Abraham

Abraham (formerly known as Abram) was the ancestor of the Israelites, Edomites, Ishmaelites, Midianites, and others. God brought him to the land of Canaan and promised that his descendants would own the land. God promised that Abraham would have a son, even though his wife Sarah (formerly known as Sarai) was baren and both of them were old. But God's promises came to pass. They had a son named Isaac. Isaac married Rebekah, a relative of his. They had Jacob and Esau. The land of Canaan was given to the descendants of Jacob. Jacob was named Israel by God, and the nation was named after him. Abraham also had another wife after Sarah died named Keturah. Many children were born to him through her. Before Isaac was born, Sarah gave her maidservant Hagar to Abraham to lay with her and have children through her. She bore Ishmael, who was the Proto-Ishmaelite.