What Does Genesis 12:6 Mean?

Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The itinerary of Abram's movement through Canaan traces the landscape of what will eventually become the patriarchal sacred sites. Shechem is the first stop, and it is marked by the great tree of Moreh, a landmark associated with divine communication or sacred presence in the ancient world. Abram travels to the place of significant trees and significant encounters.

The parenthetical note "at that time the Canaanites were in the land" confronts the promise with an immediate complication. God has promised this land to Abram and his descendants, but the land already has inhabitants who have no intention of vacating it. The Canaanites are not described as weak or easily displaced; they are simply present. The promise is made against the backdrop of an occupied land, which means the fulfillment of the promise will require something extraordinary beyond normal human military capacity.

The tree of Moreh at Shechem will appear again at the end of Genesis when Jacob buries foreign gods under it before going to Bethel. Later in Israel's history, Joshua will renew the covenant with Israel at Shechem. Jesus will have one of His most significant conversations with a Samaritan woman near this same well. The sacred geography of the covenant story begins here, where Abram first walked through the land that was full of other people and full of divine promise simultaneously.