Something that Rowdy and I have pressed many times throughout these podcasts is the fact that names not only have special meanings in the Hebrew text, they define the function of the characters bearing those names. In other words, the names offer critical context to the overall narrative and without a clear understanding of the names in the original language, the narrative itself can become blurred. So it is surprising that one of the most important names in the scriptural narrative is extremely elusive to Biblical scholars and no one seems to know exactly what is going on with the language. This name is Abraham, the new God given name for Abram. In today’s episode, Rowdy and I will discuss the various scholarly interpretations into this name and we will also touch on the impact these different interpretations have on the broader scriptural narrative. Let's hear the first section of chapter 17! Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved. Thumbnail icon © The Children of Abraham, Dr. Robert Lentz, Courtesy of Trinity Stores, www.trinitystores.com, 800.699.4482