Bible Strands
Genesis 13:12
Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative records the immediate aftermath of Abram and Lot’s separation, noting their contrasting residential choices after Lot selected the Jordan plain. The text positions both men in Canaan but highlights Lot’s deliberate geographic shift toward the valley cities.
The words — The Hebrew יָשַׁב (ya.shav) occurs twice, literally rendering "he dwelt" or "he settled," to describe Abram's residence in the land of Canaan and Lot's in the cities of the valley (כִּכָּר, ki.kar). The verse explicitly states Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, recording the physical arrangement without yet attaching moral evaluation.
The thread — Lot's valley settlement directly precedes his capture in Genesis 14:12, his presence in the city gateway in Genesis 19:1, and God's remembered deliverance of him during the destruction of the plain in Genesis 19:29.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to track the plain geographical divergence between the two patriarchs before the narrative introduces the moral condition of Sodom. It demands attention to how Lot's physical placement establishes the immediate context for subsequent conflict and rescue.
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
Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Cross-references
- Genesis 19:29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.
- Genesis 14:12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since Lot was living in Sodom.
- Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,
- Genesis 19:25 Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.
- Psalms 26:5 I hate the mob of evildoers, and refuse to sit with the wicked.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- 2 Peter 2:7 and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless