Back by stages to the altar between Bethel and Ai
Says וַיֵּלֶךְ לְמַסָּעָיו מִנֶּגֶב is “and he went by his stages from the Negev”; BSB has “journeyed from place to place.” He went עַד־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה שָׁם אהלה בַּתְּחִלָּה, “to the place where his tent had been at the first.” The written form אהלה is read as “his tent,” and the Samaritan text in von Gall’s edition spells it אהלו. Batteḥillah is “at the first, first (or former) time, i.e. first in a series of occurrences.” בֵּין בֵּית־אֵל וּבֵין הָעָי (“between Bethel and Ai”) names the spot of 12:8.
Says In 13:4 אֶל־מְקוֹם הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה שָׁם בָּרִאשֹׁנָה is “to the place of the altar that he had made there at the first” (BSB “the site where he had built the altar”). Where the Hebrew has “at the first,” the Greek has “τὴν σκηνήν” (“the tent”). וַיִּקְרָא שָׁם אַבְרָם בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה (“and Abram called there on the name of the Lord”) repeats וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה of 12:8, adding “there” and Abram’s name.
Implies The return goes back to the altar and the calling of 12:8, the last act before the descent to Egypt, so the journey resumes where it broke off.
Claims
- Saysוַיֵּלֶךְ לְמַסָּעָיו מִנֶּגֶב is “and he went by his stages from the Negev”; BSB has “journeyed from place to place.” He went עַד־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה שָׁם אהלה בַּתְּחִלָּה, “to the place where his tent had been at the first.” The written form אהלה is read as “his tent,” and the Samaritan text in von Gall’s edition spells it אהלו. Batteḥillah is “at the first, first (or former) time, i.e. first in a series of occurrences.” בֵּין בֵּית־אֵל וּבֵין הָעָי (“between Bethel and Ai”) names the spot of 12:8.
- SaysIn 13:4 אֶל־מְקוֹם הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה שָׁם בָּרִאשֹׁנָה is “to the place of the altar that he had made there at the first” (BSB “the site where he had built the altar”). Where the Hebrew has “at the first,” the Greek has “τὴν σκηνήν” (“the tent”). וַיִּקְרָא שָׁם אַבְרָם בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה (“and Abram called there on the name of the Lord”) repeats וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה of 12:8, adding “there” and Abram’s name.
- ImpliesThe return goes back to the altar and the calling of 12:8, the last act before the descent to Egypt, so the journey resumes where it broke off.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 13:3–4 (WLC/OSHB; morph HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms HNcmsc/Sp3ms HRd/Ncfsa HRd/Aofsa)
- BSB public domain Gen 13:3–4 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 321 (leaf n344), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H8462 “at the first, first (or former) time, i.e. first in a series of occurrences”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- von Gall, Sam. Pent. public domain Gen 13:3, main text; Samaritan text, von Gall p. 20 (leaf n541), archive.org vonGall_SamaritanPentateuch, checked against the printed page (scan)
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 13:4, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 20 (leaf n51). Checked against the printed page (scan).
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2026-11-12
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