Ur of the Chaldeans, Haran and Terah’s death
Says וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת־אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ (“and Terah took Abram his son”) makes Terah the subject. Then וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים (vayyetse’u ’ittam me’ur kasdim, “and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans”); BSB has “they set out.” לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן (“to go to the land of Canaan”) gives the goal, but וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־חָרָן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם (“and they came as far as Haran and settled there”) ends with the words of 11:2, וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם. The place חָרָן (with khet) is spelled differently from the man הָרָן (with he).
Says וַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי־תֶרַח חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה (“and the days of Terah were five years and two hundred years”) is BSB’s “Terah lived 205 years.” וַיָּמָת תֶּרַח בְּחָרָן (“and Terah died in Haran”).
Uncertain Who “they” are and who “them” are is open, since Terah alone is the subject of “took”; the Greek has a singular, “he led them out.” Ur is placed in the south of Mesopotamia or at a northern site (Urfa and others), and “Chaldeans” may be the name of Terah’s time or a later label. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysוַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת־אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ (“and Terah took Abram his son”) makes Terah the subject. Then וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים (vayyetse’u ’ittam me’ur kasdim, “and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans”); BSB has “they set out.” לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן (“to go to the land of Canaan”) gives the goal, but וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־חָרָן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם (“and they came as far as Haran and settled there”) ends with the words of 11:2, וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם. The place חָרָן (with khet) is spelled differently from the man הָרָן (with he).
- Saysוַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי־תֶרַח חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה (“and the days of Terah were five years and two hundred years”) is BSB’s “Terah lived 205 years.” וַיָּמָת תֶּרַח בְּחָרָן (“and Terah died in Haran”).
- UncertainWho “they” are and who “them” are is open, since Terah alone is the subject of “took”; the Greek has a singular, “he led them out.” Ur is placed in the south of Mesopotamia or at a northern site (Urfa and others), and “Chaldeans” may be the name of Terah’s time or a later label. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 11:31–32 (WLC/OSHB; morph HC/Vqw3mp HNcbsc/Sd HC/Vqw3ms)
- BSB public domain Gen 11:31–32 (BSB)
2026-11-12
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