Abraham

Etymology

Originally 'Abram' (אַבְרָם), meaning 'exalted father', from 'av' (father) and 'ram' (exalted). God renamed him 'Abraham' in Genesis 17:5, adding the 'ha' syllable and declaring 'I have made you a father of many nations.' The new name incorporates 'hamon' (multitude).

Who they were

Abraham is the founding patriarch of Israel and the figure to whom Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all trace their spiritual ancestry. He was living in Ur of the Chaldeans — modern-day Iraq — when God called him to leave everything and go to a land he had never seen. He went. He was seventy-five years old. God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars, though he and Sarah had no children and were well past childbearing age. That promise took twenty-five years to fulfil, and in the waiting Abraham sometimes faltered — he lied about Sarah being his wife, he fathered Ishmael through Hagar at Sarah's suggestion — but the defining verse of his life says simply: 'Abraham believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' The supreme test came when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise, on Mount Moriah. Abraham obeyed, and God provided a ram in Isaac's place. Paul, in Romans, calls Abraham the father of all who believe. He died at 175, gathered to his people, and buried in the cave of Machpelah beside Sarah.

Family

Father

Terah

Spouse

Sarah (first wife), Hagar, Keturah

Children

Ishmael (by Hagar),Isaac (by Sarah),Zimran,Jokshan,Medan,Midian,Ishbak,Shuah (by Keturah)

Character qualities

• Radical obedience
• Faith under uncertainty
• Hospitality
• Imperfect but persistent trust
• Willingness to sacrifice

Key verse

Genesis 15:6

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Abram · Avraham · Ibrahim · Abe

Related names