Terah’s line, Haran’s death and Sarai
Says וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת תֶּרַח (BSB “This is the account of Terah”) opens a new heading. וְהָרָן הוֹלִיד אֶת־לוֹט (“and Haran fathered Lot”). In 11:28 וַיָּמָת הָרָן עַל־פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו is “and Haran died before the face of Terah his father”; BSB has “During his father Terah’s lifetime.” The lexicon gives mut as “die” and cites 11:28. He died בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ (“in the land of his kindred”; BSB “his native land”), the noun that returns in 12:1 (וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ).
Says In 11:29 Abram and Nahor take wives: שֵׁם אֵשֶׁת־אַבְרָם שָׂרָי (“the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai”) and Milcah, בַּת־הָרָן (“daughter of Haran”), so Nahor marries his brother’s daughter. 11:30 says it twice: וַתְּהִי שָׂרַי עֲקָרָה (“and Sarai was barren”) and אֵין לָהּ וָלָד (“she had no child”).
Uncertain Iscah (11:29) has been taken as Sarai under another name, an early Jewish reading that would explain why Sarai’s parentage is not given here; the objection is that 20:12 makes Sarai a daughter of Terah. Others take Iscah as another daughter of Haran. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysוְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת תֶּרַח (BSB “This is the account of Terah”) opens a new heading. וְהָרָן הוֹלִיד אֶת־לוֹט (“and Haran fathered Lot”). In 11:28 וַיָּמָת הָרָן עַל־פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו is “and Haran died before the face of Terah his father”; BSB has “During his father Terah’s lifetime.” The lexicon gives mut as “die” and cites 11:28. He died בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ (“in the land of his kindred”; BSB “his native land”), the noun that returns in 12:1 (וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ).
- SaysIn 11:29 Abram and Nahor take wives: שֵׁם אֵשֶׁת־אַבְרָם שָׂרָי (“the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai”) and Milcah, בַּת־הָרָן (“daughter of Haran”), so Nahor marries his brother’s daughter. 11:30 says it twice: וַתְּהִי שָׂרַי עֲקָרָה (“and Sarai was barren”) and אֵין לָהּ וָלָד (“she had no child”).
- UncertainIscah (11:29) has been taken as Sarai under another name, an early Jewish reading that would explain why Sarai’s parentage is not given here; the objection is that 20:12 makes Sarai a daughter of Terah. Others take Iscah as another daughter of Haran. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 11:27–30 (WLC/OSHB; morph HVhp3ms HC/Vqw3ms HAafsa)
- BSB public domain Gen 11:27–28 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 559 (leaf n582), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H4191 “die”; checked against the printed page (scan)
2026-11-12
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