Abraham

What we know — and how we know it

Where in scripture

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Family

In their own words — 30 recorded sayings

“Now when he came near to Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, Truly, you are a fair woman and beautiful to the eye; And I am certain that when the men of Egypt see you, they will say, This is his wife: and they will put me to death and keep you. Say, then, that you are my sister, and so it will be well with me because of you, and my life will be kept safe on your account.” — Genesis 12:11-13

“Then Abram said to Lot, Let there be no argument between me and you, and between my herdmen and your herdmen, for we are brothers. Is not all the land before you? then let us go our separate ways: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; or if you take the right, I will go to the left.” — Genesis 13:8-9

“But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have taken an oath to the Lord, the Most High God, maker of heaven and earth, That I will not take so much as a thread or the cord of a shoe of yours; so that you may not say, I have given wealth to Abram: Give me nothing but the food which the fighting-men who went with me have had; but let Aner and Eshcol and Mamre have their part of the goods.” — Genesis 14:22-24

“And Abram said, What will you give me? for I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me. And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.” — Genesis 15:2-3

“And he said, O Lord God, how may I be certain that it will be mine?” — Genesis 15:8

“And Abram said, The woman is in your power; do with her whatever seems good to you. And Sarai was cruel to her, so that she went running away from her.” — Genesis 16:6

“Then Abraham went down on his face, and laughing, said in his heart, May a man a hundred years old have a child? will Sarah, at ninety years old, give birth? And Abraham said to God, If only Ishmael's life might be your care!” — Genesis 17:17-18

“And said, My Lord, if now I have grace in your eyes, do not go away from your servant: Let me get water for washing your feet, and take your rest under the tree: And let me get a bit of bread to keep up your strength, and after that you may go on your way: for this is why you have come to your servant. And they said, Let it be so.” — Genesis 18:3-5

…and 22 more recorded sayings.

Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).

Journeys

The journey of Abraham ▶ Play

Called by God, Abraham left Ur and travelled the length of the Fertile Crescent into the land of promise.

1. Ur · c. 2091 BC — His home city; called by God to go
2. Haran · c. 2085 BC — Settles for a time with his father Terah
3. Shechem · c. 2081 BC — Enters Canaan; God appears and promises the land
4. Bethel · c. 2080 BC — Builds an altar to the Lord
5. Egypt · c. 2079 BC — Goes down to escape a famine
6. Bethel · c. 2078 BC — Returns and parts from Lot
7. Hebron · c. 2070 BC — Settles by the oaks of Mamre

Events

• The Call of Abraham

Places in their life

In art