Was God's land promise to Abram unconditional?

[tonychanyt]

I think so.

God called Abram, and he went in Gen 12:

6a When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

God promised to give Abram's offspring some (physical) land. It was a gradual revelation. Another detail was added in the next chapter, Gen 13:

14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.

H5704-forever was polysemantic. It did not always mean time going on to infinity

Genesis 17:

8 I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting [H5769] possession, and I will be their God.”

H5769-olam-forever was also polysemantic.

Abraham instructed his servant in Genesis 24:

7 "The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father's house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'--He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there."

Abraham didn't mention the forever part.

Genesis 26:

2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.

Was God's land promise to Abram unconditional?

Yes, and it was fulfilled already.

Did God promise to give his descendants the land forever unconditionally?

Probably not.

Moses explained in Lev 18:

26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27(for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.

There was a condition in order to keeping the land continuously.

 

[Clare73]

I think so.
God called Abram, and he went in Gen 12:


God promised to give Abram's offspring some (physical) land. It was a gradual revelation. Another detail was added in the next chapter, Gen 13:


H5704-forever was polysemantic. It did not always mean time going on to infinity

Genesis 17:


H5769-olam-forever was also polysemantic.

Abraham instructed his servant in Genesis 24:


Abraham didn't mention the forever part.

Genesis 26:


Was God's land promise to Abram unconditional?

Yes, and it was fulfilled already.

Did God promise to give his descendants the land forever unconditionally?

Probably not.

Moses explained in Lev 18:


There was a condition in order to keeping the land continuously.

The "everlasting possession" (Ge 17:8) was heavenly land (Heb 11:13-16).

 

[tonychanyt]

The "everlasting possession" (Ge 17:8)was heavenly land (Heb 11:13-16).

Thanks for the verses. This is how to do referencing in a scholarly manner:

1. Display and indent the quoted text.
2. Selectively bold the relevant keywords that are important to the point that you are making. No need to bold the entire sentence. Have a laser-sharp focus.
3. Be concise and precise to the point. No need to quote the whole chapter.

This is what I do for others who read my posts. It is a standard high-school scholarship. If you practice this, I guarantee you it will improve your analytical thinking. In any case, no one is required to do it.