So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan valley: this views Lot as having made his choice on the basis of what he sees, and placing himself in a situation that later requires the LORD’s intervention to rescue him. Valley translates the same word used in the previous verse. The area Lot chose is the southern part of the Jordan valley, since the view is from near Bethel. See a map of Canaan in the time of the patriarchs. In some translations Lot chose is expressed as a reply to what Abram had said to him; for example, one translation has “So Lot told him [Abram] that he would take all the land in the valley of the Jordan River….”

And Lot journeyed east: for journeyed see 11.2; 12.9. East in Hebrew is literally “in front” or “before.”

As a result of Lot moving to the east, they separated from each other, which is literally “each one from his brother.” Good News Translation gives the expression a better narrative style in English: “That is how the two men parted.”

In some languages the last part of the verse may need to be restructured in order to relate the two actions of journeying and separating to each other; for example, one translation says “… and he left Abram and went to the east. So Lot and Abram didn’t stay together any more.” Another joins this with the first part of verse 12 and says “Lot left that place where the two of them were staying, and went to the east. Abram stayed in the country of Canaan, but Lot moved and settled among the towns of the big plain. That is how they split up.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .