Abraham

Pronunciations

Abraham (AY-bruh-ham) listen
Avraham (AHV-rah-ham) listen

Definitions

Example Sentences

  • "Abraham was a good guy who loved his wife and children very much." (source)

    Listen to recordings of this sentence: ( Recording 1)

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • אַבְרָהָם 'lit. father or many or father is exalted'

    • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      Avraham

Notes

  • See also Avraham Avinu.

    "Abraham, the first to believe in one God (monotheism), is acknowledged as the founder of Judaism. In Genesis, God chooses Abraham and commands him to go forth to a new land to be the father of a great nation. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had a son, Isaac. The 12 tribes of Israel are descended from Jacob, Isaac’s son. Abraham and his wife’s handmaiden, Hagar, had a son, Ishmael, who is considered by the Muslim world to be a patriarch of the Arab peoples." (JPS)

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