Abraham 2:14–25

Abraham Continued His Journey

Abraham 2:14. A Chronology of the Later Years of Abraham’s Life

Age	Event
?	Abraham left Ur for the land of Haran (see Abraham 2:3–4).
62	Abraham and his family left the land of Haran for the land of Canaan (see Abraham 2:14; note that Genesis 12:4 says that he was 75 years old when they left Haran).
?	Abraham and his family lived in Egypt (see Genesis 12:11–20).
?	Abraham settled in Hebron (in the land of Canaan) and the Lord appeared to him again (see Genesis 13).
?	Abraham rescued Lot and met with Melchizedek (see Genesis 14).
86	Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, was born (see Genesis 16:16).
99	The Lord again appeared to Abraham, confirming his covenant with him (see Genesis 17:1).
100	Isaac, Abraham’s son by Sarah, was born (see Genesis 21:5).
?	Abraham obeyed the command to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord; the Abrahamic Covenant was reconfirmed (see Genesis 22).
137	Sarah, Abraham’s wife, died (see Genesis 23).
175	Abraham died and was buried with Sarah in Hebron (see Genesis 25:7–10).

Abraham’s call to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to the lands of Canaan and Egypt altered the course of his life, the lives of his descendants, and ultimately other nations and civilizations.

Abraham 2:19. The Lord Appeared to Abraham Again

The scriptures reveal numerous occasions when the Lord spoke or appeared to Abraham. Thus far the book of Abraham told about:

A vision of God, an angel, and the voice of the Lord while Abraham lay on the altar (see Abraham 1:15–19).
An appearance of the Lord while Abraham prayed in the land of Haran (see Abraham 2:6–11).
Another appearance of the Lord in answer to Abraham’s prayer as he entered the land of Canaan (see Abraham 2:19).

Later, the Lord spoke or appeared to Abraham:

Before Abraham went into Egypt (see Abraham 2:22).
After he returned from Egypt and settled in the land of Canaan (see Genesis 13:14–18).
When he prayed for offspring (see Genesis 15).
When he was ninety-nine years old (see Genesis 17).
When he pled for the residents of Sodom (see Genesis 18:17–33).
Near the time Isaac was born (see Genesis 21:12–14).
When he was commanded to offer Isaac as a burnt offering (see Genesis 22:1–2).
At the offering of Isaac on the mount (see Genesis 22:6–19).

“Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne” (D&C 132:29).

Abraham 2:22–25. Abraham and Sarai in Egypt

Facsimile 3 shows that Abraham not only survived his experience in Egypt, but that he was invited by Pharaoh to sit on the throne and teach principles of astronomy. The Lord blessed Abraham and Sarai spiritually, socially, and economically during their time in Egypt (see also Genesis 12:16–20).

Abraham 2:24–25. Sarai’s Obedience

Sarai was instructed to tell the Egyptians that she was Abraham’s sister. It was a test of her faith, just as it was undoubtedly a difficult experience for Abraham. Abraham and Sarai understood the principle of obedience and passed the divine test the Lord had put before them. Elder Mark E. Petersen (1900–1984) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote: “To protect himself, Abraham had told Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister, which of course she was. Had he divulged that she was his wife, he might have been slain. But as his sister, Pharaoh was willing to buy her at a good price” (Abraham, Friend of God [1979], 69; see also Genesis 20:12; for further discussion of this, see S. Kent Brown, “Biblical Egypt: Land of Refuge, Land of Bondage,” Ensign, Sept. 1980, 45, 47).

Sarai comes from the root of a word meaning “princess” in Hebrew and “queen” in the Akkadian language. There is no doubt that Sarai was a woman of great spiritual stature. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “The Lord never sends apostles and prophets and righteous men to minister to his people without placing women of like spiritual stature at their sides. Adam stands as the great high priest, under Christ, to rule as a natural patriarch over all men of all ages, but he cannot rule alone; Eve, his wife, rules at his side, having like caliber and attainments to his own. Abraham is tested as few men have been when the Lord commands him to offer Isaac upon the altar (Gen. 22:1–19); and Sarah struggles with like problems when the Lord directs that she withhold from the Egyptians her status as Abraham’s wife. … And so it goes, in all dispensations and at all times when there are holy men there are also holy women. Neither stands alone before the Lord. The exaltation of the one is dependent upon that of the other” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary [1973], 3:302).