The Hebrew repeats to the place, which refers again to Abram’s camp site east of Bethel in 12.8. In Revised Standard Version this sounds like a reference to a second place, but it is the same place as in the previous verse.

Made an altar: made replaces “built” in 12.8, but the sense is the same.

At the first: that is, on his way south, during his first trip.

Called on the name of the LORD is the same as in 4.26 and 12.8. See 4.26 for discussion. It is possible to take the Hebrew construction as referring this act of worship back to Abram’s first trip: “… the place where at the first he made an altar and called on the name of the LORD” (see New English Bible). But Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most others take this clause as referring to what Abram did now when he returned to the place; and this is recommended to translators. Some translators may want to say “once again he called…” or “he worshiped the LORD again in that place.”

Revised Standard Version translates verses 3-4 as one long sentence. Notice how Good News Translation has made this into three. We may also render these two verses as follows:

• From the Negeb Abram moved on a few days at a time until he came to Bethel. He finally arrived at the place where he had camped earlier between Bethel and Ai. That was where he had made an altar to worship the LORD. There he once again prayed to God using the name LORD.

Two examples of restructuring from actual translations are:

• … Abram traveled until he came to that hill country and that first camp of his, where he had made that heap of stones [altar]. There, between the two towns called Bethel and Ai, he worshiped God….

and

• They left the Negeb region and traveled north. They camped and traveled until they came to the town of Bethel. They came to the place where Abram had made his camp before, between the town of Bethel and the town of Ai. He went to that place where he had made an altar [before], and he worshiped the LORD.

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 .