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Pentateuch · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Genesis 13

Beginnings, creation, human rebellion, covenant, and the family of Abraham.

Old Testament

Genesis 13

1Abram went up out of Egypt—he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him—into the South.

2Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

3He went on his journeys from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

4to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. There Abram called on the LORD’s name.

5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, herds, and tents.

6The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together; for their possessions were so great that they couldn’t live together.

7There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land at that time.

8Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives.

9Isn’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.”

10Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.

11So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves from one another.

12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

13Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against the LORD.

14The LORD said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, “Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,

15for I will give all the land which you see to you and to your offspring forever.

16I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted.

17Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”

18Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Beginnings, creation, human rebellion, covenant, and the family of Abraham. Read Genesis 13 within the complete Genesis overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Genesis 13

Genesis 13 contains 18 verses and about 420 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “Abram went up out of Egypt—he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him—into the South.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 18 closes: “Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include abram, land, will, herdsmen, lived, went. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Genesis 13

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Genesis 13:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer