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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
- Neh 11:31The children also of Benjamin from Geba dwelt at Michmash, and Aija, and Bethel, and in their villages,
- Gen 21:33And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
- Gen 13:4Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
- Gen 28:19And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
- 1 Cor 1:2Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
- Gen 35:3And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
- Acts 2:21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- Josh 8:17And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
- Joel 2:32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
- Josh 7:2And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
- Gen 35:15–16And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.
- Josh 8:3So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
- Ps 116:4Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
- Rom 10:12–14For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
- Josh 18:22And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,
- Isa 10:28He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:
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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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