[1]
This prayer by itself shows that the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) at that time was childless. From the details given at other places in the Quran, it becomes clear that he had left his country with only one wife and one nephew (the Prophet Lot). Therefore, he naturally desired that Allah should bless him with a righteous child, who could be a source of comfort and consolation for him in a foreign land.
[2]
Nafieʻ, Ibn Kathir, Abu ʻAmr, Ibn ʻAmer and Abu Jaʻfar read it as: “. . . how the outcome of their scheming was: We did destroy them . . .”