Abraham and Lot
Genesis 13:1-18
Sometimes the generous choice and the wise choice are the same thing.
Abraham and Lot have both grown wealthy, and the land can't support them together. Their herdsmen quarrel. Rather than pull rank — Abraham is the elder, the one with God's promise — he gives Lot first pick. Lot looks east and sees the lush Jordan valley, green and well-watered, and chooses it immediately. It looks like paradise. It sits next to Sodom. Abraham takes what's left, and God quietly reaffirms: everything you can see, north, south, east, west — it's yours.
- Generosity
- Choices
- Family Conflict
- Trust
Abraham and Lot: common questions
Why did Abraham and Lot separate?
Both had grown so wealthy in livestock that the land could not support them together, and their herdsmen were quarreling (Genesis 13:6-7). To keep peace, Abraham offered Lot first choice of where to settle.
Which land did Lot choose?
Lot chose the well-watered Jordan Valley near Sodom and Gomorrah because it looked 'like the garden of the Lord' (Genesis 13:10-11). The narrator immediately notes that 'the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.'
What did God promise Abraham after Lot left?
God told Abraham to look in every direction: all the land he could see would belong to him and his offspring forever, and his descendants would be as countless as the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:14-17).
