And when Abraham was forty years old etc. There is an Agadah (folktale) that he was three years old, as it is said: 'Because that Abraham hearkened unto My voice' (Gen. 26.5.). Hebrew for "Because" is 'EKB, which in numerals represent 172. Thus God says: 'EKB, or 172 years, that Abraham hearkened unto My voice. Abraham lived 175 years; deducting the three years before he recognized God, leaves 172. ¹

footnotes: ¹ This is no criticism at all, as Maimonides herein outlines that Abraham commenced thinking of God as soon as he was weaned; at forty he had mastered the subject and commenced proclaiming it to the world. C.G.

And thus he went onward with his proclamation etc. until he attained the land of Canaan amidst his outcry, even as it is said: 'And called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God'. But I am amazed, behold, there were there Shem and Eber, how have they refrained from raising a protest? Possibly they did protest, but did not chance upon images to destroy them, because they were concealing it from them, until Abraham came and destroyed his father's images".¹

footnotes: ¹ The amazement is out of place. Abraham was in Babylon and Shem and Eber in Canaan, where, Abraham, when he reached there, broke no images but made proclamations that there is but One God. Shem and Eber instructed their disciples the path of God, but made no further efforts, wherefore Abraham is considered greater than they. The assertion that they were concealing the images from Shem and Eber, is not an argument, for Nimrod and his entire government practiced idolatry openly, and people were selling images in stores, even Terah was a dealer in images. C.G.