13:1__18 _Abram and Lot Separate. Expelled from Egypt, Abram retraces his steps nothward, through the Negeb, back to the hill country between Bethel and Ai where he had previously built an altar (12:8). Competition for pasture soon leads to strife between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. When Abram magnanimously offers Lot first chose of the land, Lot opts for the fertile Jordan Valley. Afterward, the Lord reaffirms that Abram's descendants will possess all of Canaan.
13:2__6 _These verses emphasize the wealth of both Abram and Lot, describing how the hill country east of Bethel is unable to sustain the livestock of both men.
13:7 _The pressure on pastureland may well have been increased by the fact that the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. (See 12:6)
13:10 _the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere. Lot's experience with the effects of famine (12:10, probably from drought) makes his choice of the fertile Jordan Valley understandable. like the garden of the Lord. A reference to the garden of Eden, which was also well watered (See 2:10). This description of the Jordan Valley predates the distruction of Sodem and Gorrorrah, which may have adversely affected the suitability of this area for flocks and herds. The precise location of these cities is unknown; one possibility is the plan Southeast of the Dead Sea.
13:11__13 _Lot's decision to settle among the cities of the valley brings him into the vicinity of Sodom. Lot is later found living in the city (See 14:12; 19:3__11), having abandoned his tent-dwelling lifestyle. After parting company from Abram, Lot now resides close to a city whose population is described as wicked, great sinners against the Lord (chapters 18__19).
13:14__17 _Expanding on 12:7, this divine speech emphasizes not only the extent of the land that Abram's descendants will inherit but also how numerous they will be.As the dust of the earth 13:16) is one of three similes used by God to illustrate the large number of offspring that Abram will have (15:5; 22:17). At this stage, Abram still has no children.
13:18 _Abram relocates to near Hebron (also known as Kirath-aba; see 23:2), setting up his tent by the oaks of Mamre. Since one of Abram's allies is "Mamre the Amorite" (14:13), the oaks are probably named after him (See 12:6). altar. See 12:7. During the Middle Bronze Age (2000__1500 B. C.), when the patriarchs lived, Hebron was, for its day, a major settlement in the Judean hills. It covered between six and seven acres, was heavily fortified, and contained some large public buildings. A cuneiform tablet discovered there from this time period indicates that Hebron was a capital city of a Canaanite kingdom.
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