Genesis 12 · Verse 7

Genesis 12:7

And 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.
Genesis 12:7, King James Version

Genesis 12:7 in other translations

BSBThen the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
WEBThe LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” He built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
ASVAnd Jehovah appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto Jehovah, who appeared unto him.
YLTAnd Jehovah appeareth unto Abram, and saith, ‘To thy seed I give this land;' and he buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, who hath appeared unto him.
DARBYAnd Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And there he built an altar to Jehovah who had appeared to him.
BBEAnd the Lord came to Abram, and said, I will give all this land to your seed; then Abram made an altar there to the Lord who had let himself be seen by him.
WebsterAnd the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, To thy seed will I give this land: and there he erected an altar to the LORD, who appeared to him.

What does Genesis 12:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
7. Unto thy seed will I give this land--God was dealing with Abram not in his private and personal capacity merely, but with a view to high and important interests in future ages. That land his posterity was for centuries to inhabit as a peculiar people; the seeds of divine knowledge were to be sown there for the benefit of all mankind; and considered in its geographical situation, it was chosen in divine wisdom as the fittest of all lands to serve as the cradle of a divine revelation designed for the whole world. and there builded he an altar unto the Lord--By this solemn act of devotion Abram made an open profession of his religion, established the worship of the true God, and declared his faith in the promise.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 The Lord appeared - In what way this appearance was made we know not; it was probably by the great angel of the covenant, Jesus the Christ. The appearance, whatsoever it was, perfectly satisfied Abram, and proved itself to be supernatural and Divine. It is worthy of remark that Abram is the first man to whom God is said to have shown himself or appeared: 1. In Ur of the Chaldees, Act 7:2; and 2. At the oak of Moreh, as in this verse. As מורה Moreh signifies a teacher, probably this was called the oak of Moreh or the teacher, because God manifested himself here, and instructed Abram concerning the future possession of that land by his posterity, and the dispensation of the mercy of God to all the families of the earth through the promised Messiah. See on Gen 15:7 (note).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 12:6-9

Abram found the country peopled by Canaanites, who were bad neighbours. He journeyed, going on still. Sometimes it is the lot of good men to be unsettled, and often to remove into various states. Believers must look on themselves as strangers and sojourners in this world, He 11:8, 13, 14. But observe how much comfort Abram had in God. When he could have little satisfaction in converse with the Canaanites whom he…

Read the full comment on Genesis 12:6-9 →

Genesis 12:7 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֵּרָ֤אvai.ye.Ra'and he appearedH7200
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אַבְרָ֔ם'av.RamAbramH87
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
לְזַ֨רְעֲךָ֔le.Zar.'a.khato offspring yourH2233
אֶתֵּ֖ן'e.TenI will giveH5414
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָאָ֣רֶץha.'A.retzthe landH776
הַזֹּ֑אתha.Zot<the> thisH2063
וַיִּ֤בֶןvai.Yi.venand he builtH1129
שָׁם֙shamthereH8033
מִזְבֵּ֔חַmiz.Be.achan altarH4196
לַיהוָ֖הla.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
הַנִּרְאֶ֥הha.nir.'Ehwho had appearedH7200
אֵלָֽיו\׃'e.Lavto himH413

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 12:7

  • Genesis 17:8

    And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

  • Genesis 17:1

    And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

  • Genesis 13:15

    For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

  • Genesis 18:1

    And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

  • Galatians 3:16

    Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

  • Genesis 13:4

    Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

  • Psalms 105:9-12

    Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

  • Genesis 13:18

    Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

  • Genesis 32:30

    And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

  • Exodus 33:1

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:

  • Genesis 26:25

    And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

  • Genesis 12:8

    And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth–el, and pitched his tent, having Beth–el 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.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
appeared.
17:1; 18:1; 32:30
Unto thy.
13:15; 17:3,8; 26:3; 28:13; Ex 33:1; Nu 32:11; De 1:8; 6:10; 30:20
Ps 105:9-12; Ro 9:8; Ga 3:16; 4:28
builded.
8; 8:20; 13:4,18; 26:25; 33:20; Heb 11:13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 12:6

    And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

  • Genesis 12:7

    And 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.

  • Genesis 12:8

    And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth–el, and pitched his tent, having Beth–el 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.

Read all of Genesis 12

Genesis 12:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y apareció Jehová á Abram, y le dijo: A tu simiente daré esta tierra. Y edificó allí un altar á Jehová, que le había aparecido.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel apparut à Abram, et dit: Je donnerai ce pays à ta semence. Et Abram bâtit là un autel à l’ Éternel, qui lui était apparu.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova erschien dem Abram und sprach: Deinem Samen will ich dieses Land geben. Und er baute daselbst Jehova, der ihm erschienen war, einen Altar.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Apparuit autem Dominus Abram, et dixit ei: Semini tuo dabo terram hanc. Qui ædificavit ibi altare Domino, qui apparuerat ei.