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Genesis 13:17
ESV Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
NIV Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.'
NASB Arise, walk about in the land through its length and width; for I will give it to you.'
CSB Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you."
NLT Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.'
KJV Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

What does Genesis 13:17 mean?

In the previous verses, the Lord reaffirmed and expanded on his promises to Abram. Abram and his descendants would possess all the land he could see forever, and those descendants would be so numerous as to be uncountable. The analogy of "dust" speaks to man's creation by God (Genesis 2:7), as well as the immense number of descendants. Unlike sand, which could possibly can be counted by grains, "dust" is baffling to attempt to "count." In both a spiritual and physical sense, Abram's descendants will be unimaginably numerous (Romans 9:7–9; Galatians 3:7).

Now God instructs Abram to walk throughout both the length and the breadth of the land. Apparently, this was so that Abram could take possession of the land God had given to him, even if his descendants would not fully occupy or possess the land for many years to come. This process would have been the equivalent of measuring the land; in ancient times, taking the measure of something was a sign of ownership.
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