From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Even amidst the constant movement of nomadic life, Abram didn't just pitch his tent; he immediately built an altar. This shows that for him, wherever he settled, even temporarily, establishing a place for worship and connection with God was not an afterthought, but a foundational act of faith.
From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After leaving the oak of Moreh near Shechem, Abram pitches his tent on a mountain east of Bethel, a place soon to be known as the "house of God." This move signifies his continued nomadic existence as he journeys through the land God promised him. Here, he again builds an altar to the LORD and calls upon His name, demonstrating his consistent worship and reliance on God amidst his travels and the presence of the Canaanites in the land.
Abram pitches his tent and immediately builds an altar. What does this tell us about his priorities as a nomad in a new land?
Abram's life was one of constant movement. He was a sojourner, a tent-dweller, never putting down permanent roots in the land God had promised. Yet, with every move, his first act wasn't to secure his shelter or his flocks, but to build an altar.
A Sacred Space Anywhere
This wasn't just about setting up a physical structure; it was about establishing a spiritual center. Wherever Abram's tent went, God's presence was to be honored. This portable altar signifies that his relationship with God wasn't confined to a specific location or a settled life. It was a dynamic, active faith that followed him.
More Than Just Ritual
Building the altar wasn't merely a religious duty; it was a declaration of dependence. It was a tangible expression of gratitude for God's past faithfulness and a public confession of trust in God's future promises. It was a way of saying, 'God is with me, and I will honor Him, no matter where I am.'
Abram didn't just build an altar; he 'called upon the name of the LORD.' What is the profound significance of this act?
The phrase 'called upon the name of the LORD' is more than just a prayer; it's a deep declaration of trust and reliance. When Abram invoked the name 'Yahweh' (LORD), he was calling on the God who had revealed Himself, the God of covenant and promise.
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Trust in the Covenant God
This act signifies Abram's full submission to God's authority and his complete dependence on God's power and faithfulness. He wasn't relying on his own strength, his tent, or his possessions. He was placing his hope in the one true God who had called him and made him promises.
A Foundation for the Future
By calling on God's name, Abram was publicly acknowledging God as his sovereign Lord and Savior. This act laid the foundation for his future obedience and marked him as one who belonged to God, setting him apart from the surrounding Canaanite culture.
Understand the original words
qara' beshem YHWH · Hebrew Verb phrase
A phrase signifying the act of public worship, prayer, and confession of faith in God’s character and sovereignty. It marks a believer's dependence upon and allegiance to the Lord.
This verse marks Abram's second altar and invocation of the Lord in Canaan, highlighting his continued reliance on God amidst nomadic life and the aftermath of the famine and his sojourn in Egypt.
c. 2090 BC
Abram leaves Ur
God calls Abram to leave his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans and journey to an unknown land. Abram, his father Terah, and his nephew Lot depart.
c. 2085 BC
Arrival in Haran
Abram's family settles in Haran for a period. Terah, Abram's father, eventually dies here.
c. 2080 BC
Abram enters Canaan
Obeying God's renewed command, Abram, now 75 years old, leaves Haran and journeys into the land of Canaan. He passes through Shechem and the plain of Moreh.
c. 2080 BC
Famine strikes Canaan
A severe famine forces Abram to leave the hill country of Canaan and travel south to Egypt to find sustenance.
c. 2080 BC
Abram in Egypt
While in Egypt, Abram fears for his life due to his wife Sarai's beauty and claims she is his sister. God plagues Pharaoh, leading to Sarai's return and Abram's departure from Egypt.
c. 2080 BC— this verse
Return to Canaan
Abram returns to Canaan, now wealthier after his time in Egypt, and settles again in the hill country between Bethel and Ai.
This passage shows Abram moving his tent to the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD, echoing the consistent pattern of worship wherever he settled, even temporarily.
Genesis 26:25Similar to Abram, Isaac, his son, built an altar to the LORD in Beersheba and pitched his tent, calling on the name of the LORD, demonstrating the continuation of this family tradition of worship in new locations.
Genesis 35:1-3Jacob, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, is commanded by God to go to Bethel and build an altar there, showing that this practice of erecting altars and calling on the LORD in new places was a core part of their covenant relationship.
Psalm 116:17-19This psalm reflects a similar heart of gratitude and public devotion, expressing a desire to offer thanksgiving sacrifices and call on the name of the LORD in the courts of the house of the LORD, mirroring Abram's act of building an altar and calling on God's name.
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 12:8: "And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel 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."
And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel,.... As it was afterwards called by Jacob, which before and at this time had the name of Luz, Genesis 28:19 now to the east of this place was a mountain, whither Abram removed his tent from Sichem, w…
Even amidst the constant movement of nomadic life, Abram didn't just pitch his tent; he immediately built an altar. This shows that for him, wherever he settled, even temporarily, establishing a place for worship and connection with God was not an afterthought, but a foundational act of faith.
After leaving the oak of Moreh near Shechem, Abram pitches his tent on a mountain east of Bethel, a place soon to be known as the "house of God." This move signifies his continued nomadic existence as he journeys through the land God promised him. Here, he again builds an altar to the LORD and calls upon His name, demonstrating his consistent worship and reliance on God amidst his travels and the presence of the Canaanites in the land.
After leaving the oak of Moreh near Shechem, Abram pitches his tent on a mountain east of Bethel, a place soon to be known as the "house of God." This move signifies his continued nomadic existence as he journeys through the land God promised him. Here, he again builds an altar to the LORD and calls upon His name, demonstrating his consistent worship and reliance on God amidst his travels and the presence of the Canaanites in the land.
"From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD." — Even amidst the constant movement of nomadic life, Abram didn't just pitch his tent; he immediately built an altar. This shows that for him, wherever he settled, even temporarily, establishing a plac…
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Last reviewed October 2026