Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Parallel translations
- WEB Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
- BSB Is not the whole land before you? Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”
- NKJV Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
- NASB Is the entire land not before you? Please separate from me; if you choose the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left.”
- NLT The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
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 generously let Lot choose any part of the land first. He surrenders his rights, trusting God to provide.
Overview
Abram, who had every right to choose first, defers to his younger nephew, offering Lot the pick of the land. This striking generosity flows from his confidence that God, not human maneuvering, secures his inheritance. Abram's self-denial foreshadows the Christlike pattern of preferring others above oneself (Phil 2:3-4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Gen 34:10And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
- 1 Pet 3:8–12Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
- Heb 12:14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
- Gen 20:15And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
- 1 Cor 6:7Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
- Ps 120:7I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.
- Rom 12:18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
- Jas 3:13–18Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
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 13:9 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.