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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 13:18 Appositional Phrase vs. Adjectival Phrase

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  • From: jimstinehart AT aol.com
  • To: robacosta AT hotmail.com, b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 13:18 Appositional Phrase vs. Adjectival Phrase
  • Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:24:14 -0400


Rob:

As my prior post made clear, Sarah gets pregnant with Isaac, and Abraham
moves to GRR, immediately after Lot is reduced to living in a cave (which is
years after Hagar bears Ishmael).

I agree that YHWH never made any promises to Lot. But Abraham on his own
motion could not unilaterally cut out Lot. Rather, the divine promise of all
of Canaan to Abraham could not be fulfilled until after YHWH determined that
Lot had completely forfeited any claim to Canaan that Lot might otherwise
have had, based on Lot failing to affirmatively object to Sodom’s turn to the
dark side. [Abram does not split from Lot at Bethel because there’s not
enough pasturage. Rather, Abram needs to be by himself so he can righteously
live by YHWH’s divine commandments, while Lot for his part will show Lot’s
merit or lack thereof by the manner in which Lot, on his own, handles himself
in the face of the iniquity of Sodom that begins to occur only after Abram
has returned Lot to Sodom at the end of chapter 14 of Genesis.]

I agree that Genesis 13: 17 is important. Abram begins the process of
walking the length of Canaan by sojourning at the Patriarchs’ XBRWN, in
southern Canaan. But Sarah will not get pregnant until Abraham fulfills the
divine commandment of Genesis 13: 17 and walks all the long way north to the
far northwest corner of Upper Galilee/GRR, the home of Biblical and
historical Abimelek (of the Amarna Letters). Abraham cannot go north until
Lot’s provisional claim to the northern two-thirds of Canaan has been
definitively rejected by YHWH. That’s why all three issues are resolved
almost simultaneously: (i) Lot is reduced to living in a cave [chapter 19]
and (ii) Abraham moves way up north to GRR [chapter 20] and (iii) Sarah gets
pregnant with Isaac (with Isaac’s actual birth, of course, coming 9 months
later [chapter 21]).

Why do you think that Abraham hurries to watch the destruction of Sodom? Why
do you think that Abraham never inquires what happened to Lot when Sodom was
destroyed? Why does Abraham move to GRR immediately upon Sodom’s
destruction? The reason is that Abraham knew that, at long last, all three
problems would now be divinely resolved, all at the same time. That’s what
YHWH had in effect foretold, that’s what is demanded by Genesis 13: 17, and
that’s exactly what is portrayed as happening in the text. Sarah could not
get pregnant with Isaac until Abraham moved way up north to GRR and perfected
his claim to all of Canaan, because that move was required by the divine
commandment of Genesis 13: 17.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois






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