Abraham’s Travel Routes
ABRAHAM’S TRAVEL ROUTES
ACCEPTED DATES OF MY BLOGS
The journey to track ABRAHAM’S travels was enjoyed. A few starting points to remember about our ABRAHAM. When he wasin HARAN he was about 70 Years old. He had ISHMAEL when he was 85 Years old in CANAAN. We therefore start our journey in the year 1 926 BCE.
1 926 BCE ABRAHAM, born and died | 1 996 BCE – 1 821 BCE
He was from UR of the Chaldea (currently known as IRAQ). He was born when his father TERAH was 70 Years. When GOD came to ABRAM, in the land of UR of the CHALDEANS, he told him that he should leave his country and journey to the land that HE sees for HIM, GOD would make his descendants a great nation. Through them the SAVIOUR of the world would come. Later when GOD entered a COVENANT WITH ABRAM his name changed to ABRAHAM (meaning Father of many nations)
GOD also promised that anyone who blessed ABRAHAM and his descendants would be BLESSED and anyone who cursed ABRAHAM and his descendants would be cursed. The Land of CANAAN becomes the inheritance of ABRAHAM and his descendants. ABRAHAM never settled in the land of CANAAN he chose to live as a pilgrim periodically traveling through it.
1.
He was born in UR OF THE CHALDEANS, one of the greatest cities of the ANCIENT WORLD, and the CAPITAL of the ANCIENT CHALDEAN EMPIRE in ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA. Sometime around 1 936 BCE the LORD told ABRAHAM to leave his home and country to go to a land that HE sees for him. ABRAHAM obeyed and departed from UR with his father TERAH, his wife Sarai, and his nephew LOT Genesis 11:31 – Acts 7:2-4.
2.
First stop was HARAN, still in MESOPOTAMIA. They lived there for years until after the death of TERAH, his father. GOD spoke to ABRAHAM again in HARAN, see Genesis 12:1-4 – Acts 7:4.
3.
ABRAHAM left HARAN with LOT and travelled through the lands located in ANCIENT ARAM (today SYRIA). They travelled southward and passed by the City of DAMASCUS along the way. It might have been at this time that ABRAHAM acquired his servant ELIEZER (Genesis 15:2). The son of NIMROD. At DAMASCUS, they found a massive aquifer. This aquifer allowed for the Forest of DAMASCUS to thrive within a Desert Environment. GOD allowed a miracle – we need to visit it.
4.
ABRAHAM arrives at SHECHEM or SICHEM. GOD appeared to ABRAHAM again and confirmed his promises. It was here at SHECHEM that ABRAHAM built his first ALTER to the LORD, Genesis 12:6 – 7. There is much history in this place, Joshua 24:1 – Judges 9:6-1 – Kings 12:1. NAHOR, ABRAHAM’S brother, does not travel on with him to EGYPT, but settles in SHECHEM.
5.
ABRAHAM, travels through BETHEL and settled at the Mountain near BETHEL where he built a second ALTER, Genesis 12:8.
6.
ABRAHAM, and his family journeyed southward through the land of CANAAN and a major famine hit again. They are forced to ‘march onward’ and finally migrate to EGYPT. In EGYPT ABRAHAM deceived the King to save his own life and was expelled from the land of EGYPT Genesis 12:9 -20. The King of EGYPT feared ABRAHAM because of a dream and allowed him to leave with all his possessions.
7.
How long they stayed in EGYPT is still unclear to me. However, ABRAHAM and LOT travelled back to BETHEL. But parted company, as their herders were not agreeing, as to whose sheep and goats must get the best pasture. They parted more as friends than family, Genesis 13:1-9. But their relationship does not end there.
8.
LOT chooses the warmer climate and lush plains of the JORDAN VALLEY and pitched his caravan toward SODOM. ABRAHAM left the desirable SODOM and GOMORRAH and travelled onto HEBRON in MAMRE where he built an ALTER Genesis 13:10-18. An interesting note is that HEBRON was one of the OLDEST CITIES in ANCIENT CANAAN. Numbers 13:22, says that “HEBRON was built seven years before ZOAN IN EGYPT.” The DATELINE I followed showed me that HEBRON was only built in the year 1 070 BCE and ZOAN fell in the year 715 BCE., whilst HEBRON is still going strong today.
ABRAHAM, could not have gone to ‘HEBRON’ as the DATE LINE is off, he stopped off ‘somewhere,’ but not HEBRON.
9.
The City of DAN is located in the NORTH between HAZOR and DAMASCUS. At DAN, four kings had come from the EAST to CANAAN, the territory of ANCIENT UR. They united under CHEDORLAOMER of ELAM, in these five CANAANITE CITIES, SODOM, GOMORRAH ADMAH, ZEBOLIM and ZOAR. They surprised ABRAHAM, but with the assistance of LOT and his companions, they made war against the ‘four’ kings across the five cities of CANAAN.
In their conquest of the JORDAN VALLEY, the kings captured LOT as a prisoner of war, and when ABRAHAM heard about it, he pursued the FOUR KINGS and overtook them at DAN. Where he defeated them with the help of GOD, Genesis 14:1-14, with an army of 318 men.
I am not sure when and how ABRAHAM, could have assembled such a large army of men. I can only imagine , if ABRAHAM had marched into EGYPT with such an army of men, what the response from the PHAROAH could have been.
10.
ABRAHAM and his army of servants smote the ARMIES of the FOUR KINGS of CHEDORLAOMER and chased them to HOBAH, which was located near DAMASCUS. LOT and all the people with them were rescued including their belongings, Genesis 14:15 – 16.
This raises my eyebrows, all along ABRAHAM is portrayed as a GOD-FEARING individual, now we learn that he was actually Head of an Army of Men, on the march through the lands of CANAAN and into EGYPT. This leaves a totally new insight to me as to who ABRAHAM could have been, but I could be wrong.
11.
On his return to HEBRON, ABRAHAM passed through, SALEM, which was later named JERUSALEM. He was met by a man named MELCHIZEDEK whose name means KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. MELCHIZEDEK was a mysterious man who was regarded in the BIBLE as a priest and king of SALEM. This was the first mention of the word ‘priest’ in the BIBLE. MELCHIZEDEK was the son of NIR, who was NOAH’S brother. Their parents were LAMECH and BENETOS.
MELCHIZEDEK gave ABRAHAM bread and wine. The BIBLE also mentions that ABRAHAM paid him 1/10th of all his ‘spoils’ from the wars as a “tithe”. Hebrew 7:3 gives an interesting description of MELCHIZEDEK. However, that is as much we know about MELCHIZEDEK. His identity remains a mystery.
The king of SODOM also came out to meet ABRAHAM at the same place, Genesis 14:17 -21. I could not find as to WHY, this king of SODOM, came to meet with ABRAHAM, but it has been so written.
12.
ABRAHAM travelled back to HEBRON, GOD then reminded him of his COVENANT with HIM when he changed his name to ABRAHAM, Genesis 15:1 – 21 │ 17:1 – 27. During his stay at “this place” in 1 920 BCE, ISHMAEL was born Genesis 16:1 – 16. ISHMAEL place of birth was not EGYPT, but in HEBRON. Soon after the cities of SODOM and GOMORRAH were destroyed, Genesis 18:1 – 19:38.
13.
Then ABRAHAM went to GERAR. Where he travelled around PHILISTINE and GERAR which was in SOUTHERN CANAAN WEST of BEERSHEBA – it was in GERAR that ABRAHAM deceived KING ABIMELECH, Genesis 20:1 – 18.
14.
ABRAHAM remained in BEERSHEBA for a long time and during this time he made a COVENANT with king ABIMELECH. Fourteen years after ABRAHAM’S first son was born, their natural son is born, and they named him ISAAC, which means “laughter.” When ISAAC was born ISHMAEL was expelled with his mother HAGAR, they fled SOUTH, toward the SINAI DESERT. On her travels she met an ANGEL OF THE LORD, which was the LORD HIMSELF, Genesis 21:1 – 34.
15.
At HEBRON, ABRAHAM bought a grave off MACHPELAH as a family SEPULCHRE and when SARAH died, ABRAHAM buried his wife there, Genesis 23:1 – 20.
16.
At the age around 150 years, ABRAHAM re-married. It is said that HAGGAR, had gone through a NAME CHANGE, when she met with GOD. She was re-named KETURAH. They had Six Sons, and at the age of 175 years ABRAHAM died, and was buried in the cave at MACHPELAH.
1 986 BCE – 1 859 BCE SARAH – SARAI
She was from UR of CHALDEA, currently known as IRAQ . She was the wife and half-sister of ABRAM their father was TERAH, and their son was ISAAC.
THEIR NAME CHANGES
Sarai means – “my Princess.”
After they made a COVENANT with GOD
ABRAM became ABRAHAM.
SARAI became SARAH.
HAGGAR became KETURAH.
When SARAI and ABRAM got to EGYPT, ABRAM introduced SARAH as his sister, to the PHARAOH, which was not a lie. I, have to stop and wonder if the PHARAOH truly took SARAH into his harem as one of his concubines. Somehow I find this totally out of character of the presence of GOD in the lives of both ABRAHAM and SARAI / SARAH.
She confesses her true relationship with ABRAHAM, and we see how the EPIDEMICS were sent to the kingdom, until the Pharaoh released the couple. The PHARAOH, did not take back, what he had already bestowed upon them. This included his assets to SARAH, which was GOSHEN as SARAH’S hereditary land. This part of the story I do believe is the truth. SARAH PRAYED to free her from the PHARAOH. The LORD heard her prayer and sent her an angel who protected her from the pharaoh’s anger.
The second incident was with the king of GERAR named ABIMELECH, he also took her into his harem, but GOD told ABIMELECH the truth through a dream, Genesis 20:14-16. ABIMELECH allows ABRAHAM, and his caravan to leave with gifts of cattle, sheep, slaves, and silver.
It was this SLAVE – HAGAR who became the mother of ABRAHAM’S first son. At the age of 86 years his son ISHMAEL is born. And he became the ancestor of many ARAB Nations.
At the age of 90 SARAH gave birth to ISAAC and ABRAHAM was now 100 years old, and ISHMAEL was 14 years old.
As the children grew up together SARAI asked ABRAHAM to send HAGAR and ISHMAEL out of their land, as ISAAC must inherit his father’s land. ABRAHAM listened to GOD’s dream, and he did so. ISHMAEL COULD HAVE BEEN 18 YEARS OLD WHEN HE LEFT HIS FATHERS HOME to travel with his mother into the wilderness.
After the death of SARAH, in 1 859 BCE ABRAHAM took another wife. ISHMAEL was 51 Years Old.
She was KETURAH, who was HAGGAR.
It was speculated that it was ISAAC, who brought them together.
ABRAHAM and KETURAH had the following additional children, and they formed the nations of ARABIA.
They had six sons (daughters as well)
ZIMRAN
JOKSHAN
MEDAN
MIDIAN
ISHBAK
SHUAN
JOKSHAN
SHEBA
DEDAN
ASSHURIM
LETUSHIM
LEUMMIM
MIDIAN
EPHAH
EPHER
HANOCH
ABIDAH
ELDAAH
MIDIAN, was the father of the MIDIANITES, MIDIAN was not a city in SAUDI ARABIA Proper, but a region along the BAY OF AQABA. MOSES’ wife ZIPPORAH was a MIDIANITE from SAUDI. Her father was REUEL (JETHRO) a PRIEST in MIDIAN.
Their Family Tree looks a little like this :
ABRAHAM + SARAH = ISAAC
ISAAC + REBECCA = ESAU and his Twin brother JACOB
ESAU + BASEMETH = REUEL. He becomes a PRIEST and has a NAME CHANGE, to JETHRO
JETHRO + WIFE = They have Six Daughters of which one is ZIPPOROAH
ZIPPOROAH + MOSES. They had two sons.
ABRAHAM + KETURAH = ISHMAEL + Six more sons.
DENISE
Despite the many ALTARS, ABRAHAM, got to build to honour GOD, he does appear to have been a fighter and a ‘Bedouin,’ he never acquired ‘property,’ but he sure had money to feed his large army. We can say the same of NOAH, but we must allow our ANCIENT STORY to unfold, with the ‘beginnings’ laid down by this our first and second families of CREATION.
Related Posts
