# Abraham

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*Sacrifice of Isaac* by Rembrandt. It shows an angel stopping Abraham from killing Isaac on God's orders**Abraham** (originally **Abram**) is a man in the Bible's Book of Genesis and the Qur'an. Abraham is said to be the Patriarch (father) of the Jewish People. He is the one of the most respected figures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as he is considered the father of these Abrahamic religions.

## Family

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.

According to the Bible, Abraham had children from three different women. With his wife Sarah, he had Isaac. With Sara's handmaid, Hagar, he had Ishmael. He also had additional children with Keturah, whom he marries after Sarah's death.

Abraham was also the grandfather of Jacob and Esau. He is believed to be the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites and Edomites.

## The Covenant

In the Book of Genesis, God tells Abraham to leave his home in Mesopotamia and go to Canaan. There, he would become the ancestor of a great nation. At the time, his name was Abram.

The Almighty told Abram to circumcise himself and all his sons. He told Abram: “the uncircumcised male who dwells among you, his soul shall be cut off, for he has rejected my covenant”. After his circumcision, Abram changed his name to Abraham.

## The binding of Isaac

When Abraham was circumcised, the Almighty told him that his wife Sarah would give birth to a son. 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. She laughed, since Abraham was 100 years old and she was 90. The angels responded that nothing is impossible for the Almighty. Indeed, one year later, Sarah gave birth to a son. Abraham circumcised him and named him Isaac because of the laughter.

Years after Hagar and Ishmael were sent away, the Almighty told Abraham “take your son, your only one, whom you love Isaac and sacrifice him”. So Abraham took Isaac to a mountain to be a human sacrifice for God.

However, the Almighty sent an angel to Abraham to stop him from killing Isaac and said that “I have seen that you are indeed a God-fearing man since you have not withheld your son, your only one from me”. Abraham sacrificed a ram instead of Isaac, and named the place Yireh.

## Later life

After Abraham’s wife Sarah died when she was 127 years old, Abraham bought the Cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite for 400 shekels and buried Sarah there. He then sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac. Then Abraham married Keturah and became the father of many children. Abraham died when he was 175 years old. Isaac and Ishmael buried him next to Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah.

### The idol shop

According to a midrash in the Talmud, when Abraham was young, his father Terah told him to take care of his store selling idols. Instead Abraham destroyed all but the biggest idol. When he told Terah what he had done, Terah told him that idols are mindless statues and not deities. Then Abraham asked Terah why he worshipped them. Terah took him to King Nimrod, who tried to kill him by burning him in a furnace. A miracle saved Abraham from death.

Nimrod then asked Abraham’s brother Haran what he believed. Haran said he believed in the deity of Abraham because God would save him with a miracle. Nimrod threw Haran to the furnace, and Haran died. Next Nimrod sent away Terah and his family, and God told Abraham to go to Canaan.

## Other websites

* "Journey and Life of the Patriarch Abraham" is an old map from 1590 that is about Abraham