Although listed first among the three sons of Terah, at Genesis 11:26, Abraham was not the firstborn. Abram was, in our vernacular, no spring chicken when he left Haran for Canaan. They strove to find security and renown by banding together and building a great city (11:3-4). (Note: The only passage that could be adduced in support of this, viz., Psalm 104:4, does not prove that God makes natural objects, winds and flaming fire, into forms in which heavenly spirits appear, or that He creates spirits out of them. The account that can be deduced from these four sources looks like this: Abe had had decisive contact from Shem, as is implied by the fact that Shem's autobiographical account (Genesis 11:10-23) ends with Abe. No wonder God commanded Abram to leave his fathers house (Genesis 12:1)! It should first of all be said that it was the route we would have expected him to have taken if he were going in that direction. Is quantile regression a maximum likelihood method? But this important difference has been overlooked, that according to Greek usage, denotes an (any) angel of the Lord, whereas according to the rules of the Hebrew language means the angel of the Lord; that in the New Testament the angel who appears is always described as without the article, and the definite article is only introduced in the further course of the narrative to denote the angel whose appearance has been already mentioned, whereas in the Old Testament it is always "the Angel of Jehovah" who appears, and whenever the appearance of a created angel is referred to, he is introduced first of all as "an angel" (vid., 1 Kings 19:5 and 1 Kings 19:7). Of this long period his seed was to be a stranger in a land that was not theirs for four hundred years Genesis 15:13. (6) The Christian walk is a process of growth in grace. Conclusion So he may have found a blossoming trade in Haran. "They came to Haran and dwelt there." He dare not become too attached to that which he cannot take with him. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, All the nations shall be blessed in you. So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer (Galatians 3:7-9). Question:Clive wrote"I really enjoyed your Bible study. "Now these are the generations of Terah. The report of this comparatively favorable state of things in the land of Kenaan would be an additional incentive to the newly enlightened family of Terah to accompany Abram in obedience to the divine call. as an appearance of "the angel of Elohim," and of "the God of Bethel" (Genesis 31:11, Genesis 31:13); and in his blessing on the sons of Joseph (Genesis 48:15-16), "The God (Elohim) before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God (Elohim) which fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads," he places the angel of God on a perfect equality with God, not only regarding Him as the Being to whom he has been indebted for protection all his life long, but entreating from Him a blessing upon his descendants. The Redeemer was to come from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), then from the descendants of Seth, then Noah, and now Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3). Little wonder that men like Peter and not Paul, are our heroes, for we can see ourselves in them. Once, Terah needed to leave his store, and he appointed Abraham to sell the idols in his stead. In the light of all the objections which might be raised by Abram, such an appearance should not be unusual. It is probable that the revelation Abram had received from heaven was the means of removing this cloud from his mind, and restoring in him the knowledge and worship of the true God. Exodus 13:21. There is a dispute about that too, if we take into account the Samaritan Pentateuch we accept a version that states that Terah only lived 145 years. rev2023.3.1.43266. Barnes' Notes on the Bible And Terah took Abram. In Genesis chapter 11, we are told that Terah, his son Abram, his grandson Lot and his daughter-in-law Sarai left their hometown called the Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the Land of Canaan. This is the reason why we have placed one hundred and thirty (seventy and sixty), in the genealogical table opposite Terah, because the line of descent is not traced through Haran, who was born when he was seventy, but through Abram, who by plain inference was born when he was one hundred and thirty years old. We gather also that the Divine summons came to Abram in Ur (see Genesis 15:7; Nehemiah 9:7; Acts 7:2), but we learn in Genesis 12:1 that his final destination was not then definitely told him. The death of Haran, his oldest son, loosened his attachment to the land of his birth. Terah ends up dying in Haran. The pluperfect tense (had said) is both grammatically legitimate and exegetically necessary. I respect Abraham for not only leaving the security of his father's home, but also the familiarity of his father's faith. In Galatians chapter 3 Paul wrote that Christians are the sons of Abraham by faith, and therefore, rightful heirs to the blessings promised him (Galatians 3:7,9). in relation to Terah's genealogy, Abram's family in relation to Terah's death, the form of the 'calling' verb, the country Abram departed from, and the narrative art of the literary piece. Terah took him out of Ur (Genesis ch.11). Twenty years? Is this inconsistent with the words of the writer to the Hebrews? So far as we can tell, then, Terah was an idolater, like those of his days. In one sense, the command of God to Abram was very specific. Who the messenger or angel of Jehovah was, must be determined in each particular instance from the connection of the passage; and where the context furnishes no criterion, it must remain undecided. Genesis 11:27-32 gives a genealogy leading up to Abram and Sarai, beginning with Terah, Abram's father. God is not only sovereign in salvation, but sovereign in the process of sanctification. Terah had still been an idolater, when God called Abe the first time. Abram came from a pagan home. 135 Haran, for example, in Assyrian (harranu) meant main road. Waltke, class notes, p. 14. He must leave his country, his relatives, and his fathers house. But in Genesis 18:1. it is stated that three men came to Abram, one of whom is introduced as Jehovah, whilst the other two are called angels (Genesis 19:1). Why do scholars think Abraham came from Ur in Mesopotamia? People came to offer sacrifices to these idols, or to buy them, and Terah had a thriving business. I guess he was mad that you were allowing yourself to be misled by the other, false idols.". (Note: The force of this difference cannot be set aside by the objection that the New Testament writers follow the usage of the Septuagint, where is rendered . The difference is important. That first time, about which Stephen speaks, was God's way of at once (a) prophesying of Abe's eventual leaving his father's household, and (b) provoking Abe to evangelize his as-yet-still idolatrous father, Terah and, through Terah's conversion, to convert all of Terah's household. and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; that is, as Jarchi interprets it, Terah and Abram went forth with Lot and Sarai, or "with them" may mean with Nahor and Milcah: for Josephus (h) says, that all went into Charan of Mesopotamia, the whole family of Terah; and the Arabic historian (i) is express for it,"Terah went out from Chorasan, and with him Abram, Nahor, Lot, his children, and their wives, and he went to Charan, where he dwelt:''and it is certain, if Nahor and his wife did not set out with them, they followed them afterwards, for Haran was the city of Nahor, where his family in later times dwelt, see Genesis 14:10 what moved Terah to depart from Ur of the Chaldees seems to be the call of God to Abram, which, though after related, was previous to this; and he acquainting his father Terah with it, he listened to it, being now convinced of his idolatry and converted from it, and readily obeyed the divine will; and being the father of Abram, is represented as the head of the family, as he was, and their leader in this transaction; who encouraged their departure from the idolatrous country in which they were, and set out with them to seek another, where they might more freely and safely worship the true God. (o) -----------Miserando funere Crassus, Assyrias latio maculavit sanguine Carrhas. Isaac also was strong in patience and hope; and Jacob wrestled in faith amidst painful circumstances of various kinds, until he had secured the blessing of the promise. Such was true in Abrams 1ife.139 Such is the case with every believer. Are there conventions to indicate a new item in a list? Nearly one-fourth of the book of Genesis is devoted to this mans life. Judges 2:1). This chapter leaves them about mid-way between Ur and Canaan, where they dwelt till Terah's death. Although, for example, the knowledge and worship of the true God had been preserved in the families of Shem in a purer form than among the remaining descendants of Noah, even in the house of Terah and worship of God was corrupted by idolatry (Joshua 24:2-3); and although Abram was to become the father of the nation which God was about to form, yet his wife was barren, and therefore, in the way of nature, a new family could not be expected to spring from him. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Hence, it follows that Isaac, his seed, was born thirty years after the call of Abram. As the writer to the Hebrews put it, he went out, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). As Stephen stood before his unbelieving Jewish brethren, he recounted the history of Gods chosen people, beginning with the call of Abraham: And he said, Hear me, brethren and fathers! Terah left the city of Ur probably for two reasons: 1. Can a private person deceive a defendant to obtain evidence? For unknown reasons, Terah never made it to their destination but stopped and settled in Harran instead. Genesis 16, where He is mentioned for the first time, contains no distinct statement as to His shape, but produces on the whole the impression that He appeared to Hagar in a human form, or one resembling that of man; since it was not till after His departure that she drew the inference from His words, that Jehovah had spoken with her. The call of Abram is recorded for us in Genesis 12:1: Now the Lord said to Abram, Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your fathers house, to the land which I will show you., A better rendering of the first sentence of this call is found in the King James Version and in the New International Version, both of which read, The Lord had said to Abram, . The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran ( Genesis 11:26-32 ESV ). He left Haran, not because it was the easiest thing to do, but because God intended for him to do it. It is critical to a correct understanding of Bible prophecy. Terah, their father, coordinated the gathering of his family to journey west to their destination ( Genesis 11:31 ). This remains to be proven. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran." Therefore, the failures are not mentioned. God said it, and that settles it, whether you believe it or not. I like that. As we turn our attention to Genesis chapter 12 let us do so with an eye to Abraham as an example of the walk of faith. A physical death interpretation would state that Terah had died and his total lifespan is recorded as 205 years. Had Abrams spiritual life depended solely upon his faithfulness, the story of Abram would have ended very quickly. Now Abram was one hundred years old when Isaac was born, and consequently the call was given when he was seventy years of age - about five years before he entered the land of Kenaan Genesis 12:4. The final promise was that of blessingblessing for him, and blessing through him. It is there that the specific details of the covenant are spelled out. The other day I heard a preacher put it very pointedly. Well, it was written in Genesis that his birth name was Abram, before God changed his name to Abraham, and that he was the son of Terah. - From these varying forms of appearance it is evident that the opinion that the Angel of the Lord was a real angel, a divine manifestation, "not in the disguise of angel, but through the actual appearance of an angel," is not in harmony with all the statements of the Bible. But as we look back upon it, we can see that God was leading all the way. One purpose of the genealogy of chapter 11 is that it informs us that men were living shorter lives, and having children younger. Abram was secure and comfortable in Ur, a great city. In the words of Vos, Regardless of when Abraham left Ur, he turned his back on a great metropolis, setting out by faith for a land about which he knew little or nothing and which could probably offer him little from a standpoint of material benefits.132. Map of Ancient Mesoptomia (Courtesy israel-a-history-of.com). Secondly, consistent with this approach, the author does not stress the timing of Abrams obedience. He had twelve chief gods, one for each month of the year, and other idols. Besides, Abram and Sarai were no doubt especially dear to him, and he did not wish to lose their society. It is only when God wishes us to depart from the expected that we should look for guidance that is spectacular or unusual. 139 . 5.) Terah was a high priest of the idol worshippers. It's A Mystery Until This Day Terah turned north of his route to Canaan. And in the land of Kenaan was Melkizedec, the king of Salem, and the priest of the Most High God. 10. sect. Haran was in the north, where Terah, Abraham's father, had taken him after Terah's father died (Genesis 11:27-32). But isnt that enough? Terah, Jewish literature records, was a craftsman who made idols. Stephen informs us in Acts 7:2 "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. All rights reserved. Terahs migration was partly perhaps a movement of a tribe of the Semites northwards (see Note on Genesis 11:28), made restless by the Elamites, who about this time overran Western Asia; but chiefly it had a religious motive: for Ur was the especial seat of the worship of the moon-god, Sin; and though Terah had not attained to the purity of Abrahams faith, yet neither was he altogether an idolater. 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