Genesis 13
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Summary
Abram leaves Egypt and returns to the altar he built. Because of contention between their herdsmen, Abram and Lot decide to go their separate ways. Lot chooses the well-watered plain of Jordan in the east and pitches his tent toward Sodom, a very wicked city. God tells Abram that all the land except for the plain of Jordan belongs to him and his posterity. God tells Abram that his posterity will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. Abram settles in Hebron, where he builds an altar to the Lord.
Commentary
Bible Central Commentary
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Historical Commentaries
Many of the commentaries below are in the public domain and were authored over 100 years ago. In many cases, they do not reflect the findings of modern scholarship, but they may be helpful for understanding the history of biblical scholarship.
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Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 2085 BC
Further Reading
RoseAnn Benson, “Reexamining Lot,” Religious Educator 14, no. 1 (2013): 59–81.
Victor L. Ludlow, “The Scattering and Gathering of Israel: God’s Covenant with Abraham Remembered through the Ages,” in Window of Faith: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on World History, ed. Roy A. Prete (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2005), 97–120.
Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Henry (1706)
Commentary on the Bible
Adam Clarke (1831)
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable
Thomas Constable
Rashi’s Commentary
Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki)
Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes (1834)
Exposition of the Entire Bible
John Gill (1746–63)
Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch (1857–78)
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible
John Wesley (1754–65)