Abram, when he reached Shechem, built an altar and "called upon the name of Yahweh". According to many scholars, the patriarchs used the name "El Shaddai" as the name of God. They argue that the name of Yahweh was not known before the time of Moses, and so Genesis 12:8 does not portray the true reality. The purpose of this study is to give some reasons for thinking that the author of Genesis 12 rightly used the name Yahweh.

This article first gives a survey of scholarship on the study of Genesis 12, Genesis 20, and Genesis 26, passages where Abraham and Isaac claim that Sarah (12:11-16; 20:2-3) and Rebekah (26:6-11) were their sisters. Next, it develops suggestions that have been considered only in passing by a few scholars, and that is that some type of diplomatic marriage may be involved in the stories.

Could it be that the blessings given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 are direct answers to the curses of Genesis 3:14-19? This essay considers whether Genesis 12 is the antidote of Genesis 3.

Israel's exodus from Egypt is one of the central redemptive-historical events in the Scriptures, so central that it is the pattern for at least seven events in Scripture that may themselves be called “Exoduses.” This first article in a series determines the main elements of the exodus, and then considers how these are manifested in the events of the exodus of Abram in Genesis 12 and Genesis 20.

Did God make one or three or perhaps even more covenants with Abraham? Do Genesis 12, Genesis 15, Genesis 17, and Genesis 22 refer to different covenants? This article argues that the Lord made a single covenant with Abraham and later supplemented that covenant by adding name changes, requirements, and promises.

Who is the "company of nations” referred to in Genesis 35:11 that shall come from Jacob? This article wants to understand its significance within the broader framework of the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 and the way it developed in Genesis. The author proposes that the promise of “a company of nations” coming from Jacob is closely related to the initial promise to Abraham regarding blessings for the nations.