Abraham in the Bible

Meaning: father of a great multitude

Exact Match

And thy name shall no more be called Abram, and thy name shall be Abraham, for the father of a multitude of nations have I given thee.

Verse ConceptsAbraham, Calling And LifeTypes Of ChristChanged NamesGod Renaming People

And God will say to Abraham, Thou shalt watch my covenant., thou, and thy seed after thee to their generations.

Verse ConceptsAbraham, Testing And Victory

Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him.

Verse ConceptsForeskinsAt The Same TimeGroups Of Slaves

Abraham was 99 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised,

Then the Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day.

Verse ConceptsHeatNoonRevelation, In OtSittingTentsAbraham, Testing And VictoryOaksHot WeatherGod Appearing

Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

Verse ConceptsAngel of the LordBowingSalutationsThree MenIndividuals RunningTrinity

Then Abraham took curds and milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served them as they ate under the tree.

Verse ConceptsButterMilkDairyCompanionshipPeople EatingRich Food

and Abraham and Sarah are aged, entering into days -- the way of women hath ceased to be to Sarah;

Verse ConceptsHumourPeople Wearing OutSoliloquyThe Promise Of A BabysexHaving A Babysarah

But the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’

Verse ConceptsWhy Do Others Do This?The Promise Of A Babysarah

And Jehovah saith unto Abraham, 'Why is this? Sarah hath laughed, saying, Is it true really -- I bear -- and I am aged? Is any thing too wonderful for Jehovah? at the appointed time I return unto thee, about the time of life, and Sarah hath a son.'

Verse ConceptsAll Things Being PossibleGod, Power OfGod's OmnipotencePower, Of GodArriving On TimePossibilities For GodEasy For GodPossible For GodThe Time Appointedimpossible

The men turned from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.

Abraham spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose [only] forty are found there.” And He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty [who are righteous].”

Verse ConceptsFortiesNumbers Of Righteous People

Then Abraham said [to Him], “Oh, may the Lord not be angry, and I will speak; suppose thirty [righteous people] are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Verse ConceptsThirtyLet Not God Be AngryNumbers Of Righteous PeopleSpeaking To God

Abraham said, "Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?" He replied, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty."

Verse ConceptsTwentyNumbers Of Righteous PeopleSpeaking To God

Finally Abraham said, "May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He replied, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten."

Verse ConceptsGod, Patience OfTen PeopleLet Not God Be AngryNumbers Of Righteous PeopleSpeaking To GodWorth

From there Abraham traveled to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived in Gerar,

Verse ConceptsAbraham, Testing And VictorySojourningParticular Journeys

Did Abraham not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent hands!"

Verse ConceptsMisrepresentationPlea Of Innocence

Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said to him, “What have you done to us? How did I sin against you that you have brought such enormous guilt on me and on my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.”

Verse ConceptsWhat Do You Do?Kings SummoningWe Have SinnedWhat Sin?

Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘There is absolutely no fear of God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.’

Verse ConceptsFailureNo Fear Of GodWhy People Did Things

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they could bear children,

Verse ConceptsdiseasesAnswered PrayerPraying For SinnersPraying For Others

She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him in his old age.”

Verse ConceptsNursesOld Age, Attainment OfHope For Old PeopleImpossible For PeopleAgesarah

So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!”

Verse ConceptsInheritance, MaterialFamilyQuarrelsOld Testament People As Typessarah

Now this was a very difficult thing for Abraham because of his son.

But God said to Abraham, “Do not be concerned about the boy and your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac.

Verse ConceptsAbrahamProphecies Concerning ChristPay Attention To People!sarah

Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba.

Verse ConceptsShouldersBottle, UsesDeserts, SpecificThe HomelessWater ContainersWanderersThose Who Rose EarlyCarrying Other LoadsExamples Of Love For Children

But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the water well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.

Verse ConceptsServants, BadWellsDishonesty, Examples Of

And Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Verse ConceptsSojourning

So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about.

Verse ConceptsAbrahamDonkeysMorningAnimals, Types OfRising EarlySplitting WoodFirewoodThose Who Rose EarlyPreparing To TravelSaddling DonkeysTwo Other Men

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.”

Verse ConceptsBowing Before God

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together.

Verse ConceptsAbrahamKnifesGoing TogetherBurning SacrificesFirewoodCarrying Other Loads

Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”

And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”

Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Verse ConceptsFireLambsBurning SacrificesFirewoodBehold Me!Sheep And GoatsWhere Are Things?

Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.

Verse ConceptsPassover lambAbrahamGod, The ProviderGoing TogetherGod ProvidingSheep And Goatsproviding

When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.

Verse ConceptsAltarsAbrahamBindingPutting In OrderBuilding AltarsFirewoodTying Up

Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

Verse ConceptsAbrahamHornsRamsSubstitutionNames Of GodHorns Of AnimalsVicarious Substitution

Abraham went back to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham settled in Beer-sheba.

Now after these things Abraham was told, “Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor:

Verse ConceptsAbraham, Testing And Victory

And Bethuel fathered Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

Verse ConceptsEight People

Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Verse ConceptsGriefLossSorrowWeepingMourning The Death Of OthersDeath

Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. So in the presence of all the Hittites who came to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham:

Verse ConceptsempiresCitiesBusiness At The GatewayIn Men's Presence

And Abraham said to Ephron, in the hearing of the people of the land, If only you will give ear to me, I will give you the price of the field; take it, and let me put my dead to rest there.

Verse ConceptsThe Cave Of MachpelahIn Men's Presence

Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had agreed to in the presence of the Hittites: 400 shekels of silver at the current commercial rate.

Verse ConceptsAgreement, Making AgreementsMerchantsTradeWeighingIn Men's PresenceAgreeing With One Anotherhumor

So Abraham secured Ephron's field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border,

Verse ConceptsCaves For Burying

After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

Verse ConceptsTombsCaves For BuryingThe Cave Of MachpelahBurying placessarah

Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

Verse ConceptsThighsinvesting

So the servant placed his hand under his master Abraham’s thigh and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

Verse ConceptsServants, GoodThighsSwearing Oaths

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels, and set out, taking some of his master’s good things with him; so he got up and journeyed to Mesopotamia [between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers], to the city of Nahor [the home of Abraham’s brother].

Verse ConceptsDeparturesTen AnimalsGiving Good Things

Now, may the girl to whom I say, Let down your vessel and give me a drink, and who says in answer, Here is a drink for you and let me give water to your camels: may she be the one marked out by you for your servant Isaac: so may I be certain that you have been good to my master Abraham.

Verse ConceptsDrinksWater ContainersRequesting FoodMan Providing WaterSeeking A SignGod Appointing OthersGiving In Marriage

Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah—daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor—coming with a jug on her shoulder.

Verse ConceptsShouldersequipping, physicalWater ContainersWhile Still SpeakingCarrying Other Loads

Abraham's servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a sip of water from your jug."

Verse ConceptsWater ContainersIndividuals RunningRequesting FoodMan Providing Water

and said, “Praise the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

Verse ConceptsJourneyKindnessGod Has GuidedBless The Lord!God Showed His Lovingkindness

So Abraham's servant went to the house and unloaded the camels. Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet.

Verse ConceptsBathing, For CleansingGuestsMangersStrawWaterFeet WashingThings StrippedEntering HousesFeeding AnimalsMan Providing WaterClean FeetCare Of Feet

Thematic Bible














That is why all is made to depend upon faith, that all may be God's gift, and in order that the fulfillment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham's descendants-not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the Father of us all; As Scripture says-'I have made thee the Father of many nations.') And this they do in the sight of that God in whom Abraham had faith, and who gives life to the dead, and speaks of what does not yet exist as if it did. With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfillment of the words-'So many shall thy descendants be,' he might become 'the Father of many nations.'

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And that in this way the words of Scripture came true-- "Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness," and "He was called the friend of God."




This was the oath which he swore to our forefather Abraham--

For the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through Law, but through the righteousness due to faith.

For I tell you that Christ, in vindication of God's truthfulness, has become a minister of the Covenant of Circumcision, so that he may fulfil the promises made to our ancestors,

When God gave his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater by whom he could swear, he swore by himself. His words were-- 'I will assuredly bless thee and increase thy numbers.'

It is just as it was with Abraham--'He had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.' You see, then, that those whose lives are based on faith are the Sons of Abraham. And Scripture, foreseeing that God would pronounce the Gentiles righteous as the result of faith, foretold the Good News to Abraham in the words--'Through thee all the Gentiles shall be blessed.' read more.
And, therefore, those whose lives are based on faith share the blessings bestowed upon the faith of Abraham. All who rely upon obedience to Law are under a curse, for Scripture says--'Cursed is every one who does not abide by all that is written in the Book of the Law, and do it.' Again, it is evident that no one is pronounced righteous before God through Law, for we read--'Through faith the righteous man shall find Life.' But the Law is not based on faith; no, its words are--'Those who practice these precepts will find Life through them.' Christ ransomed us from the curse pronounced in the Law, by taking the curse on himself for us, for Scripture says--'Cursed is any one who is hanged on a tree.' And this he did that the blessing given to Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through their union with Jesus Christ; that so, through our faith, we also might receive the promised gift of the Spirit. To take an illustration, Brothers, from daily life--No one sets aside even an agreement between two men, when once it has been confirmed, nor does he add conditions to it. Now it was to Abraham that the promises were made, 'and to his offspring.' It was not said 'to his offsprings,' as if many persons were meant, but the words were 'to thy offspring,' showing that one person was meant--and that was Christ. My point is this--An agreement already confirmed by God cannot be canceled by the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, so as to cause the promise to be set aside. If our heritage is the result of Law, then it has ceased to be the result of a promise. Yet God conferred it on Abraham by a promise.

And, since you belong to Christ, it follows that you are Abraham's offspring and, under the promise, sharers in the inheritance.

Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one the child of the slave-woman and the other the child of the free woman. But the child of the slave-woman was born in the course of nature, while the child of the free woman was born in fulfillment of a promise. This story may be taken as an allegory. The women stand for two Covenants. One Covenant, given from Mount Sinai, produces a race of slaves and is represented by Hagar read more.
(The word Hagar meaning in Arabia Mount Sinai) and it ranks with the Jerusalem of to-day, for she and her children are in slavery. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she it is who is our mother. For Scripture says--'Rejoice, thou barren one, who dost never bear, Break into shouts, thou who art never in labor, For many are the children of her who is desolate--aye, more than of her who has a husband.' As for ourselves, brothers, we, like Isaac, are children born in fulfillment of a promise. Yet at that time the child born in the course of nature persecuted the child born by the power of the Spirit; and it is the same now. But what does the passage of Scripture say? 'Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave's son shall not be co-heir with the son of the free woman.' And so, Brothers, we are not children of a slave, but of her who is free.



What then, it may be asked, are we to say about Abraham, the ancestor of our nation? If he was pronounced righteous as the result of obedience, then he has something to boast of. Yes, but not before God. For what are the words of Scripture? 'Abraham had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.' read more.
Now wages are regarded as due to the man who works, not as a favor, but as a debt; While, as for the man who does not rely upon his obedience, but has faith in him who can pronounce the godless righteous, his faith is regarded by God as righteousness. In precisely the same way David speaks of the blessing pronounced upon the man who is regarded by God as righteous apart from actions-- 'Blessed are those whose wrong-doings have been forgiven and over whose sins a veil has been drawn! Blessed the man whom the Lord will never regard as sinful!' Is this blessing, then, pronounced upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised as well? We say that-'Abraham's faith was regarded by God as righteousness.' Under what circumstances, then, did this take place? After his circumcision or before it? Not after, but before. And it was as a sign of this that he received the rite of circumcision-to attest the righteousness due to the faith of an uncircumcised man-in order that he might be the father of all who have faith in God even when uncircumcised, that they also may be regarded by God as righteous; As well as father of the circumcised-to those who are not only circumcised, but who also follow our father Abraham in that faith which he had while still uncircumcised. For the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through Law, but through the righteousness due to faith. If those who take their stand on Law are to inherit the world, then faith is robbed of its meaning and the promise comes to nothing! Law entails punishment; but, where no Law exists, no breach of it is possible. That is why all is made to depend upon faith, that all may be God's gift, and in order that the fulfillment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham's descendants-not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the Father of us all; As Scripture says-'I have made thee the Father of many nations.') And this they do in the sight of that God in whom Abraham had faith, and who gives life to the dead, and speaks of what does not yet exist as if it did. With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfillment of the words-'So many shall thy descendants be,' he might become 'the Father of many nations.' Though he was nearly a hundred years old, yet his faith did not fail him, even when he thought of his own body, then utterly worn out, and remembered that Sarah was past bearing children. He was not led by want of faith to doubt God's promise. On the contrary, his faith gave him strength; and he praised God, in the firm conviction that what God has promised he is also able to carry out. And therefore his faith 'was regarded as righteousness.'

It is just as it was with Abraham--'He had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.' You see, then, that those whose lives are based on faith are the Sons of Abraham. And Scripture, foreseeing that God would pronounce the Gentiles righteous as the result of faith, foretold the Good News to Abraham in the words--'Through thee all the Gentiles shall be blessed.' read more.
And, therefore, those whose lives are based on faith share the blessings bestowed upon the faith of Abraham.

It was faith that enabled Abraham to obey the Call that he received, and to set out for the place which he was afterwards to obtain as his own; and he set out not knowing where he was going. It was faith that made him go to live as an emigrant in the Promised Land--as in a strange country--living there in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who shared the promise with him. For he was looking for the City with the sure foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

It was faith that enabled Abraham, when put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice--he who had received the promises offering up his only son, of whom it had been said-- 'It is through Isaac that there shall be descendants to bear thy name.' For he argued that God was able even to raise a man from the dead--and indeed, figuratively speaking, Abraham did receive Isaac back from the dead.

Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was not it the result of his actions that he was pronounced righteous after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar? You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions; And that in this way the words of Scripture came true-- "Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness," and "He was called the friend of God." read more.
You see, then, that it is as the result of his actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not of his faith only.






And, upon that, Stephen spoke as follows: "Brothers and Fathers, hear what I have to say. God, who manifests himself in the Glory, appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, and before he settled in Haran, and said to him-- 'Leave your country and your kindred, and come into the country that I will show you.'

It was faith that enabled Abraham to obey the Call that he received, and to set out for the place which he was afterwards to obtain as his own; and he set out not knowing where he was going.


And do not think that you can say among yourselves 'Abraham is our ancestor,' for I tell you that out of these very stones God is able to raise descendants for Abraham!

But this woman, a daughter of Abraham, who has been kept in bondage by Satan for now eighteen years, ought not she to have been released from her bondage on the Sabbath?"

There, there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the Kingdom of God, while you yourselves are being driven outside.

"Salvation has come to this house to-day," answered Jesus, "for even this man is a son of Abraham.

"We are descendants of Abraham," was their answer, "and have never yet been in slavery to any one. What do you mean by saying 'you will be set free'?" "In truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "every one who sins is a slave to sin. And a slave does not remain in the home always; but a son remains always. read more.
If, then, the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you are seeking to put me to death, because my Message finds no place in your hearts. I tell you what I have myself seen in the presence of my Father; and you, in the same way, do what you have learned from your father." "Our father is Abraham," was their answer. "If you are Abraham's children," replied Jesus, "do what Abraham did. But, as it is, you are seeking to put me to death--a man who has told you the Truth as he heard it from God. Abraham did not act in that way.








It was faith that enabled Abraham, when put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice--he who had received the promises offering up his only son,

Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was not it the result of his actions that he was pronounced righteous after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?









And that in this way the words of Scripture came true-- "Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness," and "He was called the friend of God."


There, there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the Kingdom of God, while you yourselves are being driven outside.

Yes, and many will come in from East and West and take their places beside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven;

After a time the beggar died, and was taken by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In the Place of Death he looked up in his torment, and saw Abraham at a distance and Lazarus at his side. So he called out 'Pity me, Father Abraham, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering agony in this flame.' read more.
'Child,' answered Abraham, 'remember that you in your lifetime received what you thought desirable, just as Lazarus received what was not desirable; but now he has his consolation here, while you are suffering agony. And not only that, but between you and us there lies a great chasm, so that those who wish to pass from here to you cannot, nor can they cross from there to us.' 'Then, Father,' he said, 'I beg you to send Lazarus to my father's house-- For I have five brothers to warn them, so that they may not come to this place of torture also.' 'They have the writings of Moses and the Prophets,' replied Abraham; 'let them listen to them.' 'But, Father Abraham,' he urged, 'if some one from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.' 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets,' answered Abraham, 'they will not be persuaded, even if some one were to rise from the dead.'"














On this, Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father's death, God caused him to migrate into this very country, in which you are now living.







Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one the child of the slave-woman and the other the child of the free woman. But the child of the slave-woman was born in the course of nature, while the child of the free woman was born in fulfillment of a promise. This story may be taken as an allegory. The women stand for two Covenants. One Covenant, given from Mount Sinai, produces a race of slaves and is represented by Hagar read more.
(The word Hagar meaning in Arabia Mount Sinai) and it ranks with the Jerusalem of to-day, for she and her children are in slavery. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she it is who is our mother. For Scripture says--'Rejoice, thou barren one, who dost never bear, Break into shouts, thou who art never in labor, For many are the children of her who is desolate--aye, more than of her who has a husband.' As for ourselves, brothers, we, like Isaac, are children born in fulfillment of a promise. Yet at that time the child born in the course of nature persecuted the child born by the power of the Spirit; and it is the same now. But what does the passage of Scripture say? 'Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave's son shall not be co-heir with the son of the free woman.'



It was this Melchizedek, King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and gave him his blessing; and it was to him that Abraham allotted a tithe of all the spoil. The meaning of his name is 'King of Righteousness, ' and besides that, he was also King of Salem, which means 'King of Peace.' There is no record of his father, or mother, or lineage, nor again of any beginning of his days, or end of his life. In this he resembles the Son of God, and stands before us as a priest whose priesthood is continuous. read more.
Consider, then the importance of this Melchizedek, to whom even the Patriarch Abraham himself gave a tithe of the choicest spoils. Those descendants of Levi, who are from time to time appointed to the priesthood, are directed to collect tithes from the people in accordance with the Law--that is from their own Brothers, although they also are descended from Abraham. But Melchizedek, although not of this lineage, received tithes from Abraham, and gave his blessing to the very man who had God's promises. Now no one can dispute that it is the superior who blesses the inferior. In the one case the tithes are received by mortal men; in the other case by one about whom there is the statement that his life still continues. Moreover, in a sense, even Levi, who is the receiver of the tithes, has, through Abraham, paid tithes; for Levi was still in the body of his ancestor when Melchizedek met Abraham.



Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one the child of the slave-woman and the other the child of the free woman. But the child of the slave-woman was born in the course of nature, while the child of the free woman was born in fulfillment of a promise. This story may be taken as an allegory. The women stand for two Covenants. One Covenant, given from Mount Sinai, produces a race of slaves and is represented by Hagar read more.
(The word Hagar meaning in Arabia Mount Sinai) and it ranks with the Jerusalem of to-day, for she and her children are in slavery. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she it is who is our mother. For Scripture says--'Rejoice, thou barren one, who dost never bear, Break into shouts, thou who art never in labor, For many are the children of her who is desolate--aye, more than of her who has a husband.' As for ourselves, brothers, we, like Isaac, are children born in fulfillment of a promise. Yet at that time the child born in the course of nature persecuted the child born by the power of the Spirit; and it is the same now. But what does the passage of Scripture say? 'Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave's son shall not be co-heir with the son of the free woman.'






It was this Melchizedek, King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and gave him his blessing;














On this, Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father's death, God caused him to migrate into this very country, in which you are now living.















It was faith that enabled Abraham, when put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice--he who had received the promises offering up his only son,










































































Nor, because they are Abraham's descendants, are they all his Children; but-'It is Isaac's children who will be called thy descendants.' This means that it is not the children born in the course of nature who are God's Children, but it is the children born in fulfillment of the Promise who are to be regarded as Abraham's descendants. For these words are the words of a promise-'About this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.' read more.
Nor is that all. There is also the case of Rebecca, when she was about to bear children to our ancestor Isaac. For in order that the purpose of God, working through selection, might not fail-a selection depending, not on obedience, but on his Call-Rebecca was told, before her children were born and before they had done anything either right or wrong, that 'the elder would be a servant to the younger.' The words of Scripture are-'I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.'




You yourselves are the heirs of the Prophets, and heirs, too, of the Covenant which God made with your ancestors, when he said to Abraham--'In your descendants will all the nations of the earth be blessed.'



Showing mercy to our forefathers, And mindful of his sacred Covenant. This was the oath which he swore to our forefather Abraham-- That we should be rescued from the hands of our enemies, read more.
And should serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness, In his presence all our days.

Now it was to Abraham that the promises were made, 'and to his offspring.' It was not said 'to his offsprings,' as if many persons were meant, but the words were 'to thy offspring,' showing that one person was meant--and that was Christ.




It was faith that enabled Abraham, when put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice--he who had received the promises offering up his only son, of whom it had been said-- 'It is through Isaac that there shall be descendants to bear thy name.' For he argued that God was able even to raise a man from the dead--and indeed, figuratively speaking, Abraham did receive Isaac back from the dead.

It was faith that enabled Abraham to obey the Call that he received, and to set out for the place which he was afterwards to obtain as his own; and he set out not knowing where he was going.









Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; and he did see it, and was glad."








He was not led by want of faith to doubt God's promise.













With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfillment of the words-'So many shall thy descendants be,' he might become 'the Father of many nations.'


Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; and he did see it, and was glad."


Now it was to Abraham that the promises were made, 'and to his offspring.' It was not said 'to his offsprings,' as if many persons were meant, but the words were 'to thy offspring,' showing that one person was meant--and that was Christ.


It was not, surely, to the help of the angels that Jesus came, but 'to the help of the descendants of Abraham.'



























Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; and he did see it, and was glad."




Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was not it the result of his actions that he was pronounced righteous after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?






'Leave your country and your kindred, and come into the country that I will show you.' On this, Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father's death, God caused him to migrate into this very country, in which you are now living. God did not at that time give him any part of it, not even a foot of ground. But he promised to 'give him possession of it and his descendants after him, though at that time he had no child. read more.
God's words were these--'Abraham's descendants shall live in a foreign country, where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years. But I myself will judge the nation, to which they will be enslaved,' God said, 'and after that they shall leave the country and worship me in this place.' Then God made with Abraham the Covenant of Circumcision; and under it Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him when he was eight days old; and Isaac became the father of Jacob; and Jacob of the Twelve Patriarchs.

It was faith that enabled Abraham to obey the Call that he received, and to set out for the place which he was afterwards to obtain as his own; and he set out not knowing where he was going. It was faith that made him go to live as an emigrant in the Promised Land--as in a strange country--living there in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who shared the promise with him. For he was looking for the City with the sure foundations, whose architect and builder is God. read more.
Again, it was faith that enabled Sarah to conceive (though she was past the age for child-bearing), because she felt sure that he who had given her the promise would not fail her. And so from one man--and that when his powers were dead--there sprang a people as numerous 'as the stars in the heavens or the countless grains of sand upon the shore.' All these died sustained by faith. They did not obtain the promised blessings, but they saw them from a distance and welcomed the sight, and they acknowledged themselves to be only aliens and strangers on the earth. Those who speak thus show plainly that they are seeking their fatherland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they could have found opportunities to return. But no, they were longing for a better, a heavenly, land! And therefore God was not ashamed to be called their God; indeed he had already prepared them a city. It was faith that enabled Abraham, when put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice--he who had received the promises offering up his only son,





It was faith that enabled Abraham, when put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice--he who had received the promises offering up his only son, of whom it had been said-- 'It is through Isaac that there shall be descendants to bear thy name.' For he argued that God was able even to raise a man from the dead--and indeed, figuratively speaking, Abraham did receive Isaac back from the dead.







And so, after patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the fulfillment of God's promise.


























Is this blessing, then, pronounced upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised as well? We say that-'Abraham's faith was regarded by God as righteousness.'

And therefore his faith 'was regarded as righteousness.'















From whom all 'fatherhood' in Heaven and on earth derives its name--








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