Abraham bible bio

Hebrew patriarch according to the Hebrew Bible

This article is about the biblical figure. For the 16th president of the United States, see Abraham Lincoln. For the name, see Abraham (name). For other uses, see Abraham (disambiguation).

Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Abram (disambiguation), Avraham (disambiguation), and Avram (disambiguation).

Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrewpatriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews and God; in Christianity, he is the spiritual progenitor of all believers, whether Jewish or non-Jewish; and in Islam, he is a link in the chain of Islamic prophets that begins with Adam and culminates in Muhammad. As the namesake of the Abrahamic religions, Abraham is also revered in other Abrahamic religions, such as the Druze faith and the Baháʼí Faith.

The story of the life of Abraham, as told in the narrative of the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, revolves around the themes of posterity and land. He is said to have been called by God to leave the house of his father Terah and settle in the land of Canaan, which God now promises to Abraham and his progeny. This promise is subsequently inherited by Isaac, Abraham's son by his wife Sarah, while Isaac's half-brother Ishmael is also promised that he will be the founder of a great nation. Abra

Not to be confused with Arambam.

For other people of the same name, see Abraham (name).

Abraham (originally Abram) is a man in the Bible's Book of Genesis and the Qur'an. Abraham is said to be the father of all Jews. He is the one of the most respected figures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as he is considered the father of Abrahamic religions.

Family

Abraham is the father of Isaac with his wife Sarah. He also has Ishmael with Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, and he has other children with Keturah, whom he marries after Sarah's death. He is the grandfather of Jacob and Esau. Abraham is believed to be the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites and Edomites. Abraham was the son of Terah and the grandson of Nahor (son of Serug). Abraham's older brothers were named Nahor (son of Terah) and Haran.

The Covenant

In the Book of Genesis, Abraham leaves his home in Mesopotamia for Canaan because the Almighty told him to go there and become the ancestor of a great nation. At the time, his name was Abram but then the Almighty told him to circumcise himself and all his sons and that “the uncircumcisedmale who dwells among you, his soul shall be cut off, for he has rejected my covenant” and after his circumcision Abram changed his name to Abraham.

The binding of Isaac

When Abraham was circumcised, the Almighty told him that his wifeSarah would give birth to a son but Abraham laughed because of how old he was and asked the Almighty to give a blessing to Ishmael. The Almighty told Abraham that he would bless Ishmael and that Sarah would give birth to a son whose children would inherit what the Almighty promised Abraham.

After Abraham’s circumcision three angels pretending to be humans came to him and told him that in one year his wife Sarah would give birth to a son but she laughed since Abraham was 100 years old (and she was 90) but the angels

Abram, Abraham [Ā'brăm,Ā'brăhăm]—the father of a multitude. The original name of the youngest son of Terah was Abram, meaning “father of height.” Abraham was given to him when the promise of a numerous progeny was renewed to him by God (Gen. 11:26; 17:5, 9).

The Man Who Was God’s Friend

Abraham’s place in the Bible’s portrait gallery is altogether unique and unapproachable. He stands out as a landmark in the spiritual history of the world. Chosen of God to become the father of a new spiritual race, the file leader of a mighty host, the revelation of God found in him one of its most important epochs. In himself, there was not much to make him worthy of such a distinction. His choice was all of grace.

Abraham’s life is given us in detail, and we know him as we know few men of the Bible. He was from the great and populous city of Ur, and therefore a Gentile although he became the first Hebrew. He was a rough, simple, venerable Bedouin-like sheep master. He uttered no prophecy, wrote no book, sang no song, gave no laws. Yet in the long list of Bible saints he alone is spoken of as “the father of the faithful” and as “the friend of God” (Isa. 41:8). Let us briefly sketch his story and character.

I. He was born in Ur of the Chaldees, of parents who were heathen. Little is known of him until he was seventy years old, a striking proof that he had yielded himself to God before he left his heathen home for the far-off land of Canaan.

II. He received a distinct revelation from God, and of God, but we are not told how and when. This, however, we do know: He gave up a certainty for an uncertainty and went out not knowing whither he went. Willingly he surrendered the seen for the unseen.

III. He was taught the lesson of patience, of waiting upon the Eternal God. It was many years before the promise of God was fulfilled to him—promises three in number—of a country, Canaan; of posterity, as the stars of heaven; of a spiritual seed, through whom all the families of

Early Life

Abram (later known as Abraham), son of Terah, was born around 2170 BC in the city of Ur. Ur, located on the banks of the mighty Euphrates river, was one of the greatest cities of the world and a thriving center of the Sumerian and Akkadian civilizations. His family later moved to the city of Harran in upper Mesopotamia, where they settled. Abram had a brother, Haran, who died prior to the move, but his other brother, Nahor, survived. In something that was considered quite normal at the time, Abram married his half-sister, Sarai.

The Call of Abram

Around the year 2095 BC, at the age of 75, Abram received a dramatic call from God to “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” This call included a wonderful promise: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abram obeyed promptly, heading south to the land of Canaan. He was joined by his wife and their household servants, along with his nephew Lot. After spending some time at Shechem, where he built an altar to God, he moved on to a place between the cities of Bethel and Ai. (It’s important to note that many of these places only received their names hundreds of years later, so Abraham didn’t know these places by those names at that time).

The Journey to Egypt

Abram continued to move around, heading farther south toward the desolate region of the Negev. As a nomadic pastoralist, Abram could easily move his possessions and tents from place to place. When a famine struck the land, Abram sought refuge in the wealthy country of Egypt. This was a risky proposition at the time. Abram knew that the Egyptians were likely to seize his beautiful wife, and he feared that they would eliminate him in order to legally marry