Bible Strands
Genesis 12:8
From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abram is the subject, not a speaker, in a narrative moment following God’s promise of land in Genesis 12:7 and preceding his journey to the Negev in Genesis 12:9. The text places him in the hill country east of Bethel as he transitions between locations.
The words — The Hebrew וַיַּעְתֵּק (va-yyaṯēq) literally means "and he moved on" or "removed," marking a deliberate departure from a previous location. The verb וַיֵּט (va-yyēṭ) translates to "and he pitched," describing the physical act of setting up his tent.
The thread — The narrative of calling on the name of the LORD reappears in Genesis 4:26 when men first begin this practice, and again in Genesis 21:33 when Abraham calls on the LORD at Beersheba. These references establish a pattern of worship tied to specific geographic locations.
Why it lands — The text records Abram’s physical relocation and altar-building before describing his invocation of the LORD’s name, showing worship as a response to divine promise and movement. It requires the reader to observe how geographic markers and ritual actions are paired without adding theological explanation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Genesis 4:26 And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD.
- Nehemiah 11:31 The descendants of Benjamin from Geba lived in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel with its villages;
- Genesis 21:33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.
- Genesis 13:4 to the site where he had built the altar. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
- Genesis 28:19 and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
- Genesis 35:3 Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
- Genesis 35:15 Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
- Joshua 7:2 Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
- Joshua 8:3 So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night