Genesis 12:6-7
Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The text subtly points out that Abram found the land already inhabited by the Canaanites. This detail wasn't just background information; it served as a powerful, immediate test of his faith, highlighting that the promised land was not empty but occupied by a people he'd have to live among, and eventually see dispossessed.
Fresh from his divine call and promising to leave his homeland, Abram journeys into the land of Canaan, but he doesn't immediately find a settled home. This verse describes his initial travels through the land, reaching a specific location near Shechem marked by a significant tree, and notes the presence of the Canaanites who were the current inhabitants. This sets the stage for his future interactions and the eventual inheritance of the land promised to him.
Abram steps into the land God promised, but it's not empty. What does this reveal about God's promises and our faith journey?
When Abram arrived in Canaan, the land wasn't vacant, waiting for him. The text explicitly states, "At that time the Canaanites were in the land." This wasn't a minor detail; it was a significant part of Abram's reality.
A Test of Faith
God had promised this land to Abram and his descendants. But here they were, a nomadic people, entering a land already settled by a potentially hostile population. This presented immediate challenges:
This situation highlights that God's promises often unfold in complex circumstances. They aren't always straightforward paths. Instead, they require us to trust God even when the immediate reality seems to contradict the promise.
Abram stops at the 'oak of Moreh.' Why this specific location, and what happened there that was so significant?
The specific location where Abram paused, the 'oak of Moreh,' was more than just a convenient resting spot. The ancient commentators suggest it was a place of significance, possibly a sacred site.
A Place of Revelation
Understand the original words
Abram · Hebrew Noun (Proper)
A proper noun referring to the first patriarch of the Jewish people, chosen by God to be the father of a nation through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. His life serves as a primary model of faith and obedience to God’s call.
Shekhem · Hebrew Noun (Proper)
A prominent site in Canaan, historically significant as a place of religious encounter and later associated with the covenant renewal of God’s people. It signifies the place where God’s promises meet human geography.
Kena'ani · Hebrew Noun (Proper)
The inhabitants of the land of Canaan, generally characterized in the Bible by their idolatrous practices and resistance to the covenant purposes of God. Their presence highlights the challenge of living as a pilgrim in a land not yet fully possessed by faith.
The mention of the Canaanites emphasizes that Abram was entering a land already occupied by people with established ways, highlighting his faith as he sojourned among them with the promise of future possession. This context underscores the challenge to his trust in God's promise rather than immediate human circumstances.
c. 2000-1900 BC
Abram's Migration from Ur
Following God's call, Abram, his wife Sarai, and nephew Lot leave Ur of the Chaldeans and travel to Haran. After Terah's death, God calls Abram again to go to Canaan.
c. 2000-1900 BC
Entry into Canaan
Abram and his family enter the land of Canaan, obeying God's command to go to a land He would show them.
c. 2000-1900 BC— this verse
Abram at Shechem
Abram journeys through the land and arrives at Shechem, near the oak of Moreh, a significant location where God first appears to him in Canaan and promises the land to his descendants.
c. 2000-1900 BC
Famine and Sojourn in Egypt
A severe famine forces Abram to travel to Egypt, where he fears for his life due to Sarai's beauty and falsely claims she is his sister, leading to Pharaoh's intervention and God's plague upon the household.
This passage also mentions the 'oaks of Moreh' in relation to the land of Canaan, connecting Abram's location to a geographical marker that would remain significant.
Joshua 24:26Joshua likewise set up a stone under an oak at Shechem, reinforcing the sacred significance of this location for the people of God, echoing Abram's presence there.
Genesis 13:7This verse describes a dispute between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen occurring because 'the Canaanite and the Perizzite were then in the land,' highlighting that the presence of these inhabitants was a recurring context and challenge for Abram's settlement.
Genesis 34:30This passage recounts a violent event at Shechem involving Jacob's daughter and the Canaanites, underscoring the dangerous and challenging environment Abram was entering, and the spiritual threat posed by the inhabitants of the land.
Romans 4:13Paul references the promise to Abraham that he would be heir of the world, which was not given through the law but through the righteousness of faith, implying that his journey and presence in Canaan, despite the Canaanites being there, was foundational to this promise.
calvinGenesis 12:1-20: "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:"
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Et cepit Abram Sarai uxorem suam, et Lot filium fratris sui, et omnem substantiam q…
gillGenesis 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."
And Abram passed through the land,.... Entering the northern part of it, as appears by his going southward, Genesis 12:9 he went on unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh; the place afterwards called Shechem, from a prince of that name in the times of Jacob; and so it was called when Moses wrote, and therefore, by way of anticipation, calls it s…
The text subtly points out that Abram found the land already inhabited by the Canaanites. This detail wasn't just background information; it served as a powerful, immediate test of his faith, highlighting that the promised land was not empty but occupied by a people he'd have to live among, and eventually see dispossessed.
Fresh from his divine call and promising to leave his homeland, Abram journeys into the land of Canaan, but he doesn't immediately find a settled home. This verse describes his initial travels through the land, reaching a specific location near Shechem marked by a significant tree, and notes the presence of the Canaanites who were the current inhabitants. This sets the stage for his future interactions and the eventual inheritance of the land promised to him.
Fresh from his divine call and promising to leave his homeland, Abram journeys into the land of Canaan, but he doesn't immediately find a settled home. This verse describes his initial travels through the land, reaching a specific location near Shechem marked by a significant tree, and notes the presence of the Canaanites who were the current inhabitants. This sets the stage for his future interactions and the eventual inheritance of the land promised to him.
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This encounter shows us that even in the midst of uncertainty and the presence of others, God meets His people in specific places and moments, calling for a response of worship and commitment.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun (Proper)
The personal, covenantal name of God revealed to His people, signifying His eternal, self-existent nature and His faithfulness in relationship to humanity.
zera' · Hebrew Noun
The biological or spiritual descendants/heirs of a person; in the context of the Abrahamic covenant, it refers specifically to the promised lineage through which God would establish His kingdom and fulfill His redemptive purposes.
mizbeach · Hebrew Noun
A place of sacrifice, worship, and encounter with God, typically constructed to memorialize a divine manifestation or to offer atonement and thanksgiving. It serves as an outward sign of dedication and communion with the Creator.
c. 2000-1900 BC
Return to Canaan and Separation from Lot
Abram returns to Canaan, now with increased possessions from Egypt, and later separates from Lot due to conflict between their herdsmen.
"Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to th…" — The text subtly points out that Abram found the land already inhabited by the Canaanites. This detail wasn't just background information; it served as a powerful, immediate test of his faith, highlig…
