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Genesis 13

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1 And Abram went·​·up out·​·of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, toward the south*.

2 And Abram was· very ·heavy in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

3 And he went according·​·to his journeys from the south and even·​·to Bethel, even·​·to the place where his tent was in the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

4 to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning; and there Abram called on the name of Jehovah.

5 And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flock and herd, and tents.

6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their acquisition was great, and they were· not ·able to dwell together.

7 And there was strife between the shepherds of the livestock of Abram and the shepherds of the livestock of Lot; and the Canaanite and the Perizzite were then dwelling in the land.

8 And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray, between me and thee, and between my shepherds and thy shepherds, for we men are brothers.

9 Is not all the land before thee? Separate, I pray, from me; if to the left, then I will go·​·to·​·the·​·right; and if to the right, then I will go·​·to·​·the·​·left.

10 And Lot lifted his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that all of it was well watered, before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt coming·​·into Zoar.

11 And Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed from* the east; and they were separated, a man from his brother.

12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched· his ·tent even·​·to Sodom.

13 And the men of Sodom were evil and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly.

14 And Jehovah said to Abram, after that Lot was separated from with 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, even·​·to eternity.

16 And I will set thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man is·​·able to count the dust of the earth, also shall thy seed be counted.

17 Arise, walk through the land, to the length of her and to the breadth of her; for to thee will I give her.

18 And Abram pitched· his ·tent, and came, and dwelt in the oak·​·groves of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar to Jehovah.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Altar

  

The first altar mentioned in the Word was the one built by Noah after he came out of the ark, after being saved from the great flood. On that altar, he sacrificed clean animals to the Lord.

Mountains represent the Lord because of their height; we need to raise our thoughts above worldly things when "talking" with the Lord. An altar is a small artificial mountain. When it's used in worship, it can call to mind this raising of thought. The fire and smoke that rise from an altar are symbolically being sent to the Lord.

Most altars were made from unhewn stones. Stones represent truths. Unhewn stones - ones that have not been shaped by men - represent truths from the Word, truths that have not been adulterated.

The clean beasts to be sacrificed represent good things, charitable acts done because they are right. The clean birds represent thoughts about doctrine and actions, and about what is right. Presenting these things is an acknowledgment that we have them from the Lord, and a giving thanks to Him for them.

In the Israelitish Tabernacle, the altar of burnt offering represented the acknowledgment of good and the altar of incense that of truth. For this reason this larger altar, which was outside by the door, was made of brass which signifies natural good, while the altar of incense was made of gold, which signifies love to the Lord from whom comes truth.