Event Old Testament
The call of Abraham
Also known as Call of Abram
God told Abram to leave his country and family for a land He would show him, promising to make him a great nation, to bless him, and to bless all the families of the earth through him. Abram went, at seventy-five, and built altars in the land of Canaan.
Why it matters. This is the promise the whole Bible unfolds. Paul calls it the gospel announced in advance, and Matthew opens the story of Jesus by naming Him the son of Abraham.
- Primary passages
- Dates
- 2100 to 1800 BC (approximate) (low confidence, Broad range covering the main proposals for the patriarchal period)
The patriarchal narratives are not tied to a datable external event, so scholarly proposals range across the early second millennium BC. The span is deliberately wide.
- Witnesses
Chronology confidence: low
Genesis 12 gives the call itself; Genesis 11:31 and Acts 7:2-4 add that the family had first moved from Ur to Haran. FaithGraph places the call at the departure from Haran described in Genesis 12:4.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
The fall precedes The call of Abraham
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceGenesis moves from the primeval history of chapters 1 to 11 to the call of Abram in chapter 12.
Evidence:The call of Abraham precedes The covenant with Abraham
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe covenant ceremonies of Genesis 15 and 17 follow the call and the settlement in Canaan.
Evidence:Abraham participates in The call of Abraham
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceAbram is the one God addresses, and he leaves Haran at seventy-five in obedience.
Evidence:The call of Abraham develops the theme Promise and fulfillment
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe call is a set of promises: nation, name, blessing, and blessing for all families of the earth.
Evidence: