Genesis 12:8 (DRB)

Passage

And passing on from thence to a mountain, that was on the east side of Bethel, he there pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: he built there also an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name.

Nearby Context

Genesis 12:6 Abram passed through the country unto the place of Sichem, as far as the noble vale: now the Chanaanite was at that time in the land.

Genesis 12:7 And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him: To thy seed will I give this land. And he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Genesis 12:8 And passing on from thence to a mountain, that was on the east side of Bethel, he there pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: he built there also an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name.

Genesis 12:9 And Abram went forward, going and proceeding on to the south.

Genesis 12:10 And there came a famine in the country: and Abram went down into Egypt, to sojourn there: for the famine was very grievous in the land.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "passing", "thence", "mountain", "east", "side", "bethel", and "pitched". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "passing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And the Lord appeared to Abram and..." into verse 9's "And Abram went forward going and proceeding...", so "called" and "passing" belong inside that flow. In Genesis context, the local focus is creation, human rebellion, covenant promise, and God's providence.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "passing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.