''What detained Terah and his family here, when they intended to go further, is not said. Terah was born when his father was 29 years of age. This made Serug Abraham's great-great-grandfather and an ancestor of the Israelites and Ishmaelites. For unknown reasons, Terah never made it to their destination but stopped and settled in Harran instead. Did Abraham receive a call to leave Ur as alluded to in Acts 7:2-4? verse 6). Abe passed God's first personal test. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? According to the biblical book of Genesis, Abraham left Ur, in Mesopotamia, because God called him to found a new nation in an undesignated land that he later learned was Canaan. 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! That is what is implied in the Jewish oral tradition about Abe. ), without any angelic form being visible in either case. Ur was a large and prosperous city-state in Mesopotamia (present-day southern Iraq). On the form in which God appeared, in most instances, nothing is related. are patent descriptions/images in public domain? And as all our texts agree in the numbers here involved, it is obvious that the same adjustment of years has in this case to be made, whatever system of chronology is adopted. And lastly, it appeared still more manifestly in the twin sons born by Rebekah to Isaac, of whom the first-born, Esau, was rejected, and the younger, Jacob, chosen to be the heir of the promise; and this choice, which was announced before their birth, was maintained in spite of Isaac's plans, or that Jacob, and not Esau, received the blessing of the promise. 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. Without it we are inclined to think that the call of Abram came at Haran, rather than at Ur. Are there conventions to indicate a new item in a list? Beyond this, Abram was destined to become a blessing to men of every nation. Why did God punish Pharaoh for Abrams lie (Genesis 12:17)? The tent is thus the symbol of the pilgrim. ), which were repeated throughout the whole of the Old Testament, and even occurred, though only in vision, in the case of the prophet Zechariah. Abram was told in detail what he must leave behind. The Hebrew word for "served" can also mean to "work," hence the tradition that Terah was a craftsman who made idols. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 2. Terah traveled 150 miles out of his way. Here in chapter 12 the general features of the covenant are introduced. Pharsal. And, most important, I can find hope for a person like myself. 5: The fact that Genesis 11:10-31 is the record made by Shem. The writer to the Hebrews pointed to Abraham as an illustration of a man who walked by faith, devoting more space to him than any other individual in chapter eleven (Hebrews 11:8-19). And in the land of Kenaan was Melkizedec, the king of Salem, and the priest of the Most High God. 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. But here are a few possibilities. Terah was a high priest of the idol worshippers. Hence, it follows that Isaac, his seed, was born thirty years after the call of Abram. With the choice of Abram and revelation of God to man assumed a select character, inasmuch as God manifested Himself henceforth to Abram and his posterity alone as the author of salvation and the guide to true life; whilst other nations were left to follow their own course according to the powers conferred upon them, in order that they might learn that in their way, and without fellowship with the living God, it was impossible to find peace to the soul, and the true blessedness of life (cf. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? The difference is important. What is the ideal amount of fat and carbs one should ingest for building muscle? Abram, like Paul, and true believers of every age, would acknowledge that it was God Who sought him out and saved him, on the basis of divine grace. Answer Terah is known in the Bible as the father of Abram (known later as Abraham), who in turn received the covenant promise of God regarding the future birth of His Son, Jesus. Gordons view is held by Harold G. Stiflers, A Commentary on Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), pp. 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. Terah, their father, coordinated the gathering of his family to journey west to their destination ( Genesis 11:31 ). However, Abraham discouraged potential customers from buying the idols, explaining to them the futility of worshipping statues that were only fashioned that very day. Specifically, Stephen's comment, in reply to the high priest (Acts 7:1), is based on Jewish oral tradition, and was recognized by the Jewish High Counsel (called the "Sanhedren"). Abram told his father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave. But we know from Stephens words that the call came to Abram at Ur (Acts 7:2). 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. In Genesis chapter 12 we come not only to a new division and an important theological covenant, but most of all to a great and godly manAbraham. 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. 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. 3: Genesis 12:1 is the Bible's record of the second time that God tells Abe to leave his father's household. The New Testament in no way diminishes the significance of the life and character of Abraham. Can patents be featured/explained in a youtube video i.e. The Christian life is not knowing exactly what the future holds, but knowing Him Who holds the future. Question:Clive wrote"I really enjoyed your Bible study. 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.). Stephen informs us in Acts 7:2 Brothers and fathers, listen to me. For the essential unity of the Angel of Jehovah with Jehovah Himself follows indisputably from the following facts. But we neither regard this rendering of the psalm as in harmony with the context, nor assent to the assertion that with a double accusative, in the sense of making into anything, is ungrammatical.)<. Some of It gives some background on the people in the family, interesting little tidbits about the individuals and events that occurred. We must remember that Cassuto, as a Jew, did not regard the New Testament to be authoritative. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Wiki User 2012-12-08. Beside this, we frequently read of appearances of the "angel of Jehovah" (Genesis 16:7; Genesis 22:11, etc. He quoted the shopworn saying, God said it. He is removed to the better country, and by his departure contributes no doubt to deepen the faith of his son Abram, of his grandson Lot, and of his daughter-in-law Sarai. (5) The Christian walk is simply doing what God has told us to do and believing that He is leading us as we do so. - 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. 3, app.). It may be supposed at at that time God had then called Abe, and Abe's response to God's call was the dramatic ploy that Jewish oral tradition says that Abe did: Abe was determined to do anything necessary to try to convince his father, Terah, to take Shem's witness to heart. What was Terah's son named? This explanation of the order of events is confirmed by the statement of Stephen: "The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran. As such, it would have been an act flowing from faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). This intimates that he would have proceeded with the others to the land of Kenaan if his life had been prolonged, and likewise that they did not leave Haran until his death. Outside the Land, it was given to Abraham only to hear the Divine voice (v. 1); but here, in the land destined to be specifically dedicated to the service of the Lord, he was also vouchsafed the privilege of a Divine vision. U. Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book of Genesis (Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, 1964), II, p. 328. Cassuto concludes that Abrams journey unknowingly outlined the territory which would belong to Israel, and that the places he stopped symbolically forecast the future conquest of the land.137 In an additional comment, Cassuto adds the fact that these places were also religious centers of Canaanite worship.138 In effect, Abrams actions of building altars and proclaiming the name of the Lord prophesied the coming time when true religious worship would overcome the pagan religion of the Canaanites. rev2023.3.1.43266. Rather, your question should be: why did Abraham leave Haran. From these events in the early stages of Abrams growth in grace several principles are found which depict the walk of faith in every age, and certainly in our own. 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. Why did Terah leave the city of Ur? This is why Genesis 12:1 says what it says. Lucan. Having said this, I do not wish to glorify Abrams faith either, for as we shall see, it was initially very weak. 133 Although it may appear from a superficial reading of the account in Genesis (11:31-12:1) that God called Abraham while in Haran, thereby contradicting Stephens account that God called Abraham in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, the two accounts can be harmonized by noting that Genesis 11:27-32 is a parenthetical account of Terah introduced by a waw disjunctive, and that Genesis 12:1, introduced by a waw consecutive, carries on the main narrative which was discontinued in Gen. 11:26. Bruce Waltke, Unpublished Class Notes, Dallas Theological Seminary, pp. When Sarah died, he had to buy a portion of the land for a burial site (23:3ff.). The surroundings were comfortable in the civilised city of Ur, so Terah may have been reluctant to leave. For the nation was to grow out of the family, and in the lives of the patriarchs its character was to be determined and its development foreshadowed. 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. The answer is because God told him to (Genesis ch.12). (4) The Christian walk is rooted in the reliability of the Word of God. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his Genesis 11:27-32 gives a genealogy leading up to Abram and Sarai, beginning with Terah, Abram's father. Later he was instructed to go up to Bethel (35:1; cf. Terah was the son of Nahor, who was of Noah's son's Shem's line. But even if the address in Genesis 22:16, where the oath of the Angel of Jehovah is accompanied by the words, "saith the Lord," and the words and deeds of the Angel of God in certain other cases, might be explained in this way, a created angel sent by God could never say, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," or by the acceptance of sacrifices and adoration, encourage the presentation of divine honours to himself. The surroundings were comfortable in the civilised city of Ur, so Terah may have been reluctant to leave. Terah, it seems, decided to stay in the northern Mesopotamian "city of Haran," (no connection with his son Haran) rather than continue the journey to Canaan, which was the family's original intent. l. 5. c. 24. How did Dominion legally obtain text messages from Fox News hosts? "Abraham was a man of faith that works; Isaac, of faith that endures; Jacob, of faith that wrestles" (Baumgarten). 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. (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 . 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. 58-64. "They came to Haran and dwelt there." Do what God tells you to do in the most sensible way you know how. A physical death interpretation would state that Terah had died and his total lifespan is recorded as 205 years. And that brings us to the second reason. All of this should remind us of the objections and obstacles which must have been in the mind of Abram when the call of God came. Filial piety, no doubt, kept Abram watching over the last days of his venerable parents, who probably still cling to the fond hope of reaching the land of his adoption. Terah is the one who told the people to leave Ur Kasdim in the book of Genesis, not Abram. But the opinion of the early Church has been vindicated most thoroughly by Hengstenberg in his Christology.). Why did Abraham banish Ishmael (Genesis 21:14). God providentially led Terah to pull up roots at Ur and to move toward Canaan (11:31). It is true that from the very beginning God had manifested Himself visibly to men; but in the olden time we read nothing of appearances, because before the flood God had not withdrawn His presence from the earth. Terah left the city of Ur probably for two reasons: 1. (n) Nat. (i) Elmacinus, p. 31. apud Hottinger. The incongruity of God's covenant with Abram in Gen 12:1? But Terah was influenced by other motives to put himself at the head of this movement. 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). Once in the land of Canaan, the route taken by Abram is noteworthy. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup, Ticket smash for [status-review] tag: Part Deux. Do you know that after Abram entered the land of Canaan it was another 25 years until he had his son, Isaac? In this life we cannot expect to fully possess what lies in the future, but only to survey it. I am greatly distressed by the glamorizing of heroes, especially by Christians. 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. Conclusion Little wonder that men like Peter and not Paul, are our heroes, for we can see ourselves in them. 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. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. That is the message of the New Testament (cf. Genesis 12:1 is the only call by God to Abraham noted in scripture. This land never belonged to Abram in his lifetime, even as God had said (15:13-16). In fact, there was a workshop in Terah's house, where idols of wood, stone, silver and gold were made. 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. In the light of all the objections which might be raised by Abram, such an appearance should not be unusual. One year? Once, Terah needed to leave his store, and he appointed Abraham to sell the idols in his stead. In other cases He revealed Himself merely by calling and speaking from heaven, without those who heard His voice perceiving any form at all; e.g., to Hagar, in Genesis 21:17., and to Abraham, Genesis 22:11. Terah had himself been betrayed into compliance with this form of impiety. There may well have been political or economic factors which made such a move expedient, apart from any spiritual considerations. Abram would have been on social security for over ten years. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. (1) Abrams faith was commenced at the initiative of God. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN? Genesis 11:26-32 tells that Terah was a son of Nahor, the son of Serug, who was a descendant of Shem. When you stop to think about it, Abram had no concrete, tangible proof that a life of blessing lay ahead, outside of Ur, away from his family. It grows through time and through testing. Terah ends up dying in Haran. 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