Genesis 13:14-17

Genesis 13:14-17

[14] And the LORD  said  unto Abram,  after  that Lot  was separated  from him, Lift up  now thine eyes,  and look  from the place  where thou art northward,  and southward,  and eastward,  and westward:  [15] For all the land  which thou seest,  to thee will I give it,  and to thy seed  for  ever.  [16] And I will make  thy seed  as the dust  of the earth:  so that  can  number  the dust  of the earth,  then shall thy seed  also be numbered.  [17] Arise,  walk  through the land  in the length  of it and in the breadth  of it; for I will give  it unto thee.

What does Genesis 13:14-17 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Abram was now without an heir. However, Yahweh appeared to him at this crucial time ( Genesis 13:14) and reconfirmed the promise of land that, He said, He would give to Abram"s offspring ( Genesis 13:15).
Abram "lifted up his eyes" also ( Genesis 13:14), but he saw the whole land as far as he could see in every direction. God repeated His promise to give him and his descendants all the land he saw. This promise was more specific than God"s previous promises regarding the seed and the land ( Genesis 12:2; Genesis 12:7). This was God"s third revelation to Abram. It contained three specifics.
1.Abram"s heir would be his own seed (offspring; Genesis 13:15-16).2.God would give the land to Abram and his descendants forever ( Genesis 13:15).3.Abram"s descendants would be innumerable ( Genesis 13:16).
The figure of "dust" suggests physical seed ( Genesis 13:16; cf. Genesis 2:7). The "stars" figure given later ( Genesis 15:5) suggests heavenly or spiritual seed, in addition to physical seed.
God"s encouragement to walk through the land ( Genesis 13:17) implied that Abram should claim the promise by treading the land under his feet. In the ancient Near East victorious armies claimed defeated territory by marching through it.
"The divine promise of land and other blessings ( Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 15:18-21; Genesis 17:1-8) is in the form of a covenant known technically in ancient Near Eastern studies as a "covenant of grant." It was made at the initiative of the granter and often with no preconditions or qualifications." [1]