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Abram and Lot return from Egypt Gen.13:1. And Abram rose up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, The expression is very picturesque and quite suitable for a nomadic shepherd with all his flocks. In the previous chapter Lot was not mentioned; now it is reintroduced into the narrative, in view of a separate narrative about it below. Gen.13:2. And Abram was very rich in cattle, Or, as the Hebrew text puts it, “very heavy,” which is the usual Bible reference to the abundance of external blessings (Ex. 12:38; 1 Kings 10:2, etc.). This is the first biblical mention of metal valuables. One must think that Abram became acquainted with them in Egypt, where they were the subject of barter and were shaped like plates or rings. Gen.13:3–4. And he continued his marches from the south to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been between Bethel and Ai, As can be seen from the instructions made here, Abram returned from Egypt the same way as he had once gone into it, and the words of the text: “and he continued the transitions” perfectly express the very nature of the nomadic life of a nomad, which this patriarch led. to the place of the altar which he made there at the beginning; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Having reached Bethel, in which Abram once established an altar to the true God, he again offers on it a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God for the successful outcome of his long and dangerous journey to Egypt and for his return to the land of promise. Gen.13:5. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. Thus, the divine benefits given to Abram were poured out on his nephew Lot. Gen.13:6. And the land was too big for them to live together, for their property was so great that they could not live together. “Look,” John Chrysostom exclaims on this occasion, “how excess wealth immediately becomes the cause of division, produces a rupture, violates agreement, dissolves ties of kinship!” They go in different directions Gen.13:7. And there was a dispute between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and between the herdmen of Lot's cattle; Displeasure and ill will, as often happens, began from below, between the shepherds of Abram and Lot; with both having a large number of livestock and sharing pastures and especially watering places, there were, of course, many reasons for them. Gen.13:8. And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives; “How beautifully the lofty, noble personality of Abram is depicted in these simple words! From these words it is already clear that Lot was ready to join the quarrel of the shepherds; calmly and with dignity, Abram reminds him that they are relatives, and hints that it is both indecent for them to join the quarrel of servants, and dangerous due to the fact that they are surrounded by foreigners” (Vlastov). Gen.13:9. Is not the whole earth before you? The Bethel Hills, where the event described took place, occupy an elevated and dominant position above the Jordan Valley that lies at their base. In general, this whole speech is full of picturesqueness and figurativeness. Separate yourself from me: if you go to the left, then I will go to the right; and if you go to the right, then I go to the left. Abram’s speech breathes with generosity and meekness: wanting to show the greatness of his virtue and fulfill the desire of the young man, so that no reason for displeasure would arise from their separation, he gives Lot complete freedom and says: “and the whole earth is before you, leave me, and whatever land you want, take it” (John Chrysostom). Gen. 13:10–11. Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the entire region of Jordan, that before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, all of it as far as Zoar was watered with water, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt; and Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan; and Lot moved towards the east. And they separated from each other. Taking advantage of the freedom of choice given to him, Lot took for himself the rich and fertile Jordan Valley, blooming, according to the Bible, like the garden of the Lord, that is, like paradise (Gen. 2:10; Isa. 51:3), and irrigated by the waters of the Jordan, like Egypt by the waters of the Nile. Gen.13:12. Abram began to live in the land of Canaan; and Lot began to live in the cities around and pitched tents as far as Sodom. Abram, true to his calling, continued to remain a nomadic nomad and lived alone in the western part of the land of Canaan. Lot, on the contrary, entered into friendly relations with the population around him and, even tempted by the conveniences of their life, decided to change his former nomadic lifestyle to the calm and pleasant life of a city dweller. Gen.13:13. The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord. Here is a brief but expressive description of those residents with whom their new neighbor, Lot, entered into communication. “The fruitful Jordan Valley and the pampering climate had such an influence on the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah that they surpassed all contemporary cities in brazen debauchery. Let us also note that the Bible adds that they were also evil. Deep depravity is usually accompanied by cruelty and even some kind of bloodthirsty madness (Nero, Caligula, Heliogabalus, etc.). And we must assume that the inhabitants of Sodom fell so deeply that there was no longer any room for good feelings in them” (Vlastov). God Repeats His Promises to Abram Gen.13:14. And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: lift up your eyes, and from the place where you are now, look to the north and to the south, and to the east and to the west; The last addition in the text is especially significant: it shows that Lot, who arbitrarily chose his share according to worldly calculations, thereby excluded himself from participation in Abram's lot, with all its trials and temptations, but also with all its rewards and promises. Gen.13:15. For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever, As if in reward for the humility, generosity and unselfishness shown by Abram in the partition with Lot, the Lord again repeats His promises and consoles His faithful servant with the promise that all this land, in which he now wanders, having no inheritance in it per foot (Acts 7:5), will in time belong to him, or, more precisely, to his descendants. This promise, indeed, was fulfilled over his fleshly descendants when the Jewish people, under the leadership of Joshua, occupied the land of Canaan by force of arms, and over spiritual Israel, that is, those who believe in Christ, who in Him and through Him became heirs and partakers of all divine promises, for, according to the word of Scripture, Abram continues to speak by faith even after his death (Heb. 11:13, 16; cf. Matthew 22:31–32). Gen.13:16. And I will make your descendants like the sand of the earth; “Truly,” exclaims Saint John Chrysostom, “the promise was above human nature! The Lord promises not only to make the patriarch a father, although there were so many obstacles to this (his own old age and Sarah’s barrenness), but also to give him a name so numerous that it will be equal to the amount of sand of the earth and will even be innumerable - with this comparison He wanted to show the extraordinary greatness (of the promises).” This promise was fulfilled over the Jews, known for their outstanding fertility (Ex. 1:12), and it came true even more over the Christians, who spread throughout the entire face of the earth. Gen.13:17. Arise, walk through this land into the length and breadth of it, for I will give it to you [and to your descendants forever]. An example of high sacred poetry, breathing imagery and power. According to the profound remark of M. Philaret, “the measure of promise is the measure of faith” - as much as a person can contain, so much will he receive. Abram moves to Hebron and sets up an altar there Gen.13:18. And Abram pitched his tent, and went and dwelt by the oak grove of Mamre, which is in Hebron; and he built an altar there to the Lord. Mamre was actually the name of an Amorite, an ally of Abram (Gen. 14:13, 24). The city of Hebron lies 22 miles south of Jerusalem, on the road to Beersheba. It is believed that at first it was called Hebron, then it was renamed Kiriath-Arba (Gen. 23:2, 35:27; Josh. 15:54; Judg. 1:10), then it was again restored to its ancient name (2 Kings 15:7) and, finally, among modern Arabs it is known as “El-Khalil”, i.e. the city of the “friend of God”, as it is called Abram even in the Holy Scriptures (Isa. 41:8; James 2:23). You might be interested in: