Chapter 12
20 verses — switch translations with the toolbar below.
Scripture
KJV1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8And 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.
9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.
18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Overview
God calls Abram to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house and go to a land that God will show him. God makes a sevenfold promise: to make Abram a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, to make him a blessing, to bless those who bless him, to curse those who curse him, and to bless all families of the earth through him. Abram obeys and journeys to Canaan. A famine drives him to Egypt, where he deceives Pharaoh about Sarai being his wife, but God protects her.
Key Themes
The Call of Abram — Faith and Obedience
Abram leaves everything familiar based solely on God's word, demonstrating the kind of faith that trusts God's promise even without seeing the destination.
The Abrahamic Covenant — Blessing for All Nations
God's promise to bless all families of the earth through Abram is the seed of the gospel — the plan to reverse the curse of Genesis 3 begins here.
Human Weakness and Divine Faithfulness
Abram's deception in Egypt shows that even the father of faith stumbles, yet God intervenes to protect the covenant promise despite Abram's failure.
Study Questions
What did it cost Abram to obey God's call to leave his homeland, and what does his obedience teach about the nature of faith?
How does the promise 'in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed' (v. 3) anticipate the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Why does Abram build altars at Shechem and Bethel (vv. 7-8), and what does this reveal about worship in the life of faith?
What does Abram's failure in Egypt (vv. 10-20) teach about the tension between faith and fear?
How does God's faithfulness to protect Sarai in Egypt demonstrate that His promises cannot be thwarted by human weakness?
Connection to Christ
Genesis 12:3 — 'in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed' — is the Old Testament's clearest promise of the gospel. Paul explicitly identifies this as the gospel preached beforehand to Abraham (Galatians 3:8). Christ is the ultimate seed of Abraham through whom all nations receive the blessing of salvation. The entire story of redemption narrows to this one man's call so that it can widen again to the whole world in Christ.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Genesis 12. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?