ofwgen13

In chapter 12, Abram and all those who were with him had gone into Egypt to escape the hard famine that was in the land of Canaan. How long they remained in Egypt is not indicated, but a hard issue eventually arose between Abram and Pharaoh that shortened the time of their sojourn there. It was about Sarai, Abram's wife, who was said to be very attractive and that caused the situation to develop.

Unlike the custom of some women today in the Middle East, Sarai obviously was not veiled or covered to hide her beauty. In chapter 12 it is recorded that Abram requested of her to identify herself to the Egyptians as his sister, and it is also stated that he did so out of fear for his life. He had never been to Egypt and didn't know what to expect of the people there. Anyway, what he asked Sarai to do wasn't really a lie because she was his half sister, but it was a deception that was to have some serious consequences.

He assumed that there could be some trouble over her with the male population in Egypt, but he never imagined in his wildest dreams that it would be Pharaoh himself who would become involved with her. Well, guess what? The unimaginable happened.

The fame of her beauty spread across Egypt, and eventually Pharaoh came and took her away into his house. He thought that was okay because he was the mighty Pharaoh after all, and he was essentially a demigod in Egypt. Anyway, shouldn't that immigrant Abram be grateful that his sister Sarai would dwell in the house of Pharaoh? Bad moves by Pharaoh because he got in big trouble with the wrong person, Abram's friend and protector El Shadday God Almighty!

God sent hard plagues upon the house of Pharaoh and eventually he got the message that his taking of the Hebrew woman Sarai was the cause of the plagues. When he finally became aware that she was actually Abram's wife, he was livid about the deception. As a result, Abram and all those who were with him, and all that he had brought with him, were expelled by Pharaoh's men. Run out of town, as it were.

Exactly how much time had passed while they were in Egypt is not stated but it would be safe to assume that they were there for at least some months, and possibly even a few years before their expulsion. Regardless of how long they were there, their time in Egypt was at an end and they headed back toward the land of Canaan.

So, Abram had some trouble with Pharaoh over Sarai while in Egypt, but the decision to go there initially was sound because of the harsh famine that had gripped the land of Canaan. He was a very intelligent Hebrew but apparently he had not yet learned his lesson concerning the beautiful Sarai, for he will make the same mistake a second time in the land of Canaan.

In this chapter you will see it stated that Abram was very rich, and some of that wealth may have been gained while they were in Egypt. Actually, it is not surprizing to discover that Abraham was wealthy. He was a resourceful and inventive man. One tale of yore says that when he still lived in the plain of Shinar he invented a very useful farming tool, and developed a planting procedure which is widely used today.

Farmers in his day would walk the fields and sow seed by hand upon the unplowed ground, which the birds would immediately begin to feed upon. The seeds lying upon the open ground were being eaten by the birds before they could germinate, and during those years when birds were plentiful whole crops could be lost. Needless to say that created serious problems for the farmer, and for all the people really, because food shortages could ensue and even famine was possible.

The story goes that Abraham saw the problem and realized that something had to be done. So he put his mind to it and came up with a satisfactory solution. He invented a plow and planter combination which opened the ground, deposited seed, and then covered the seed with soil all in one operation. The birds then could not get to the seed to eat them so the planting was successful. If the story is true, it would have been a remarkable achievement for his day and would be an indicator of the intellectual capacity of the man. He was also said by some to have been a pretty good astronomer. So, he was very smart, but he was also human and made a mistake now and then like we all do.

Okay, having said all that, let's get into chapter 13 now.

Gen. 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

South here means to the south of Canaan. They began to trek back into the land that he and his progeny were to inherit.

Gen. 13:2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

Where and when he acquired all this wealth is not said, but while in Egypt Pharaoh had at first been very kind and generous to Abram and his people because of Sarai. That obviously changed very quickly after Pharaoh was enlightened concerning the cause of the plagues on his house, but perhaps not before he had given considerable silver and gold to Abram.

Cattle here means livestock in general, not simply bovine animals. He was also rich in sheep and goats, and other domestic working animals as well.