Abram

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Original name of Abraham, the patriarch called by God to found a covenantal nation in Genesis.

Detailed Definition
Abram’s journey from Ur to Canaan marks the beginning of Israel’s covenant with God. Renamed Abraham, he embodies faith and obedience. In poetry, Abram represents the archetype of the faithful wanderer, the seeker of divine promise, and the foundational figure of monotheistic identity and spiritual pilgrimage.
Example
Example in poetry:
George Herbert’s devotional poetry echoes Abram’s faith: “Like Abram, I walk where no path is, trusting the unseen promise”; A modern poet writes, “Abram left Ur not for land, but for the silence between stars where God speaks”; In a poem on migration, “We are all children of Abram, carrying tents of memory across borders”; Rainer Maria Rilke alludes to Abram’s call in The Book of Hours: “You must change your life—like Abram, stepping into the unknown”; A liturgical poem chants, “Blessed be Abram, who became Abraham beneath the weight of covenant.”
Additional Notes
Abram, later renamed Abraham (Genesis 17:5), is central to the covenantal theology of Genesis. His journey from Ur to Canaan, his hospitality to divine visitors, and his near-sacrifice of Isaac (the Akedah) have profoundly influenced Western literary and poetic traditions. The name change from Abram (“exalted father”) to Abraham (“father of multitudes”) marks a pivotal moment of divine promise and identity transformation—ideal for poetic meditations on faith, legacy, and naming as destiny.
Also Known As
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