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Abraham

Portrait of Abraham

Abraham is revered as the father of the Jewish nation, chosen by God to leave his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans and journey to the land of Canaan, which God promised to his descendants. This divine call marked the beginning of the covenant relationship between God and the people of Israel, establishing Abraham as a model of obedience and trust. Despite facing challenges such as the delay in the birth of his son Isaac, Abraham believed God's promises, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness, a concept later emphasized in the New Testament writings of Paul. This account underscores the importance of faith in God's redemptive plan throughout Scripture.

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Video from BibleProject

Genesis Overview (Part 2: Ch. 12-50)

God calls Abraham and promises to bless all nations through his family.

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Commentary

Covenants: God's Unbreakable Promises

God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make his descendants into a great nation.

The God Who Sees You

Hagar, Abraham's servant, was rejected and alone. But God found her.

Abraham: Faith in the Unknown

God called Abraham to leave the familiar and step into the unknown with only a promise.

Commentary by Bible Navigator.

This commentary is for inspirational and educational purposes only. It is not professional counseling, therapy, medical advice, or a substitute for professional help. If you are in crisis or need support, please reach out to a licensed professional or call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

Biography

Born
c. 2166 BC, Ur of the Chaldees
Died
c. 1991 BC, Hebron, Canaan
Age
175 years
Occupation
Patriarch, Nomadic Herdsman
Father
Terah
Spouse
Sarah, Hagar, Keturah
Children
Isaac, Ishmael, and others
Era
Patriarchs
Nationality
Hebrew
Also Known As
Abram

Family

Parents
Terah
โ†“
Abraham โšญ Sarah Hagar Keturah
โ†“
Children
Isaac, Ishmael, and others
Old Testament Patriarchs Patriarch Genesis

Did You Know?

1

Abraham was originally named Abram, meaning "exalted father," until God renamed him Abraham, meaning "father of many nations," at age 99 as part of the covenant of circumcision in Genesis 17.

2

Abraham led a military raid with only 318 trained servants from his household to defeat a coalition of four Mesopotamian kings and rescue his nephew Lot, as recorded in Genesis 14.

3

Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah near Hebron for 400 shekels of silver from Ephron the Hittite, marking the first recorded land transaction in the Bible and serving as the burial site for Sarah, himself, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah.

4

Abraham's wife Sarah was his half-sister, sharing the same father Terah but different mothers, a detail Abraham revealed to Abimelech in Genesis 20:12 to justify his earlier deception about their relationship.

5

Before the birth of Isaac, Abraham's chief servant Eliezer of Damascus stood to inherit his entire estate under ancient Near Eastern custom if he remained childless, a concern addressed in the covenant promise of Genesis 15.

Key Passages

God's Call

Genesis 12:1-9

This is the foundational moment of Israel's story - God calls one man to leave everything familiar and trust a promise. Abraham's obedient response becomes the model of faith for all generations.

N1ow the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy fatherโ€™s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brotherโ€™s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Read full chapter: Genesis 12 โ†’

The Covenant

Genesis 15:1-21

God makes an unconditional promise of land, descendants, and blessing, sealing it with a covenant ceremony. This becomes the bedrock of Israel's identity and hope.

A1fter these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Read full chapter: Genesis 15 โ†’

The Binding of Isaac

Genesis 22:1-19

The ultimate test of faith - Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his promised son foreshadows God the Father offering His own Son, while God's provision of a ram points to substitutionary atonement.

A1nd it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Read full chapter: Genesis 22 โ†’