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Daily Bible Study






Index

The World Of Abraham

Abraham is a key individual in Bible History, and his descendants today are the focus of Prophecy. Through his sons, he is a common ancestor of all of the Israelite people (see Children of Jacob and The Tribes Of Israel), through Isaac, and the Arab people, through Ishmael.



Ur of the Chaldees

Located about 600 miles / 975 kilometers east of Jerusalem, on the Euphrates River in what is today southern Iraq, Ur Of The Chaldees was the early home of Abraham:
"This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah." (Genesis 11:27-29)

Haran

Located about 550 miles / 890 kilometers north of Jerusalem in what is today southeastern Turkey, Haran was where Abraham lived after Ur:
"Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there." (Genesis 11:31-32)

Land of Canaan

After receiving his calling from God in Haran, Abraham journeyed to the land of Canaan (see Who Were The Canaanites?), known today as the land of Israel:
"The Lord [see The Logos and Rock Of Ages] had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as The Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there." (Genesis 12:1-5)

Shechem

Shechem is located in central Israel, about half-way between Nazareth and Jerusalem. It was the first settling place of Abraham in the land that God commanded him to possess:
"Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to The Lord, Who had appeared to him." (Genesis 12:6-7)

Bethel

Abraham then continued his southward journey to the area of Bethel:
"From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to The Lord and called on the name of The Lord." (Genesis 12:8)

The Negev

The Negev is the great southern desert area of the land of Israel, the next stop from Bethel:
"Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev." (Genesis 12:9)

Egypt

From the Negev, Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt to escape a famine in the land. While there, the Egyptian Pharaoh of that time was led to believe that Sarah was Abraham's sister, not his wife:
"Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." (Genesis 12:10-13)

Hebron

After returning to the land of Israel (which would be named after Abraham's grandson Jacob, who God renamed Israel), Abraham eventually made his way to Hebron after God once again repeated His promise of the land to him and his descendants:
"The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to The Lord." (Genesis 13:14-18)

Salem

After a military victory (Abraham by then had a force of over 300 men under his command, Genesis 14:14) in which he rescued his nephew Lot from the Canaanite forces, Abraham had his meeting with Melchizedek king of Salem, know today as Jerusalem:
"Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine [see Fruit Of The Vine]. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth [see The Seven Days Of Creation]. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything." (Genesis 14:18-20)

Gerar

After witnessing The Destruction Of Sodom from distant Hebron, Abraham moved on to the area of Gerar where he again passed his wife off as his sister to keep from being killed. But The Lord intervened to prevent any adultery (Note: even though The Ten Commandments were not given to Moses until over five centuries later, the commandment against adultery, and all the rest, were already in effect):
"Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman." Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands." Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her." (Genesis 20:1-6)

Beersheba

At Beersheba, Abraham made a peace treaty with Abimelech (Genesis 21:22-34) and settled there for a time:
"So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there. After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon The Name of The Lord, The Eternal God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time." (Genesis 21:31-34)

Mount Moriah

At Mount Moriah, known today as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (see The Place To Watch), Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, according to God's command (Genesis 22:1-18). This test of obedience proved Abraham to be a faithful and obedient servant of God, which his descendants have been blessed for ever since (Note: God's own Son was actually sacrificed a few hundred yards/meters north of Mount Moriah, at Calvary. See also How Did Jesus Christ Die?):
"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (Genesis 22:1-2)

The Cave of Machpelah

The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron was originally purchased by Abraham for a burial place for his wife Sarah. Eventually Abraham too was buried there, as were Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob/Israel and Leah. It is known today as The Tomb of The Patriarchs."
"Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah." (Genesis 25:8-10)

Fact Finder: Is Abraham called the "father of the faithful"?
Romans 4:16-17



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