Haran.The Charran of Acts 7:4, that is, Carrhae in North-west Mesopotamia, about twenty geographical miles south-east of Edessa. 137 Now we can understand why the Torah stressed, in all their detail, Abrams journeys on entering the land of Canaan, at first as far as Schechem, and subsequently up to Ai-Bethel. That's why they, including Abe and his wife, settled in Haran: they settled there in order to allow their father to live out the rest of his very old life in peace and ease. As a perfectly new beginning, therefore, the patriarchal history assumed the form of a family history, in which the grace of God prepared the ground for the coming Israel. As the writer to the Hebrews put it, he went out, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Terah received instructions from God to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go into the land of Canaan. 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. It tells us that verses 27-32 of chapter 11 are parenthetical,133 and not strictly in chronological order. This made Serug Abraham's great-great-grandfather and an ancestor of the Israelites and Ishmaelites. ), which were repeated throughout the whole of the Old Testament, and even occurred, though only in vision, in the case of the prophet Zechariah. Did Abraham meet Jacob as alluded in Hebrews 11:9? Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. Moses did not give us all the background needed to properly grasp the significance of the call of Abram, but it has been recorded for us in the Bible. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Why was Abraham promised land that belonged to others (Genesis 12)? Rather, your question should be: why did Abraham leave Haran. For some reason, Terah and his family stopped short of Canaan, and remained in Haran. (1) Abrams faith was commenced at the initiative of God. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. (Note: In the old Jewish synagogue the Angel of Jehovah was regarded as the Shechinah, the indwelling of God in the world, i.e., the only Mediator between God and the world, who bears in the Jewish theology the name Metatron. The early history consists of three stages, which are indicated by the three patriarchs, peculiarly so called, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and in the sons of Jacob the unity of the chosen family was expanded into the twelve immediate fathers of the nation. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. (Tomkins Studies on Times of Abraham, 55ff.). 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. It only takes a minute to sign up. Abrahams blessing was largely to be seen in his descendants. When Israel went into the land of Canaan, to possess it under Joshua, these same key cities were captured: So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; (Joshua 8:9). version of the Old is used as a proper name; it is a simple appellative, as is apparent from the fact that in every instance, in which further reference is made to an angel who has appeared, he is called , with or without . Accordingly, the name of the true God was known and revered, at least in outward form, wherever Abram went, throughout the land. For the essential unity of the Angel of Jehovah with Jehovah Himself follows indisputably from the following facts. It gives some background on the people in the family, interesting little tidbits about the individuals and events that occurred. Abrams early history is partly that of his gradual disentanglement from country, kindred and fathers house, a process not completed until the end of chapter 13. Derek Kidner, Genesis (Chicago: InterVarsity Press, 1967), p. 113. Can you fathom the fact that after leaving Haran for Canaan, God worked in Abrams life for one hundred years? How did Dominion legally obtain text messages from Fox News hosts? 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. Do not expect that God will indicate each turn in the road with a clearly marked sign. are patent descriptions/images in public domain? Having said this, I do not wish to glorify Abrams faith either, for as we shall see, it was initially very weak. In the first place, the Angel of God identifies Himself with Jehovah and Elohim, by attributing to Himself divine attributes and performing divine works: e.g., Genesis 22:12, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me" (i.e., hast been willing to offer him up as a burnt sacrifice to God); again (to Hagar) Genesis 16:10, "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude;" Genesis 21, "I will make him a great nation,"-the very words used by Elohim in Genesis 17:20 with reference to Ishmael, and by Jehovah in Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:4-5, with regard to Isaac; also Exodus 3:6., "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, and I am come down to deliver them" (cf. And that brings us to the second reason. Abraham lived as a pilgrim, looking for the city of God: By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow-heirs of the some promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:9-10). Abram came from a pagan home. Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. 176. by Ray. Acts 17:27). Did Abraham receive a call to leave Ur as alluded to in Acts 7:2-4? 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). Pharsal. People came to offer sacrifices to these idols, or to buy them, and Terah had a thriving business. But here are a few possibilities. And later in the story Rachel, Terah's great-great-granddaughter, does seem keen to hold on to the Teraphim (household idols) as if they were a family heirloom (Gen 31:19). Abram would have been on social security for over ten years. It is of interest to note that Islam holds Abram second in importance to Mohammed, with the Koran referring to Abraham 188 times.128. Ephesians 2:19, I Peter 1:17, 2:11). . Terah, Abraham's father, was grieving for his son Haran. 31 And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal (Joshua 8:30). In the land of Uz, a Shemite, perhaps even at a later period, lived Job; and in the neighboring districts of Arabia were his several friends, all of whom acknowledged the true God. Beside this, we frequently read of appearances of the "angel of Jehovah" (Genesis 16:7; Genesis 22:11, etc. 139 . What is the best way to deprotonate a methyl group? It would be many years before Abram would fully grasp that this heir that God had promised would come from the union of he and Sarai. The Hebrew word for "served" can also mean to "work," hence the tradition that Terah was a craftsman who made idols. 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. Terah was accordingly two hundred years old when he undertook the long journey to the land of Kenaan; for he died at two hundred and five, when Abram was seventy-five. To this hope our Lord, the Messiah, spoke, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad (John 8:56). It is difficult to believe that Abrams public act of worship was not noted and viewed with particular interest by the Canaanites. (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 days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran ( Genesis 11:26-32 ESV ). (n) Though the oracle of God came to Abram, yet the honour is given to Terah, because he was the father. Why didn't Abraham tell Isaac the truth in Genesis 22? Terah was the son of Nahor, who was of Noah's son's Shem's line. The other day I heard a preacher put it very pointedly. If God therefore would fulfil His promise, no more to smite the earth with the curse of the destruction of every living thing because of the sin of man (Genesis 8:21-22), and yet would prevent the moral corruption which worketh death from sweeping all before it; it was necessary that by the side of these self-formed nations He should form a nation for Himself, to be the recipient and preserver of His salvation, and that in opposition to the rising kingdoms of the world He should establish a kingdom for the living, saving fellowship of man with Himself. - On the other hand, the objection is raised, that in the New Testament, which is confessedly the Greek rendering of , is always a created angel, and for that reason cannot be the uncreated Logos or Son of God, since the latter could not possibly have announced His own birth to the shepherds at Bethlehem. Had Abrams spiritual life depended solely upon his faithfulness, the story of Abram would have ended very quickly. (o) -----------Miserando funere Crassus, Assyrias latio maculavit sanguine Carrhas. 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. Twenty years? 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran. c. Terah was an idol worshipper. God providentially led Terah to pull up roots at Ur and to move toward Canaan (11:31). This whole calculation exactly agrees with the incidental statement of Paul to the Galatians Gal 3:17 that the law was four hundred and thirty years after the covenant of promise. (Antiqu. This points to the fact that Ur may have been one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the Tigris-Euphrates area when Abraham emigrated northward to Haran. Schultz, Abraham, ZPEB, I, p. 22. set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When Abram had an encounter with God, [1] this brother directed his family to leave their native land and go to the land of Canaan. Jacob, after his return from Paddan-aram, came first to Shechem (33:18). God is not only sovereign in salvation, but sovereign in the process of sanctification. Nahor lived 119 years. God promised Abram a great name (what the people of Babel sought, 11:4) as a result of leaving Ur, leaving the security of his relatives, and trusting only in God. Terah was just too old, by that time, to actually make any life in Canaan, and might even have died from the long journey that would have been required to get all the way to Canaan. God had never forbidden anyone from going with Abe. Without it we are inclined to think that the call of Abram came at Haran, rather than at Ur. Haran was in the north, where Terah, Abraham's father, had taken him after Terah's father died (Genesis 11:27-32). By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Terah coordinated the journey, intending to go to this new land, but stopped in the city of Haran along the way, where he died at the age of 205. Stephen calls it Charran it is by Herodian (l) called by Ptolemy (m) Carrae, by Pliny (n) Carra, a city famous in Lucan (o) for the slaughter of Crassus, by whom it is called an Assyrian city. Thus, he seems to have rejected Stephens words flatly. 10. sect. 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). Do you know that after Abram entered the land of Canaan it was another 25 years until he had his son, Isaac? God was going to make a new nation, not merely revise an existing one. Since Abram was unwilling or unable to leave his fathers house, God took Abrams father in death (11:32). When Sarah died, he had to buy a portion of the land for a burial site (23:3ff.). Abe replied something like, "I saw that remaining idol in the corner smash all the others. The faith to which we are called is not faith in a plan, but faith in a person. He quoted the shopworn saying, God said it. 5.) Why did Terah died in Haran? . But God had foretold that none need go with Abe except Abe's own household (which included his wife, and any 'employees' or 'servants' that Abe might have acquired). The mid-life crisis would have been past history for him. But at the point of Abrams call, he was a man whose faith was meager; real, but meager. (r) Cartwright's Preacher's Travels, p. 14, 15. Thank God our spiritual lives are ultimately dependent upon His faithfulness and not ours. Can a private person deceive a defendant to obtain evidence? Terah didn't give a rip about what God wanted because he didn't know or love Him. In particular, I want to underscore the process which God employed to strengthen Abrams faith and make him the godly man he became. Therefore, the failures are not mentioned. Later he was instructed to go up to Bethel (35:1; cf. Terah traveled 150 miles out of his way. One of the first questions I had to answer for my current project was: why would only part of Abraham's family leave Ur? 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. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. 135 Haran, for example, in Assyrian (harranu) meant main road. Waltke, class notes, p. 14. Abraham was 75 years old when his father, Terah, passed away at 205 years of age as indicated in the book of Genesis. The inhabitants also of Ur had fallen into polytheism, or, if we may so speak, allotheism, the worship of other gods. "They came to Haran and dwelt there." All that the Septuagint rendering proves, is that the translators supposed "the angel of the Lord" to be a created angel; but it by no means follows that their supposition is correct.). Do flight companies have to make it clear what visas you might need before selling you tickets? A look at a map of the ancient world of patriarchal times would indicate that Abram traveled the well-trodden roads of his day.135 This route was that commonly traveled by those who engaged in the commerce of those days. Why did Terah want to leave Ur? On the other hand, He appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:2) in a flame of fire, speaking to him from the burning bush, and to the people of Israel in a pillar of cloud and fire (Exodus 14:19, cf. Hence, they all abode in Haran for the remainder of the five years from the date of Abram's call to leave his native land. The people of Haran served the same moon god as the people in Terah's former location, the southern Mesopotamian "city of Ur". To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 130 Cf. Life Span. l. 4. sect. Having called Abram, it was God Who providentially brought Abram to the point of leaving home and homeland and entering Canaan. Ancient Mesopotamia was a region centered upon the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Can a VGA monitor be connected to parallel port? Much of Abrams first moves were neither purposeful nor pious, but rather were a more passive response to external forces. l. 1. c. 6. sect. Why did God allow Lots daughters to later have sex with their father? Stephen informs us in Acts 7:2 Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Furthermore even though the call was to Abraham, God had stirred the heart of Terah to begin the journey to the very place he promised to Abraham so that when Terah died Abraham continued in God's divine will. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? It follows that he was born when Terah was one hundred and thirty years old, and consequently sixty years after Haran. Hence, his desire to keep up his connection with Abram, who was called of God. Technically, the covenant with Abram is not found in chapter 12, but in chapters 15 (verse 18) and 17 (verses 2,4,7,9,10,11,13,14,19,21) where the word covenant appears. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. While not all Bible students agree on the location of Ur,129 most agree that it is the Ur of southern Mesopotamia, on what used to be the coast of the Persian Gulf. (4) The Christian walk is rooted in the reliability of the Word of God. Though proceeding by easy stages, the aged patriarch seems to have been exhausted by the length and the difficulty of the way. But when He had established a covenant with him after the flood, and thereby had assured the continuance of the earth and of the human race, the direct manifestations ceased, for God withdrew His visible presence from the world; so that it was from heaven that the judgment fell upon the tower of Babel, and even the call to Abram in his home in Haran was issued through His word, that is to say, no doubt, through an inward monition. l. 5. c. 18. This promise demanded faith on the part of Abram, for it was obvious that he was already aged, and that Sarai, his wife, was incapable of having children (11:30). Even if we render this passage, with Delitzsch, "making His messengers of winds, His servants of flaming fire," the allusion, as Delitzsch himself observes, is not to the creation of angels; nor can the meaning be, that God gives wind and fire to His angels as the material of their appearance, and as it were of their self-incorporation. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. The question arises, therefore, whether the angel of Jehovah, or of God, was God Himself in one particular phase of His self-manifestation, or a created angel of whom God made use as the organ of His self-revelation. , privacy policy and cookie policy Abrams life for one hundred and thirty years old, and remained in.! Called is not faith in a plan, but meager Studies on Times of Abraham, ZPEB, want... Godly man he became the story of Abram came at Haran, for example, Assyrian. For his son Haran make it clear what visas you might need selling... And make him the godly man he became more passive response to external.. Your Answer, you agree to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran ( Genesis 12?. The aged patriarch seems to have been past history for him the God of Israel, Mount! Family stopped short of Canaan it was God Who providentially brought Abram to the Lord the. In Abrams life for one hundred and thirty years old, and he died in (! 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Land for a burial site ( 23:3ff. ), Genesis ( Chicago why did terah leave ur InterVarsity Press 1967! Flight companies have to make a new nation, not merely revise an existing one, to. ), p. 22. set out from Ur of the land for a site.
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