A Summary of Abraham’s Life

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 her. He chose to rely on a half-truth, describing her as his sister, rather than his wife.

Exactly in keeping with his fears, the Egyptians selected Sarai as a future concubine for the Pharoah. Abram immediately gained wealth and influence in Egypt, as the presumed brother of the woman – until God revealed to Pharoah what was really going on. Pharaoh responded in anger, calling Abram, rebuking him for the deception, giving Sarai back, and sending him out of the country.

Return to Canaan

Abram returned to Canaan, taking up residence at the old location between Bethel and Ai. During this time, Abram and Lot had both gained immense wealth, leading to increased friction between their servants, who managed their livestock. Recognizing this difficulty, the two men decided to part on friendly terms. Lot chose to go toward the Plain of Jordan, a beautiful and fertile location that contained the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha. Abram (after receiving another message from God, that he would indeed inherit the land of Canaan) headed to the location of Hebron.

Around this time, a war broke out in the Plain of Jordan. A coalition of kings conquered Sodom and Gomorrha, seizing the cities and their inhabitants, including Lot. Abram responded by arming his servants (numbering 318) and pursuing the victorious kings. After defeating the allied force, Abram rescued and released the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha and the other captured cities, including his nephew. Then, in a remarkable act of piety, Abram gave a tenth of everything to a shadowy priest-king named Melchizedek and received a blessing from him.

The Promise of a Son

Around this time, Abram became increasingly concerned about his need for a son. How could he inherit Canaan and become a great nation, when he didn’t even have a single descendant? In response, God promised him with certainty that he would have a son and confirmed that he would inherit the land of Canaan.

Sarai, also eager for a descendant, decided to take matters into her own hands. She encouraged her husband (who was now 86 years old) to take Hagar, one of Sarai’s Egyptian slaves, and have a child with her. Abram agreed, Hagar became pregnant, and Sarai promptly became jealous. She treated Hagar so poorly that the slave-woman ran away, only to return when she was met by an angel, who promised that her child would also become a great nation.

God responded by again reassuring Abram of his promise. He made a covenant with Abram, renaming him as Abraham (which signified that he would be the father of a multitude of nations). God also gave to Sarai the name of Sarah, signifying that she would be a princess of peoples. God also called on Abraham to confirm this covenant by submitting to the painful procedure of circumcision, along with all the male members of his household, which Abraham obeyed.

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha

At the age of 99, Abraham invited three mysterious strangers to enjoy a meal with him and receive hospitality. When they prophesied that Sarah would bear a son within a year, Sarah laughed, but they insisted that it was true.

The three men departed, on their way to the city of Sodom. Abraham walked with them, apparently stopping to talk with one of them while the other two continued. Suddenly, Abraham was in a conversation with God himself, who admitted that he intended to destroy the wicked city of Sodom. Abraham pleaded for mercy, which God was willing to grant, but Abraham failed to ask for sufficient mercy.

Meanwhile, the two other visitors showed up in Sodom, where they received a very inhospitable reception. Lot welcomed them into his house but soon found himself assaulted by the other city-dwellers. The mob surrounded the house, riotted, and demanded the opportunity to sexually assault Lot’s visitors. Lot protected his visitors, and God himself protected Lot by suddenly striking the crowd with blindness. At this point, the visitor announted their mission to Lot: they have come to warn him that God is about to destroy the city.

Lot was slow to leave, but by the morning, he was on his way out, along with a few family members. After safely escaping, God unleashed a divine storm of fire and brimstone on the evil cities, so spectacular that even Abraham, miles away, could see rising smoke on the horizon. Lot fled to the mountains, but his wife, sorry to leave her favorite city, looked back and instantly solidified into a pillar of salt. Lot took up residence in the mountains, where he spent the rest of his life as a hermit, and his immoral daughters tricked him into committing incest with them.

Birth of a Son

Abraham moved south, to a spot between Kadesh and Shur. Later, he moved to the city of Gerar, where (fearful again for his wife and his life), he continued to call Sarah his ‘sister.’ This time, Sarah was taken by the king of Gerar, a man named Abimelech. Abimelech was on the verge of marrying Sarah when he discovered the ruse by a divine dream. He responded by rebuking Abraham for the deception, lavishing gifts on Abraham, and recognizing that Abraham has a special relationship with God.

Finally, when Abraham was a hundred years old, Sarah gave birth to a son. They called his name Isaac, which means ‘he laughs’ – an indication of the joy of Abraham and Sarah over their firstborn son.

Life as a Father

Abraham soon had to again deal with the fact that Sarah was upset with Hagar, as well as her son, Ishmael. To appease Sarah, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away. They endured a harrowing, near-death trip through the desert, only surviving because an angel revealed a source of water.

Abraham spent time in the land of the Philistines, probably near the city of Beersheba. He also swore a treaty of friendship with Abimelech, the king of Gerar.

After this, Abraham faced his greatest trial of faith. God called him to take Isaac, the long-awaited child, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on a distant mountain.

Despite his previous episodes of unbelief, Abraham had finally learned to trust God. He immediately took Isaac and a few servants, set off for the distant mountain, and then led Isaac, alone, up the mountain with the implements for sacrifice.

Arriving at the location, Abraham prepared for a sacrifice, bound Isaac, placed him on the altar, and lifted his knife to kill him. At this very moment an angel appeared, calling him to put the knife down, because now “I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Abraham did so, offering a nearby ram in place of his son and joyfully returning home with the boy.

Later Life

Some years went by, and Sarah eventually died at the age of 137. Abraham bought a cave in the field of Machpelah, where he buried his wife and created a burial-place for his family. He then sent his most trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac from among his extended family in distant Harran.

Abraham married again, this time to a woman named Keturah, with whom he had seven sons. However, Abraham knew that Isaac would be his heir. He gave generous gifts to his seven sons, but hesent them away, leaving his possessions – and the promise of nationhood – to his son Isaac. Finally, Abraham died, ‘full of years,’ at the age of 175. He was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpelah, beside his wife Sarah.