NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 40
44 | Genesis 12:3
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse; u
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you. v ” a
12:3 u Ge 27:29;
Ex 23:22; Nu 24:9
v Ge 18:18; 22:18; 26:4;
Ac 3:25; Gal 3:8*
12:4 w Ge 11:31
12:5 x Ge 14:14; 17:23
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-
five years old when he set out from Harran. w 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all
the possessions they had accumulated and the people x they had acquired in Harran, and
they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
a 3 Or
earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)
(2 Sam 7:9). While God’s promises have an ex-
plicit national dimension, this is subservient
to the international aspect that marks the
climax of the speech.
12:3 bless those who bless you. The theme
of God’s blessing others through Abram
later links to the line of descendants traced
initially through Isaac and Jacob (22:18; 26:4;
27:29; 28:14). In the NT Paul sees in this prom-
ise of blessing an advance announcement
of the gospel (Gal 3:8), the blessing coming
ultimately through Jesus Christ, the “seed”
of Abraham (Gal 3:16; see Gen 22:18 and NIV
text note). The apostle Peter likewise associ-
ates Jesus Christ with the fulfillment of God’s
promise to bless the families of the earth
(Acts 3:25 – 26). Although the initial promises
of nationhood and international blessing
are conditional upon Abram’s obedience,
God later guarantees these by making two
covenants with Abram (chs. 15; 17). See “Cov-
enant,” p. 2334.
12:4 Abram went. In faith Abram obeys God’s
call (Heb 11:8). Lot. Although he is sufficiently
wealthy to have remained in Harran (13:5 – 6),
since his father is dead (11:28), Lot decides
that his future will be served best by accom-
panying Abram, his uncle. This too is an act of
faith on the part of Lot.
12:5 people they had acquired. Abram ap-
pears to have had a substantial number of
men attached to his household; some were
bought from foreigners (17:12) and some were
born in his household. Gen 14:14 refers to 318
trained men. Lot also had a separate retinue
of men (13:7).
INTEGRATED CHRONOLOGY OF THE PATRIARCHS
Abraham
AGE 75 To Canaan*
Birth of
100 Isaac*
140 AGE 40 Isaac’s marriage*
Births of Esau and
160 60
175 Abraham’s death* 75
AGE
15
100 40 Esau’s marriage*
137
77 Jacob to
151
157
Jacob*
Birth of
Joseph
AGE 6
to Canaan
108
120
121
168
180 Isaac’s death*
Note: The ages marked with (*) are expressly given.
Paddan Aram
91
97 Jacob’s return
17 Joseph to Egypt*
29
30 Joseph enters
Pharaoh’s service*
130 Jacob to Egypt* 39
147 Jacob’s death* 56
110 Joseph’s death*