possession of it.”
• Nehemiah 9:7You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and took him from Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.
• Isaiah 41:9I have taken you from the ends of the earth and called you from its most distant places. I said to you, ‘You are my servant. I’ve chosen you; I haven’t rejected you.’
• Isaiah 51:2Look to Abraham, your ancestor, and to Sarah, from whom you are descended. When I called Abraham, he was childless. I blessed him and gave him many descendants.
• Ezekiel 33:24“Son of man, those who live in the ruined cities in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person, and he was given the land. But we are many. Certainly the land has been given to us.’
• Joshua 24:2Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Long ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and served other gods.
• Psalms 45:10Listen, daughter! Look closely! Turn your ear ⌞toward me⌟. Forget your people, and forget your father’s house.
• Luke 14:26“If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples.
• Acts 7:2Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God who reveals his glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia. This happened before Abraham lived in Haran.
• 2 Corinthians 6:17The Lord says, “Get away from unbelievers. Separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.”
• Hebrews 11:8Faith led Abraham to obey when God called him to go to a place that he would receive as an inheritance. Abraham left his own country without knowing where he was going.
• Revelation 18:4I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of Babylon, my people, so that you do not participate in her sins and suffer from any of her plagues.

Commentaries on Genesis 12:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Get thee out of thy country - There is great dissension between commentators concerning the call of Abram; some supposing he had two distinct calls, others that he had but one. At the conclusion of the preceding chapter, Genesis 11:31, we find Terah and all his family leaving Ur of the Chaldees, in order to go to Canaan. This was, no doubt, in consequence of some Divine admonition. While resting at Haran, on their road to Canaan, Terah died, Genesis…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-9Verses 1-9 - The Call of Abram 6. שׁכם shekem Shekem, “the upper part of the back.” Here it is the name of a person, the owner of this place, where afterward is built the town called at first Shekem, then Flavia Neapolis, and now Nablous. אלון 'ēlôn “the oak;” related: “be lasting, strong.” מורה môreh In Onkelos “plain;” Moreh, “archer, early rain, teacher.” Here the name of a man who owned the oak that marked the spot. In the Septuagint it is rendered…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ. (1-3) Abram departs from Haran. (4-5) He journeys through Canaan, and worships God in that land. (6-9) Abram is driven by a famine into Egypt, He feigns his wife to be his sister. (10-20) Verses 1-3 God made choice of Abram, and singled him out from among his fellow-idolaters, that he might reserve a people for himself, among whom his true worship might be maintained till the coming of Christ…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Abram knew that he should leave, but he did not know where he was going. Obedience required faith.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-201. Now the Lord had said unto Abram--It pleased God, who has often been found of them who sought Him not, to reveal Himself to Abraham perhaps by a miracle; and the conversion of Abraham is one of the most remarkable in Bible history. Get thee out of thy country--His being brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God had probably been a considerable time before. This call included two promises: the first, showing the land of his future posterity…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 12:1

• Abraham
• Call
• Canaan
• Communion
• Courage
• Covenant
• Faith
• God Continued...
• Haran
• Obedience
• Quotations and Allusions
• Religion
• Salvation

In the dictionaries

• Abram
• Abraham, Abram
• Abraham
• Appear
• Church
• Fair
• Grievous
• Journey
• Noah
• Prophecy

Commentaries on Genesis 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings