And the land could not support both of them while living together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.
Parallel translations
- WEB The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together; for their substance was great, so that they could not live together.
- KJV And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
- BSB But the land was unable to support both of them while they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they were unable to coexist.
- NKJV Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
- NLT But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together.
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
The land could not support both men's great possessions together. Their combined wealth forces a parting.
Overview
The abundance of both Abram and Lot exceeds the land's capacity to sustain them side by side. What is a blessing becomes a source of practical strain. The situation sets the stage for Abram's gracious resolution, showing that earthly prosperity must be held loosely in light of God's promises.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 36:6–7Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
- Eccl 5:10–11He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.
- 1 Tim 6:9But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.
- Luke 12:17–18He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’
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 13:6 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.