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Abraham.

Abraham (originally Abram, "exalted father" — renamed to Abraham, "father of many nations") is the founding patriarch of Israel and, through Ishmael and Isaac, the father of three world religions. God called him out of Ur in modern-day Iraq, made an unconditional covenant with him to bless all nations through his descendants, and tested his faith in the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22). Paul makes Abraham the prototype of faith: he was justified by believing God before circumcision or the law existed.

Timeline

• Called from Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12)
• Covenant with God and the promise of descendants (Genesis 15)
• Birth of Ishmael through Hagar (Genesis 16)
• Circumcision instituted (Genesis 17)
• The binding of Isaac (Genesis 22)

Key verses

• Genesis 12:1-3 →
• Genesis 15:6 →
• Genesis 22:8 →

Why Abraham matters

The Bible reads Abraham as the prototype of every believer. Paul argues in Romans 4 and Galatians 3 that Christians are "children of Abraham" by faith — that the covenant promise to bless all nations through his offspring is fulfilled in Christ. Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac at God's command (and God's provision of a substitute ram) is read throughout Christian tradition as a foreshadowing of the Father giving his Son.

Related tools

• All 29 figuresThe full index
• Bible verse lookupAny reference, ESV
• Trivia categoryPatriarch