New Living Translation
Genesis 12:6
6Abram 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.
Genesis 12:6 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (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.
- English Standard Version (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.
- New King James Version (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.
Context of Genesis 12:6
4So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 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. 7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.
Read all of Genesis 12Genesis 12:6 word by word
וַיַּעֲבֹ֤ר אַבְרָם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ עַ֚ד מְק֣וֹם שְׁכֶ֔ם עַ֖ד אֵל֣וֹן מוֹרֶ֑ה וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י אָ֥ז בָּאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Abramאַבְרָם'abrâm · AbramH87
- passed throughעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- unto the placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
- of Sichemשְׁכֶםshekem · ShechemH7927
- unto the plainאֵלוֹן'êlôn · terebinthH436
- of Morehמוֹרֶהmôreh môreh · MorehH4176
- And the Canaaniteכְּנַעֲנִיkena‛anîy · CanaaniteH3669
- thenאָז'âz · thenH227
Cross-references for Genesis 12:6
- Hebrews 11:9And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.
- Genesis 33:18Later, having traveled all the way from Paddan-aram, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town.
- Genesis 34:2But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her.
- Genesis 35:4So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.
- Joshua 20:7The following cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.
- Joshua 24:32The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the plot of land Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for 100 pieces of silver. This land was located in the territory allotted to the descendants of Joseph.
- Judges 9:1One day Gideon’s son Abimelech went to Shechem to visit his uncles—his mother’s brothers. He said to them and to the rest of his mother’s family,
- 1 Kings 12:1Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king.
- John 4:5Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
- Acts 7:16Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons in Shechem.
- Deuteronomy 11:30(These two mountains are west of the Jordan River in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley, near the town of Gilgal, not far from the oaks of Moreh.)
- Judges 7:1So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
- Genesis 10:15Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites,
- Genesis 13:7So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)
- Genesis 15:18So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—
Commentaries on Genesis 12:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6The plain of Moreh - אלון elon should be translated oak, not plain; the Septuagint translate ̔, the lofty oak; and it is likely the place was remarkable for a grove of those trees, or for one of a stupendous height and bulk. The Canaanite was then in the land - This is thought to be an interpolation, because it is supposed that these words must have been written after the Canaanites were expelled from the land by the Israelites under Joshua; but this by…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. 6-9Verses 6-9 Abram found the country peopled by Canaanites, who were bad neighbours. He journeyed, going on still. Sometimes it is the lot of good men to be unsettled, and often to remove into various states. Believers must look on themselves as strangers and sojourners in this world, He 11:8, 13, 14. But observe how much comfort Abram had in God. When he could have little satisfaction in converse with the Canaanites whom he found there, he had abundance of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7the Oak of Moreh: This was probably a Canaanite shrine. Fertile groves were sacred to the Canaanites (compare Isaiah 1:29), and Moreh means "teacher." Abram proclaimed the Lord's name beside a pagan place of worship and instruction (Genesis 12:8). Abram continued to be a blessing by building an altar to worship God at Shechem and east of Bethel (12:8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. the place of Sichem--or Shechem, a pastoral valley then unoccupied (compare Ge 33:18). plain of Moreh--rather, the "terebinth tree" of Moreh, very common in Palestine, remarkable for its wide-spreading branches and its dark green foliage. It is probable that in Moreh there was a grove of these trees, whose inviting shade led Abram to choose it for an encampment.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 12:6
In the dictionaries
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
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