Tracing the truth behind God's covenant with a gentile patriarch
Abraham, originally named "Abram", was born in "Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 11:28). This region is in southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. He later lived in Haran (in today’s Syria/Turkey border area), before God called him to Canaan.
He was not an Israelite—Israel didn't exist yet. He was not a Jew—the term didn't arise until the kingdom of Judah. Abraham was a gentile man from a Semitic, polytheistic society.
He likely spoke a Northwest Semitic dialect, possibly Amorite or a proto-Aramaic/Canaanite form. Hebrew had not yet fully formed. There is no evidence he spoke "Hebrew" as a language.
Abraham was a wealthy nomadic herdsman with servants and livestock. He traded with surrounding peoples including Egyptians, Canaanites, and Amorites. He made treaties, bought land, and was respected as a foreign chieftain (Genesis 23:6).
Abraham was chosen not for his bloodline, but for his faith. Genesis 15:6 says, "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." He was a man who trusted and obeyed without heritage, law, or ritual.
The covenant promised Abraham land, offspring, and blessing for all nations (Genesis 12:3, Genesis 17:4). This was not an exclusive agreement—it was always about blessing the world through faith, not creating a special ethnic group.
Scripture never calls Abraham a Jew. The label "Jew" refers to descendants of Judah—Abraham predates Judah by two generations. He was a man of the nations—a gentile—whom God used to begin a spiritual family based on trust and obedience.
"Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham." — Galatians 3:7
Paul repeatedly teaches that God's people are not defined by bloodline, but by faith in Christ. See also Romans 4, Galatians 3, and Philippians 3:3.
"If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise." — Galatians 3:29
Isaiah foresaw a time when gentiles would join God's people (Isaiah 56:6-8). Jesus affirmed this when He said, "I have other sheep not of this fold" (John 10:16). The true heirs are those who hear His voice and follow Him.
Abraham was a gentile, and through him, all nations are blessed—not by flesh, but by faith. Those who follow Jesus in spirit and truth are the true children of Abraham, heirs of the promise, and citizens of spiritual Israel.