Name Changes in the Book of Genesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Name Changes in the Book of Genesis - Essay Example Sarah was a half sister to Abraham, and the Bible describes her as beautiful (Genesis 12). For example, when Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt, the Egyptians saw her as beautiful, and they praised her beauty to the household of Pharaoh (Genesis 12:14). However, God was not happy with Pharaoh, and He did strike the household of Pharaoh with plagues (Genesis 12: 14-17). That is when Pharaoh discovered that Sarai was Abrahams wife, and he demanded that Abraham should leave Egypt immediately (Genesis 12: 18-20). Abraham died at the age of 175, and he was buried by Isaac and Ishmael, his sons. Jacob was a grandson of Abraham through Isaac. God also changed his name to Israel, meaning may God prevail (Genesis 32: 28-29). This paper analyzes how the changes in Abraham, Sarah and Jacob’s names shaped their characters. Abram to Abraham: In Genesis chapter 17 verses 4 to 6, God enters into a covenant with Abram. God made a promise to him, that he will become a father of many nations, and his name shall not be called Abram anymore, but Abraham. God also promised to make Abraham fruitful, and from him, Kings would descend. God’s conversation with Abraham began in Genesis Chapter 12 verses 2. In this verse, God promises Abram that he will make him into a great nation, and will bless him. He also promised to make his name great.The name Abram refers to the exalted one and this is a name that his father Terah gave it to him. However, this name was an embarrassment to Abraham, and this is because he was unable to get children. This is despite Abraham possessing great wealth (Shooter's Bible, 18). From the scriptures, we can denote that Abraham had other sons apart from Isaac and Ishmael. These children were born with him to his wife Keturah. Keturah gave Abraham six sons, and through these children, God was able to fulfill his prophecy of making Abraham a father to many nations. For example, Ishmael formed the generation of the Ishmaelite, while Isaac formed the ge neration of the Israelites. This is through his son Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. It is important to denote that the Abraham lived a blessed life, as a result of God’s blessings to his life. We find that Abraham, true to the words of God became a great man, and he had enormous wealth. Genesis chapter 17 verses 23 to 27 denote that Abraham had possessions, and this included male servants, born of his household, and those that he bought by his own money. This was a symbol of wealth, and it is because poor people cannot afford to have servants within their households. After a change to this name, we find that Abraham began to have angelic visitors. For instance, in Genesis chapter 18 verses 1 to 2, we find that Abraham was visited by three angelic visitors. Because of the stature of Abraham before Gods eyes, God revealed to him what He was about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 16-19). This is because God had chosen Abraham to become a father to many nations, and on th is basis, he also allowed him to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 22-24).