Abraham and Terah: Family Dynamics and Divine Calling

Terah, the father of Abraham, is rarely mentioned in the Old Testament. His name appears only in Genesis, Joshua, 1 Chronicles, and in the gospel of Luke. Nevertheless, indirectly, Terah plays a significant role in the history of the patriarchs (Berman 2016: 251–257). Abraham’s journeys began when his father, Terah, and his family migrated from Ur to Haran.

The Genealogy of Terah (Genesis 11:24–32)

The genealogy of Terah is listed in Genesis 11:24–32:

“When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah; and Nahor lived after the birth of Terah one hundred nineteen years, and had other sons and daughters. When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Now these are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no child. Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were two hundred five years; and Terah died in Haran.”

The Religious Background: Idol Worship in Ur

The story of Abraham begins even before his father Terah left the country of his birth to go to Canaan. In Ur, Terah and his family did not know the true God. Before his death, Joshua said to the new generation of Israelites gathered at Shechem, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods” (Joshua 24:2).

This is the only instance in the Old Testament where it states that the ancestors of Israel worshiped other gods. The most notable aspect of this statement is that Yahweh himself acknowledges that Terah and his family worshiped other gods.

Terah is identified as the father of Abraham and Nahor, but the text clearly states that the entire family worshiped other gods, “they worshiped other gods.” Although some scholars debate how involved Abraham was in his family’s idolatrous practices, there is no doubt that Abraham and his family were idol worshipers.

God’s Initiative in Calling Abraham

It was Yahweh who initiated bringing Abraham to the land of Canaan. “I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan (Joshua 24:3). The text does not explain why Yahweh chose Abraham, a worshiper of false gods, to become the agent of blessing to all nations. Jewish tradition says that Abraham rejected his father’s idolatry and became a worshiper of Yahweh. As Jerome Creach writes, “The implication is that Abraham would have continued to worship the gods of his father if God had not urged him towards a single devotion” (Creach 2003: 123).

The text does not explain why Terah decided to leave Ur and head toward Canaan. It also does not mention how or when Yahweh revealed himself to Abraham or whether Terah was aware of Yahweh. What it states is that when Yahweh called Abraham, he came from a family that worshiped other gods.

Terah’s Journey: Called but Incomplete?

The fact that Terah was leaving Mesopotamia for Canaan might indicate that he was acting under Yahweh’s guidance. If Terah responded to God’s call to go to Canaan, he never actually reached it because he settled in Haran, where he stayed until his death.

It is possible that Terah might have told Abraham the reason he was leaving Ur and why he decided to settle in Haran. However, the call belonged to Abraham, not to Terah: “I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan” (Joshua 24:3). This may explain why Terah settled in Haran; the call was intended for Abraham. So, Abraham answered God’s call to go to Canaan. Abraham left his father Terah, took his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, the possessions they had accumulated, and the servants he had acquired in Haran, and went to the land of Canaan.

Unique Features of Terah’s Genealogy

The genealogy of Terah differs from the other genealogies in Genesis. While all the genealogies in Genesis list the father’s name and only one son, Terah’s genealogy names all three sons—Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. This departure from the other genealogies occurs because all three of Terah’s sons contribute to the stories of the patriarchs as recorded in the book of Genesis.

Key Facts from Terah’s Family History

From the genealogy of Terah, we learn several facts about Terah, Abraham, and Terah’s family.

Terah as Migration Initiator

First, it was Terah who initiated the migration from Ur to Canaan: “Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there” (Genesis 11:31).

The KJV translates the Hebrew text literally, “they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees.” The Hebrew, however, is not clear because it does not clarify who “they” and “them” are. The NRSV and many other translations render the Hebrew as “and they went out together.” Emerton (1994: 312) says that this translation “is difficult to defend.” Terah was the one who took his family to Canaan. The Septuagint says that Terah brought his family out of Ur to go into the land of Canaan, “and [Terah] led them forth out of the land of the Chaldees.”

Haran’s Early Death

Second, Terah’s son Haran died while they still lived in Ur. The text says that “Haran died before his father Terah.” The Hebrew text says that Haran died “in the presence of his father.” This Hebrew expression indicates that Haran died while his father, Terah, was still alive and living in Ur.

Sarah’s Family Status and Barrenness

Third, Terah’s daughter Sarai was married to Abraham. In Genesis 20:12, Abraham said to Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. Sarah was the daughter of Terah by another wife; Sarah was not the daughter of Abraham’s mother. In addition, Sarah was barren. Sarah’s barrenness will become the issue that will cause Abraham to fail to trust in God to fulfill his promise that he and Sarah would become the parents of a son in their old age.

Name Changes

Fourth, Sarah’s old name was Sarai. Her name was changed when God made a covenant with Abraham. “God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name” (Genesis 17:15). God also changed Abram’s name to Abraham (throughout these studies, I will use the names Abraham and Sarah).

Nahor’s Family and Religious Status

Fifth, Terah’s son Nahor and his wife Milcah are not explicitly mentioned as coming to Haran with the family, but other passages in Genesis indicate that they did indeed come along. Bethuel, the father of Rebekah, was the son of Nahor (Genesis 22:23). Laban, Jacob’s father-in-law, was Nahor’s grandson (Genesis 29:5 NIV). It appears that Nahor was not a follower of Yahweh. When Jacob and Laban made a covenant at Mizpah, Jacob swore by the God of Abraham, and Laban swore by the god of Nahor (Genesis 31:53).

Jewish Traditions About the Migration

The reason Terah migrated from Ur to Haran is not mentioned in the text. A Jewish tradition says that Terah and his family left Ur because they had accepted the true God. When speaking about the ancestors of Israel, Judith says, “At one time they lived in Mesopotamia, because they did not wish to follow the gods of their ancestors who were in Chaldea. Since they had abandoned the ways of their ancestors, and worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had come to know, their ancestors drove them out from the presence of their gods. So they fled to Mesopotamia, and lived there for a long time. Then their God commanded them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan” (Judith 5:6–9).

Haran: The Stopping Point

Terah’s final destination was Canaan, but he and his family settled in Haran. The biblical writer again does not explain why Terah did not continue his journey to Canaan. Haran was one of the most important cities in Mesopotamia and was among the places where the moon-god Sin was worshiped. The main sanctuary of Sin was at Ur, but Sin was worshiped throughout Mesopotamia.

The biblical text remains silent on whether Terah worshiped Yahweh, making it impossible to determine if he traveled to Canaan at God’s command. If God called Terah to leave Ur with his family and go to Canaan, he did not fully obey because he settled in Haran. In Haran, God called Abraham to go to Canaan; Abraham obeyed, and he and Sarah left for the land of Canaan. When Yahweh told Abraham to leave his family, he was indicating that Haran was not his final destination.

Chronological Issues: Terah’s Death and Abraham’s Departure

Terah died in Haran sixty years after Abraham left Haran to go to Canaan (Emerton 1994: 170–81). He was two hundred five years old at his death (Genesis 11:32). Since Abraham was born when Terah was seventy years old (Genesis 11:26), Terah was one hundred forty-five when Abraham left him to go to Canaan. The Samaritan Pentateuch states that Terah was one hundred forty-five years old at his death. It also suggests that Abraham left Haran the year Terah died, addressing the chronological issue. This was the tradition Stephen followed when he mentioned Abraham. Stephen said that Abraham “left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living” (Act 7:4 NIV).

The death of Terah is noted at the end of his genealogy because, with Abraham’s departure to Canaan, the story’s focus shifts to Abraham and his family. Therefore, according to the Hebrew text, Terah was alive for most of Abraham’s time in Canaan. He was alive when his grandson Isaac was born.

Conclusion and Preview

The next post in this series will explore Abraham’s life before he was called by God to go to Canaan and become God’s agent to bless the nations. What kind of man was Abraham before he met God?

Completed Studies on Abraham’s Failures

The Five Failures of Abraham (June 14, 2022)
Ur and Haran: Abraham’s Background (February 16, 2023)
The Failures of Faith in Abraham’s Journey
Abraham and Terah: Family Dynamics and Divine Calling
Abraham Before His Call: The Mesopotamian Context
The Call of Abraham: Divine Initiative and Human Response
Abraham and Lot: Separation and Its Implications
Abraham’s First Failure: Egypt and the Wife-Sister Deception
Abraham’s Second Failure: The Eliezer Solution
Abraham’s Third Failure: The Hagar Alternative
Abraham’s Fourth Failure: Laughter at Divine Promise
Abraham’s Fifth Failure: Gerar and Repeated Deception
The Testing of Abraham: From Failure to Faith

NOTE: For several other studies on Abraham, read my post Studies on Abraham.

Claude F. Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berman, Ari. “The Role of Terah In the Foundational Stories of the Patriarchal Family.” Jewish Bible Quarterly 44 (2016): 251–257

Creach, Jerome F. D. Joshua. Interpretation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

Emerton, J. A. “When Did Terah Die [Genesis 11:32]?” Pages 170–181 in Language, Theology, and the Bible: Essays in Honour of James Barr. Edited by Samuel E. Balentine and John Barton. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994.