Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, because I have made you a father of many nations.
God is changing Abram's name to Abraham to reflect His promise that Abraham will become the ancestor of many different peoples and nations.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of Genesis, Abram was a man from Mesopotamia who had been promised by God to become the father of a great nation, despite his old age and childlessness. God appeared to him in Genesis 17 to reaffirm this covenant and changed his name from Abram, meaning "exalted father," to Abraham, meaning "father of many nations," to signify the expansive reach of God's promise. This event highlights the ancient Near Eastern custom where name changes often symbolized a new role or destiny assigned by a higher authority.
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