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confused for a sister (Genesis 20-21and 27) describing a similar event at Gerar with the Philistine
king Abimelech, though the latter attributing it to Isaac not Abram.
When Abram with Sarai and his nephew Lot left Egypt they returned to Ai. Here he dwelt for
some time, until strife arose between his herdsmen and those of his nephew, Lot. Abram thereupon
proposed to Lot that they should separate, and allowed Lot the first choice. Lot preferred the fertile
land lying east of the Jordan River, while Abram moved down to the oaks of Mamre in Hebron.
After receiving reaffirmation and clarification of the promise from Yahweh, he built an altar there.
Chedorlaomer and Melchisedek
Some years after this, Lot was taken prisoner by Chedorlaomer and his allies, then warring against
the kings of Sodom, and the neighboring places. Abram with his household pursued the
conquerors, overtook and defeated them at Dan, near the springs of Jordan and retook the spoil,
together with Lot.
At his return, passing near Salem (supposed to be the city afterwards called Jerusalem),
Melchisedek, king of that city, and priest of the Most High God, came out and blessed him, and
presented him with bread and wine for his own refreshment and that of his army; or as some have
thought, offered bread and wine to God, as a sacrifice of thanksgiving on Abram's behalf.
Ishmael
Main articles: Ishmael and Hagar (biblical)
After this, the Lord renewed his promises to Abram, with fresh assurances that his descendants
would possess the land of Canaan and that his posterity should be as numerous as the stars of
heaven.
As Sarai continued to be infertile, God's promise that Abram's seed would inherit the land seemed
incapable of fulfillment. His sole heir was his servant, a certain Eliezer of Damascus (Genesis
15:2). Abram was promised one of his own flesh as heir.
The passage recording the ratification of the promise is remarkably solemn (see Genesis 15).
Sarai, in accordance with custom, gave to Abram her Egyptian handmaid Hagar as his wife
(Genesis 16:3). But, Sarai seeing Hagar with child, was unable to endure the reproach of
barrenness (cf. the story of Hannah, 1 Samuel 1:6), and dealt harshly with her and forced her to
flee (Genesis 16:1-14). God heard Hagar's sorrow and promised her that her descendants will be
too numerous to count, and she returned.
Her son, Ishmael, Abram's firstborn, was born when Abram was 86 years of age (Genesis 16:15-
16). Hagar and Ishmael were eventually driven permanently away from Abram by Sarai (Genesis
21:).
Covenant
Main article: Isaac
God made his covenant with Abram thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael, when Abram was 99
years old (Genesis 17:1-5). Abram's name was changed to Abraham and Sarai's to Sarah. The
covenant was sealed by Abraham's circumcision (Genesis 17:11-14) and the first commandment
relating to circumcision. Ishmael was also circumcised on that day, at the age of 13, as were the
other men of Abraham's household.
The Lord said to Abraham “ go from the country and your kindred and your fathers house to the
land that I will show you.” And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make
your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. And by you all
the families of the earth shall bless themselves. At this time Abraham was promised not only many
descendants, but descendants through Sarah specifically, as well as the land where he was living,
which was to belong to his descendants. The covenant was to be fulfilled through Isaac, though
God promised that Ishmael would become a great nation as well. The covenant of circumcision