Terah
“Station or delay”
Summary
Terah was the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran, who led his family from Ur of the Chaldees toward Canaan but settled in Haran, where he died.
☩Family and Background
Terah was the son of Nahor and father of three sons: Abram (later Abraham), Nahor, and Haran. He dwelt beyond the Euphrates in Ur of the Chaldees, in Mesopotamia. Joshua explicitly states that Terah was an idolater who 'served other gods.' This may have involved worship of the moon god Sin, whose cult was prominent in both Ur and Haran. Jewish tradition elaborated this into legends that Terah was actually a maker of idols.
☩Migration and Death
Terah undertook a westward migration with his son Abram, daughter-in-law Sarai, and grandson Lot, intending to go to the land of Canaan. However, they came to Haran and settled there. The pause at Haran appears connected to Terah himself, whether because he declined to proceed further or his advanced age made the journey impossible. His idolatrous attachments may also have made him unsuitable to enter the promised land. Terah died in Haran at the age of two hundred and five years.
☩Chronological Question
A chronological difficulty arises from Stephen's statement that Abraham departed from Haran after his father's death. If Terah was seventy when Abram was born and lived 205 years, while Abram left Haran at seventy-five, then Terah would have lived sixty more years after Abram's departure. The resolution suggests that Abram, though named first in Genesis, was not the eldest son but was listed first because of his dignity. Abram was likely born when Terah was 130 years old, making the chronology consistent with Stephen's account.
Related Verses11 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Terah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Terah," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.James Orr (ed.), "Terah (1)," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Terah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).