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.