The call of Abram- Gen. 12:2

Gen. 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

In this narrative the direction of the book changes. This passage records how God called Abram out of a pagan world and made astounding promises to him, promises that later became part of the formal Abrahamic Covenant.

The passage also points up the faith of Abram, and teaches that faith obeys God. Abram was middle-aged, prosperous, settled, and thoroughly pagan. The word of the Lord came to Him - though it is not known exactly how - and he responded by faith and obediently left everything to follow God’s plan. That is why he is the epitome of faith in the Bible (cf. Rom. 4:1-3, 4:16-24; Gal. 3:6-9; Heb. 11:8-19; Jas. 2:21-23).

And I will make...

עשׂה

‛âśâh

Definition:

1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to do, work, make, produce

1a1a) to do

1a1b) to work

1a1c) to deal (with)

1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect

1a2) to make

1a2a) to make

1a2b) to produce

1a2c) to prepare

1a2d) to make (an offering)

1a2e) to attend to, put in order

1a2f) to observe, celebrate

1a2g) to acquire (property)

1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute

1a2i) to bring about

1a2j) to use

1a2k) to spend, pass

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be done

1b2) to be made

1b3) to be produced

1b4) to be offered

1b5) to be observed

1b6) to be used

1c) (Pual) to be made

2) (Piel) to press, squeeze

Part of Speech: verb

of thee a great...

גּדל / גּדול

gâdôl

Definition:

1) great (adjective)

1a) large (in magnitude and extent)

1b) in number

1c) in intensity

1d) loud (in sound)

1e) older (in age)

1f) in importance

1f1) important things

1f2) great, distinguished (of men)

1f3) God Himself (of God)

1g) great things (substantive)

1h) haughty things (substantive)

1i) greatness (substantive)

Part of Speech: see above in Definition

nation,...

גּי / גּוי

gôy

Definition:

1) nation, people (noun masculine)

1a) nation, people

1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people

1a2) of descendants of Abraham

1a3) of Israel

1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (figuratively)

1c) Goyim? = “nations” (noun proper masculine)

Part of Speech: see above in Definition

and I will bless...

בּרך

bârak

Definition:

1) to bless, kneel

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to kneel

1a2) to bless

1b) (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself

1c) (Piel) to bless

1d) (Pual) to be blessed, be adored

1e) (Hiphil) to cause to kneel

1f) (Hithpael) to bless oneself

2) to praise, salute, curse

Part of Speech: verb

thee, and make thy name great;...

גּדל

gâdal

Definition:

1) to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to grow up

1a2) to become great

1a3) to be magnified

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to cause to grow

1b2) to make great, powerful

1b3) to magnify

1c) (Pual) to be brought up

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to make great

1d2) to magnify

1d3) to do great things

1e) (Hithpael) to magnify oneself

Part of Speech: verb

שׁם

shêm

Definition:

1) name

1a) name

1b) reputation, fame, glory

1c) the Name (as designation of God)

1d) memorial, monument

Part of Speech: noun masculine

and thou shalt be...

היה

hâyâh

Definition:

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) -----

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Part of Speech: verb

a blessing:...

בּרכה

berâkâh

Definition:

1) blessing

2) (source of) blessing

3) blessing, prosperity

4) blessing, praise of God

5) a gift, present

6) treaty of peace

Part of Speech: noun feminine

The religio-historical point of the passage certainly is the call of Abram to found a new nation. Israel would learn by this that her very existence was God’s work through a man who responded by faith and left for Canaan. It would be a message to convince Israel of the divine call they were facing, and their need of faith for their move from Egypt to Canaan.

The second imperative was to be a blessing. (The second imperative, in Gen. 12:2, is imprecisely rendered in many versions, including the NIV, as a prediction, you will be a blessing. But lit., it is, “Be a blessing.”) His leaving started a chain of reactions. If Abram would get out of Ur, God would do three things for him, so that he could then be a blessing in the land (the second imperative); and he had to be that blessing so that God would do three more things for him. This symmetry should not be missed, for it strengthens the meaning. Abram’s calling had a purpose: his obedience would bring great blessing.