Genesis 12:3 | 31
26
Af ter Te rah had lived 70 years , he be came the fa ther of Abram , Na hor and Ha ran .
Abram ’ s Family
27
This is the ac count of Te rah ’ s fam i ly line .
Te rah be came the fa ther of Abram , Na hor and Ha ran . And Ha ran be came the fa ther of Lot .
28
While his fa ther Te rah was still alive , Ha ran died in Ur of the Chal de ans , in the land of his birth .
29
Abram and Na hor both mar ried . The name of Abram ’ s wife was Sa rai , and the name of Na hor ’ s wife was Mil kah ; she was the daugh ter of Haran , the fa ther of both Mil kah and Is kah . 30 Now Sa rai was child less be cause she was not able to con ceive .
31
Te rah took his son Abram , his grand son Lot son of Ha ran , and his daugh ter-in-law Sa rai , the wife of his son Abram , and to geth er they set out from Ur of the Chal de ans to go to Ca naan . But when they came to Har ran , they set tled there .
32
Te rah lived 205 years , and he died in Har ran .
The Call of Abram
The Lord had said to Abram , “ Go from
12 your coun try , your peo ple and your fa ther ’ s house hold to the land I will show you .
2
“ I will make you into a great nation , and I will bless you ;
I will make your name great , and you will be a blessing . a
3
I will bless those who bless you , and whoever curses you I will curse ; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you .” b a
2 Or be seen as blessed blessings ( see 48:20 ) b
3 Or earth / will use your name in near Harran that includes the word turachi — this likely corresponds to this name ( see v . 32 ). 11:26 Abram The genealogy ends by introducing Abram ( Abraham ), the next major character in the narrative . Nahor Rebekah , who marries Abram ’ s son Isaac , is the granddaughter of this brother of Abram ( 24:15 ). Haran The name of this brother of Abram and Nahor is not related to the similar sounding ( in English ) place name in v . 32 .
11:27 – 32 This short section introduces the narratives about Abram ( Abraham ) and his family . The genealogies in Genesis have so far followed a pattern of ten names between important figures ( e . g ., Adam to Noah , Noah to Abram ). This paragraph includes eight names , possibly foreshadowing the central theme of Abram ’ s story — that the list will become complete again with the birth of Isaac , the child of promise . The ninth and tenth family members are Abram ’ s sons Ishmael and Isaac .
11:27 Lot The origin of his name is unknown .
Genesis 11:27
LOT Lot was the son of Haran and grandson of Terah ( see v . 31 ). Lot plays an important role at several decisive points in the Abraham narratives . First , Lot accompanies Terah and the rest of the clan from Ur to Harran ( v . 31 ). Later , he accompanies Abram to Canaan ( 12:5 ). After they arrive in Canaan , Lot leaves Abram and moves into the Jordan Valley ( 13:11 – 12 ) — a decision that places Abram in the heart of the land that God has promised him . Lot ’ s choice also places him in harm ’ s way , and twice Abram intervenes to save him ( 14:1 – 16 ; 18:22 – 33 ). Throughout the Genesis narrative , Lot is characterized by the questionable choices he makes ; this stands in contrast to Abram ’ s persistent faith .
11:28 Ur of the Chaldeans Possibly a Sumerian coastal city-state near the Persian Gulf in southern Mesopotamia . Alternatively , another Ur is located in the northwest region of Mesopotamia in proximity to Anatolia ( land of the Hittites ) and Syria . 11:29 Sarai The name of Abram ’ s wife is changed to
Sarah in 17:15 . Milkah and Iskah These are the daughters of Haran . Only Milkah is significant in the narrative as the grandmother of Rebekah , who becomes the wife of Isaac ( 22:20,23 ). 11:30 Sarai was childless Barrenness provides the central drama of the narrative about Sarai ( Sarah ) and Abram ( Abraham ). 11:31 Harran A city on the upper Euphrates River in northwestern Mesopotamia . The city is mentioned later in the list of places conquered by Sennacherib , king of Assyria ( 2Ki 19:12 ). 11:32 he died in Harran This explains the circumstances of Ge 12:1 – 6 .
12:1 – 9 The narratives of chs . 12 – 50 tell the story of Israel ’ s patriarchs : Abram ( later called Abraham ) and the three generations after him . In 12:1 – 3 , Yahweh calls Abram to leave his home and set out for an unknown land . By following Yahweh ’ s call , Abram demonstrates his trust in Yahweh ’ s promise to bless him and make him a great nation . The patriarchal narratives center on Yahweh promises to Abram in vv . 1 – 3 for offspring , land and blessing . Genesis 12 marks a shift as Yahweh narrows his focus to Abram and his descendants and begins to work through a specifically chosen people . See the people diagram “ Family Tree of the Patriarchs ” on p . 52 .
12:1 Go from your country Abram is living in Harran in northwestern Mesopotamia . Yahweh ’ s command that Abram go is followed by three details : Abram is to leave his country or land , his birthplace or homeland , and his father ’ s household . The list increases in intimacy and importance . the land Referring to the land of Canaan ( v . 5 ). This is the first of three promises to Abram . 12:2 I will make you into a great nation Yahweh ’ s second promise to Abram refers to a miraculous multiplication ; Abram and his wife are simply two people and past childbearing age ( compare Isa 51:2 ). It is unclear whether the covenant relationship with Abram begins here or in Ge 15:1 – 6 , but the core promises of the covenant are present here . The covenant in Ge 15:1 – 6 is one-sided , but when the sign of the covenant ( circumcision ) is given later in Abram ’ s life , the covenant relationship becomes two-sided — with obligations for Abram ( 17:1 – 2 ; compare Dt 4:23 ). your name great This third promise of Yahweh to Abram is a promise of renown and reputation , but primarily relates to material blessing , as Dt 7:13 – 14 indicates .