land of Canaan, a backward and dangerous place. God commands this in 12:1–3 and promises Abram a covenant consisting of the threefold promise: (1) land, though at this stage it is couched only in the form of the land that God promises to show Abram; (2) seed, meaning descendants, a great nation and a great name promised to Abram in contrast to the builders of Babel, who sought to make a name for themselves apart from God; and (3) becoming an instrument of universal blessing to all humankind. Although