who was abraham in the bible

Abraham in the Bible is a key patriarch respected in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Originally named Abram, he was called by God to leave his homeland Ur and journey to Canaan, where God promised to make him the father of a great nation. Abraham obeyed, taking his wife Sarah, nephew Lot, and others with him. God made a covenant with him that his descendants would inherit the land and become numerous. Abraham had two sons important to different faiths: Ishmael, through Hagar, and Isaac, through Sarah, the one through whom the promise was carried forward. He is known for his strong faith, including when God tested him by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, a test he did not complete because God provided a ram instead. Abraham lived a long life, died at 175, and was buried next to Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. He is characterized as a righteous man with great faith and devotion, but also as a human with flaws and complex character traits. He is revered as the father of the faith for Jews through Isaac and for Muslims through Ishmael, appearing as a major figure across the three Abrahamic religions.