Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. In Genesis Chapter 20, we read that Abraham left Hebron and relocated to Israel’s
southern area, in or near Gaza.
“And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and
dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.”
The move piqued Abravanel’s curiosity. He asks: What motivated the patriarch to leave the comforts of
home and distance himself from his allies Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre? Not only were the three Canaanite
chieftains his loyal brothers-in-arms, but they also held Abraham in high esteem.
The move piqued Abravanel’s curiosity. He asks: What motivated the patriarch to leave the comforts of
home and distance himself from his allies Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre? Not only were the three Canaanite
chieftains his loyal brothers-in-arms, but they also held Abraham in high esteem.
Here is Abravanel’s response.
Contextually, we see that the patriarch and his family moved to Gerar subsequent to Sodom’s and
Gomorrah’s annihilation. The terebinths of Mamre (Hebron), where Abraham lived practically bordered
Sodom and Gomorrah, so much so that the patriarch could see in the not-too-distant horizon smoke
from the smoldering ashes of the torched cities. “And he looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and
toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a
furnace.” Was Hebron next on the chopping block, Abraham fretted? Relocation would be a hedge
against that frightful prospect.
In the same vein, the patriarch experienced trauma at the sight of the rising, grey cloud – a sight that
turned once lush fields and orchards into toast. Abraham worried more when he thought about his
nephew Lot’s financial ruin; he lost everything – family members and property. In a word, the bitter
reality that nothing remained from a once-thriving region profoundly unsettled the patriarch.
That was only the half of it. Sodom and Gomorrah had been the district’s bread basket, supplying the
terebinths of Mamre and environs with food. But now, basic and essential commodities grew scarce.
Abravanel cites both possibilities to explain why Abraham left town.
Abravanel provides three more rationales, but we will suffice to add one more to the two listed above.
Again, context is key.
Earlier, we read that God had changed Abram’s and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sara. According to
Jewish law, the Creator prohibited people from calling the patriarch and matriarch by their erstwhile
names.
The patriarch faced a conundrum, as he learned that old habits die hard. Very hard. Townspeople knew
him and his wife by their quondam names. Thus, everyone continued to call them Abram and Sarai.
Soon after Abraham’s circumcision, he made a clean break from the old neighbors and neighborhood.
Moving to Gerar, Abravanel states, made sense. There, he and his wife could start anew, introducing
themselves by their new, God-given names. In time, folks would only refer to the patriarch and
matriarch as Abraham and Sarah, in fulfilment of Heaven’s desire and intent.
Abravanel writes additional rationales for Abraham’s move. Please see Abravanel’s World.
