Abraham (אַבְרָהָם) is the great patriarch of Israel and the spiritual forefather of all who believe. His name was originally Abram (H87, "exalted father"), changed by God in Genesis 17:5 to Abraham, explained as "father of a multitude [of nations]" (ab hamon goyim). The name change marks his covenantal calling.
Abraham appears over 230 times in the Old Testament and is foundational to the Abrahamic covenant — the promise of land, seed, and blessing that forms the backbone of biblical theology from Genesis to Revelation.
Abraham is the pivot of redemptive history. God called him out of Ur (Gen. 12:1-3) with a threefold promise: land, a great nation, and blessing to all families of the earth. His faith — trusting God when it was humanly impossible — is the prototype of saving faith. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 ("Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness") as the basis for justification by faith (Romans 4, Galatians 3).
The binding of Isaac (Gen. 22, Aqedah) prefigures the sacrifice of Christ: the Father offering his only son, the son carrying wood, the lamb provided. Jesus declared "Abraham rejoiced to see my day" (John 8:56). All who belong to Christ are "Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" (Gal. 3:29).