In His sovereign care for His called one, God not only blessed Abraham and spared his wife in Egypt, but He also brought Abraham back to the beginning, to the place of the tent and the altar, and recovered his calling on the name of the Lord (v. 4).

Meaning fellowship, communion, or friendship.

Meaning strength.

Abraham first pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai and built an altar there (Gen. 12:8). His tent there was a testimony of God to the world (see note Gen. 12:8^2b). At Hebron Abraham’s tent became a place where he had fellowship with God. By Abraham’s pitching a tent at Hebron, God had a place on earth where He could communicate and fellowship with man (cf. Gen. 18). Abraham’s tent with the altar built by him was a prefigure of the tabernacle with the altar built by the children of Israel after the exodus from Egypt (Exo. 40). That tabernacle was God’s testimony (Exo. 38:21) and the place where God and His people could dwell and fellowship together. The ultimate consummation of the tabernacle will be the New Jerusalem, the testimony, the expression, of God in eternity and the eternal dwelling place of God and all His called ones (Rev. 21:2-3 and note Rev. 21:3^1b; Rev. 21:22 and note Rev. 21:22^2a).

See note Gen. 22:17^1b.

Because Abraham had prevailed in his trial with Lot, God appeared to him again and confirmed the promise in Gen. 12:7 concerning the good land (vv. 14-15, 17) and the promise in Gen. 12:2 concerning the increase of his seed (v. 16). This ushered Abraham to the peak of his experience of God, for he moved his tent to dwell in Hebron, where he lived most of the remainder of his life in fellowship with God (see note Gen. 13:18^1a and note Gen. 13:18^3b).

This was another test arranged for Abraham under God’s sovereignty. Through his experience in Egypt Abraham had learned the lesson of not striving for himself and of having no choice for himself but of trusting in God’s care (see note Gen. 12:20¹). Thus, he allowed Lot to take his choice of the land (v. 11).