Genesis 12:1

Genesis 12:1

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:

a. NLT: The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.

b. 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.

c. YLT: And Jehovah saith unto Abram, 'Go for thyself, from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from the house of thy father, unto the land which I shew thee.

d. Amplified Bible: Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.

e. Septuagint: And the Lord said to Abram, Go forth out of thy land and out of thy kindred, and out of the house of thy father, and come into the land which I will shew thee.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: Hashem said to Abram, “Go for yourselve from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land I will show you.

1. “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country…”

a. the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

b. said [559 * amar] [Strong: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

1). The King James translation has “had said” and so does the NLT and NIV. The reason the translators include “had” to the Hebrew word translated “said” is on the strength of what Steven said in Acts, basically that the original call of Abram by God occurred in Ur not after the family move to Haran. The call of Abram took place while he was living in Ur, not while he was living in Haran. Hence the words, “had said”. This is confirmed with other Scripture particularly Genesis 15:7

a). Acts 7:2, 3 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

7:3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

b). Genesis 15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

c. unto Abram [87 * ‘Abram] [Strong: contracted from 48; high father; Abram, the original name of Abraham:--Abram.]

d. get thee out [3212 * yalak] [Strong:  primitive root (Compare 1980); to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses):--X again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, + follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, + pursue, cause to run, spread, take away ((-journey)), vanish, (cause to) walk(-ing), wax, X be weak.]

e. of thy country [776 * ‘erets] [Strong: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

2. “…and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:”

 a. and from thy kindred [4138 * mowledeth] [Strong:  from 3205; nativity (plural birth-place); by implication, lineage, native country; also offspring, family:--begotten, born, issue, kindred, native(-ity).]

b. from thy father’s [ 1 * ‘ab] [Strong: a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application):--chief, (fore-)father(-less), X patrimony, principal. Compare names in "Abi-".]

c. house [1004 * bayith] [Strong: probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).]

1). Abram obeyed only half of this command. He did not separate “from the kindred, and from thy father’s house”. The LORD had told Abram to separate from his family, and the reason for this was they were idolaters.

a). Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people,  Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor: and they served other gods.

2). Gordon Lindsay: Instead of completely separating from his father’s house, he allowed his father to go with him on his way to Canaan. Even Lot, his nephew eventually became a liability. No additional light was given until Abram obeyed the original command, it was then that the LORD appeared to him again Genesis 12:7. In Genesis 12:1-3 we see more of what had originally been revealed in the appearance of the LORD to Abram and Abram here is choosing to obey that original command.

d. unto a land [776 * ‘erets] [Strong: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

e. that I will shew thee [7200 * ra’ah] [Strong: a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative):--advise self, appear, approve, behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, X indeed, X joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, X be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), X sight of others, (e-)spy, stare, X surely, X think, view, visions.]

1). John Walvoord, The Millenial Kingdom, p.144. “…the premillennial interpretation of the Abrahamic covenant takes its provisions literally…the promises given to Abraham will be fulfilled by Abraham; the promises given to Abraham’s seed, will be fulfilled by Abraham’s seed; the promises to “all the families of the earth,” will be fulfilled by the Gentiles, or those not the physical seed.”