Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 13:18 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 18. 18Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Abram moves his tents to the oaks or terebinths of Mamre near Hebron and builds an altar to the LORD. The unit closes with settlement and worship rather than conquest or a declaration of completed possession.
Read It With
- Genesis 13:1–18
Read verse 18 with verses 14–17 and continue to 14:13. God's promise and walking command lead to movement and an altar; the next chapter locates Abram at Mamre when news of Lot's capture arrives.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Abram responds with movement to Mamre and an altar, closing the unit in worship and preparing his location in Genesis 14.
Read Genesis 13:18–18 together
Why these verses belong together: Abram's move to Mamre and altar provide the narrative response and closing location.
Verse 18. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Building an altar at Mamre does not create a modern property deed or identify an exact surviving altar or tree without evidence.
What Remains True
Receiving promise should deepen worship and faithful presence without turning sacred acts into claims of ownership over others.
How It Can Shape Life
- Mark God's faithfulness through worship and gratitude while respecting the people, laws, and responsibilities of the place where you live.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 13:1–18 — Abram and Lot SeparateSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, immediate sequence, land-and-offspring promise, Lot trajectory, Mamre, and canonical connections.
Exact location: Genesis 13:1–18 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:7–20; 14:1–16; 18–19; 23; and later Abrahamic promise texts
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Went-up return verb, heavy-wealth idiom, land-support repetition, riv conflict, kinship phrase, kikkar district, seeing and choosing, eastward travel, Sodom evaluation, ad-olam promise, dust simile, traversing command, and Mamre tree term.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 13:1–18
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Negeb, wealth idiom, journey language, worship phrase, carrying capacity, conflict and kinship terms, Jordan district, Sodom parentheticals, repeated sight, traversing, and oaks or terebinths.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 13 and notes 1–41
Open NET Genesis 13 ↗