Genesis 13:18
in Genesis 13So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto Jehovah.
KJV
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
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This verse in Genesis 13
Commentary
6 notes on this verseMoving therefore Abram his tent, he came and dwelt by the valley of Mamre, which is in Hebron. Hebron is a city situated about twenty-two miles south of Jerusalem, which in the times of Moses was called Arbe or Kiriath-Arba, that is, the city of …
This site's exposition
Abram moved his tent
He settles by the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron and builds a third altar, after Shechem at 12:7 and Bethel at 12:8. Hebron holds the one piece of ground he ever buys, the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron, paid for with four hundred shekels of silver in chapter 23. The man given the whole land pays for a grave.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Wonderful the extent of the promise; remarkable the depth of generosity of the Lord of us all; extraordinary the degree of the reward conferred by him in his mercy and love on this blessed man and on the descendants destined to be born to him! Hearing this, and amazed at God's unspeakable goodness, the patriarch "struck camp and moved on until settling at the oak of Mamre, which is at Hebron." After accepting the promise … and following Lot's parting, he changed his campsite to the vicinity of the oak of Mamre. Notice his sensible attitude, his high sense of responsibility in effecting the transfer with ease and making no difficulty of changing from place to place. You will not find him shackled and hidebound by any custom, something that frequently affects a great number of people, even those considered wise and those generally free of concerns. If the occasion should require them to change and move in a different direction, even in many cases for a spiritual matter, you would find many of them troubled, beside themselves, regretting the change on account of their being prisoners of habit. The just man, on the other hand, wasn't like that. He showed good sense from the very outset. Like a stranger or a pilgrim he moved from here to there and from there to the next place. And in all cases his concern was to give evidence of his God-fearing attitude in his actions.
The Medieval Church1 voice
And he built an altar to the Lord. And this is the third altar that Abraham built: for the first he built near the place of Shechem, the second between Bethel and Ai.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then Abram removed his tent,.... From the mountain between Bethel and Hai, Gen 13:3, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, or "in the oaks of Mamre" (e); in a grove of oaks there, as being shady and pleasant to dwell among or under, and not through any superstitious regard to such trees and places where they grew; which has obtained since among the Heathens, and particularly among the Druids, who have their name from thence.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Abram removed his tent - Continued to travel and pitch in different places, till at last he fixed his tent in the plain, or by the oak, of Mamre, see Gen 12:6, which is in Hebron; i.e., the district in which Mamre was situated was called Hebron. Mamre was an Amorite then living, with whom Abram made a league, Gen 14:13; and the oak probably went by his name, because he was the possessor of the ground.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֶּאֱהַ֣ל | vaiyeehal | and he moved tent | H167 → | |
| אַבְרָ֗ם | ʾavram | Abram | H87 → | 61 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֛א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| וַיֵּ֛שֶׁב | vaiyeshev | and he dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בְּאֵלֹנֵ֥י | beelonei | at [the] great trees of | H436 → | 9 times |
| מַמְרֵ֖א | mamre' | Mamre | H4471 → | 10 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן | bechevron | [are] at Hebron | H2275 → | 72 times |
| וַיִּֽבֶן־ | vaiyiven- | and he built | H1129 → | 376 times |
| שָׁ֥ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| מִזְבֵּ֖חַ | mizbeach | an altar | H4196 → | 401 times |
| לַֽיהוָֽה׃ פ | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיֶּאֱהַ֣לand he moved tent
vaiyeehalH167 →
אַבְרָ֗םAbram
ʾavramH87 →61 times
וַיָּבֹ֛אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
וַיֵּ֛שֶׁבand he dwelt
vaiyeshevH3427 →1079 times
בְּאֵלֹנֵ֥יat [the] great trees of
beeloneiH436 →9 times
מַמְרֵ֖אMamre
mamre'H4471 →10 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן[are] at Hebron
bechevronH2275 →72 times
וַיִּֽבֶן־and he built
vaiyiven-H1129 →376 times
שָׁ֥םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
מִזְבֵּ֖חַan altar
mizbeachH4196 →401 times
לַֽיהוָֽה׃ פto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 8:20Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:15–16
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.
- Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
- Genesis 22:9
When they arrived at the place God had designated, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, atop the wood.
- Genesis 12:7–8
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
- Hebrews 13:15–16
Through
Genesis 18:1Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.
it leads to
- Genesis 14:13
Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by…
- Genesis 48:3
Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me
- Genesis 17:22
When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
- Genesis 14:13
Through
Genesis 35:27Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
it leads to
- Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
- Genesis 23:19
About Genesis
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 34.12; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).