abraham

abraham — noun

1. a man in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism he is honoured as the first ancestor of al

1.noun
Definition

a man in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism he is honoured as the first ancestor of all Jews, with his line passing down via his son Isaac. In Islam he is honoured as the first ancestor of all Arabs, with his line passing down via another son, Ishmael.

Example

In Sunday school, Mrs. Lin told the story of Abraham leaving his home in Ur.

proper noun: Abraham as subject of biblical narrative

Jews, Christians, and Muslims all trace part of their faith back to Abraham.

fixed phrase: trace ... back to Abraham

Common collocations
  • the patriarch Abraham
  • Abraham's descendants
  • the God of Abraham
  • the children of Abraham
Synonyms
  • Ibrahim

    the same figure in Arabic and Islamic tradition

  • Avraham

    Hebrew form of the name, used in Jewish texts

Usage Note

Almost always capitalised and used without an article. Distinguish from the modern given name Abraham (e.g. Abraham Lincoln), which takes the same spelling but refers to a real person rather than the biblical figure.

Common Mistakes

The Abraham was a great leader.
Abraham was a great leader.
proper nouns of this kind do not take 'the'.
My grandfather is an abraham of our family.
My grandfather is the patriarch of our family.
Abraham is a personal name, not a common noun for 'patriarch'.

Word family

  • Abrahamic
    adjective

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three forms all refer to the same biblical figure but signal different cultural contexts. 'Abraham' is the standard English form used in Christian Bibles and in everyday English writing about Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. 'Ibrahim' is the Arabic form and is the name normally used when speaking or writing about Islamic tradition, the Quran, or Arab Muslim communities. 'Avraham' is the Hebrew form, common in Jewish religious study, prayer, and modern Hebrew texts. Choose by audience: a textbook on world religions in English uses 'Abraham', a sermon in a mosque in Cairo uses 'Ibrahim', and a Hebrew school in Tel Aviv uses 'Avraham'. The same person, three windows.

Abraham ↗IbrahimAvraham

Etymology

HebrewGreekLatinEnglish

Abraham comes from the Hebrew name Avraham, traditionally explained in the Book of Genesis as 'father of many nations'. The name reached English through Greek and Latin translations of the Hebrew Bible, where the spelling 'Abraham' was fixed. The Arabic form Ibrahim shares the same Hebrew root and entered Arabic through early religious contact in the Near East.