From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on Yahweh’s name.
- KJV And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
- NKJV And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
- NASB Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.
- NLT After 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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Abram pitched his tent near Bethel, built an altar, and called on Yahweh's name. He lives as a worshiping pilgrim in the land.
Overview
Moving on to the hills between Bethel and Ai, Abram again builds an altar and publicly calls on the Lord's name. His tent-dwelling marks him as a sojourner, while his altars mark him as a worshiper. This rhythm of pilgrimage and worship characterizes the life of faith, awaiting a permanent city whose builder is God (Heb 11:9-10).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Gen 4:26And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD.
- Neh 11:31The descendants of Benjamin from Geba lived in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel with its villages;
- Gen 21:33And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.
- Gen 13:4to the site where he had built the altar. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
- Gen 28:19and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
- 1 Cor 1:2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
- Gen 35:3Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
- Acts 2:21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
- Josh 8:17Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.
- Joel 2:32And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.
- Josh 7:2Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
- Gen 35:15–16Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
- Josh 8:3So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night
- Ps 116:4Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, deliver my soul!”
- Rom 10:12–14For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,
- Josh 18:22Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
- Isa 10:28Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 12:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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