And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
Parallel translations
- WEB Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives.
- BSB So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers.
- NKJV So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
- NASB So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives!
- NLT Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives!
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 urged Lot to avoid strife since they were relatives. He seeks peace out of family love and faith.
Overview
Abram, though the elder and the one God called, humbly takes the initiative to prevent quarreling. He appeals to their kinship as grounds for harmony. His peacemaking reflects a faith that trusts God rather than grasping for advantage, anticipating Jesus' blessing on peacemakers (Matt 5:9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 26
- 1 Cor 6:6–7But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
- Acts 7:26And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
- Ps 133:1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
- 1 Jn 2:9–11He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
- 2 Pet 1:7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
- 1 Jn 3:14–19We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
- Prov 20:3It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
- 1 Pet 3:8Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
- Prov 15:1A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
- Gen 45:24So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
- Gen 11:27–31Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
- 1 Jn 4:20–21If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
- 1 Pet 4:8And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
- Rom 12:10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
- Eph 4:2–3With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
- Jas 3:17–18But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
- 1 Pet 2:17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
- Phil 2:14Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
- Prov 15:18A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
- Heb 12:14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
- 1 Jn 4:7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
- Matt 5:9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
- Heb 13:1Let brotherly love continue.
- Exod 2:13And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
- 1 Pet 1:22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
- 1 Th 4:9But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
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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 13:8 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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