language · Gen 13:14–18 · ✓ Approved

Look, walk, and settle at Mamre

Says וַיהוָה אָמַר (“and the Lord said”) puts the subject first, not the usual narrative form; then אַחֲרֵי הִפָּרֶד־לוֹט מֵעִמּוֹ (“after Lot had separated from him”). שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה (“lift up, please, your eyes and see”) answers Lot’s look in 13:10, now in all four directions.

Says In 13:15 לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֲךָ עַד־עוֹלָם is “to you I will give it, and to your seed, until forever.” In 13:16 וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ is “and I will make your seed like the dust of the earth” (the Greek has “ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τῆς γῆς”, “as the sand”). 13:17 has קוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ לְאָרְכָּהּ וּלְרָחְבָּהּ (“arise, walk about in the land, its length and its breadth”). In 13:18 וַיֶּאֱהַל אַבְרָם וַיָּבֹא וַיֵּשֶׁב is “and Abram tented and came and dwelt” בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא, a plural: “by the terebinths of Mamre” (BSB “Oaks of Mamre”). The Samaritan text in von Gall has באלוני, plural too; the Greek has “τὴν δρῦν” (singular).

Uncertain On “forever,” Calvin reads “that period which was brought to a close by the advent of Christ,” and Keil the promise “exalted from its temporal form to its true essence”; Augustine weighs it against “to eternity,” and Skinner doubts that it adds anything to 12:7. No lean is taken here.

Uncertain Keil and Driver take Mamre as the owner of the trees (14:13); Skinner holds that Abram “inaugurates the local sanctuary there”; Calvin renders “plain” and later “oak, or valley,” and Augustine “oak.” No lean is taken here.

Claims

Saysוַיהוָה אָמַר (“and the Lord said”) puts the subject first, not the usual narrative form; then אַחֲרֵי הִפָּרֶד־לוֹט מֵעִמּוֹ (“after Lot had separated from him”). שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה (“lift up, please, your eyes and see”) answers Lot’s look in 13:10, now in all four directions.
SaysIn 13:15 לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֲךָ עַד־עוֹלָם is “to you I will give it, and to your seed, until forever.” In 13:16 וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ is “and I will make your seed like the dust of the earth” (the Greek has “ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τῆς γῆς”, “as the sand”). 13:17 has קוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ לְאָרְכָּהּ וּלְרָחְבָּהּ (“arise, walk about in the land, its length and its breadth”). In 13:18 וַיֶּאֱהַל אַבְרָם וַיָּבֹא וַיֵּשֶׁב is “and Abram tented and came and dwelt” בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא, a plural: “by the terebinths of Mamre” (BSB “Oaks of Mamre”). The Samaritan text in von Gall has באלוני, plural too; the Greek has “τὴν δρῦν” (singular).
UncertainOn “forever,” Calvin reads “that period which was brought to a close by the advent of Christ,” and Keil the promise “exalted from its temporal form to its true essence”; Augustine weighs it against “to eternity,” and Skinner doubts that it adds anything to 12:7. No lean is taken here.
UncertainKeil and Driver take Mamre as the owner of the trees (14:13); Skinner holds that Abram “inaugurates the local sanctuary there”; Calvin renders “plain” and later “oak, or valley,” and Augustine “oak.” No lean is taken here.

Citations

OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 13:14–18 (WLC/OSHB; morph HVqp3ms HNcmsa HVtv2ms HC/Vqw3ms HR/Ncmpc)
BSB public domain Gen 13:18 (BSB)
von Gall, Sam. Pent. public domain Gen 13:18, main text; Samaritan text, von Gall p. 21 (leaf n540), archive.org vonGall_SamaritanPentateuch, checked against the printed page (scan)
LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 13:16–18, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 21 (leaf n52). Checked against the printed page (scan).
Calvin, Genesis (King) 1 public domain Calvin, Genesis 1 (King, CTS 1847), on Gen 13:15, p. 375 (leaf n384); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted
Keil–Delitzsch, Pentateuch 1 public domain Keil, Pentateuch vol. 1 (Clark, Martin trans., 1868), on Gen 13:15, p. 200 (leaf n203); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted
Augustine, City of God (NPNF1 vol. 2) public domain Augustine, City of God, bk. 16 (trans. Dods, NPNF¹ 2), on Gen 13:15, p. 323 (leaf n346); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted
Skinner, Genesis (ICC) public domain Skinner, Genesis (ICC, 1910), on Gen 13:15, p. 253 (leaf n354); checked against the printed page (scan); paraphrased
Keil–Delitzsch, Pentateuch 1 public domain Keil, Pentateuch vol. 1 (Clark, Martin trans., 1868), on Gen 13:18, p. 201 (leaf n204); checked against the printed page (scan); paraphrased
Driver, Genesis (Westminster) public domain Driver, The Book of Genesis (Westminster, 4th ed.), on Gen 13:18, p. 154 (leaf n255); checked against the printed page (scan); paraphrased
Skinner, Genesis (ICC) public domain Skinner, Genesis (ICC, 1910), on Gen 13:18, p. 254 (leaf n355); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted
Calvin, Genesis (King) 1 public domain Calvin, Genesis 1 (King, CTS 1847), on Gen 13:18, p. 367 (leaf n376); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted
Calvin, Genesis (King) 1 public domain Calvin, Genesis 1 (King, CTS 1847), on Gen 13:18, p. 377 (leaf n386); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted
Augustine, City of God (NPNF1 vol. 2) public domain Augustine, City of God, bk. 16 (trans. Dods, NPNF¹ 2), on Gen 13:18, p. 323 (leaf n346); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted

Sources OSHB CC BY 4.0 BSB public domain von Gall, Sam. Pent. public domain LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Calvin, Genesis (King) 1 public domain Keil–Delitzsch, Pentateuch 1 public domain Augustine, City of God (NPNF1 vol. 2) public domain Skinner, Genesis (ICC) public domain Driver, Genesis (Westminster) public domain

Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits

2026-11-12

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