Aben Ezra suggests, that the agreeableness of the place to Terah caused him to continue there; but it is very probable he was seized with a disease which obliged them to stay here, and of which he died. They lived in a city called Ur . - All this occurred as a type for the future, that Israel might know and lay to heart the fact, that bodily descent from Abraham did not make a man a child of God, but that they alone were children of God who laid hold of the divine promise in faith, and walked in the steps of their forefather's faith (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. 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 . Secondly, consistent with this approach, the author does not stress the timing of Abrams obedience. He does not invest heavily in that which will not last. David saw Him by the threshing-floor of Araunah, standing between heaven and earth, with the sword drawn in His hand and stretched out over Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 21:16); and He appeared to Zechariah in a vision as a rider upon a red horse (Zechariah 1:9.). God said it. Consequently such passages as Psalm 34:7; Psalm 35:5-6, etc., where the angel of Jehovah is not more particularly described, or Numbers 20:16, where the general term angel is intentionally employed, or Acts 7:30; Galatians 3:19, and Hebrews 2:2, where the words are general and indefinite, furnish no evidence that the Angel of Jehovah, who proclaimed Himself in His appearances as one with God, was not in reality equal with God, unless we are to adopt as the rule for interpreting Scripture the inverted principle, that clear and definite statements are to be explained by those that are indefinite and obscure. In the year 1921 B.C. God had called him to gather his family and leave Ur behind. He left Haran, not because it was the easiest thing to do, but because God intended for him to do it. Can a VGA monitor be connected to parallel port? 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. Starting in Genesis 11:27, we have the account of Terah's (Abraham's father) family line. The foundation for this was laid by God in the call and separation of Abram from his people and his country, to make him, by special guidance, the father of a nation from which the salvation of the world should come. So far as we can tell, then, Terah was an idolater, like those of his days. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. 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. Abram told his father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave. Abram was a man like you and me. 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. 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. "Abraham was a man of faith that works; Isaac, of faith that endures; Jacob, of faith that wrestles" (Baumgarten). It tells us that verses 27-32 of chapter 11 are parenthetical,133 and not strictly in chronological order. And, it may be worth noting, we see the name "Terah" alluded to in the word "Teraphim". Abram was, in our vernacular, no spring chicken when he left Haran for Canaan. In one sense, the command of God to Abram was very specific. Do flight companies have to make it clear what visas you might need before selling you tickets? (The date that Abram left the city of Ur and other patriarchs' timelines can be read here. 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. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. But when they came It was not in Haran, as a casual reading of Genesis 12 might incline us to believe, but in Ur. Rauwolff, who was in this town A. D. 1575, calls it Orpha; his account of it is this (q), that it is a costly city, with a castle situated on the hill very pleasantly; that the town is very pleasant, pretty big, with fortifications well provided; and that some say it was anciently called Haran and Charras: a later traveller (r) says, who also calls it Orpha,"the air of this city is very healthful, and the country fruitful; that it is built four square, the west part standing on the side of a rocky mountain, and the east part tendeth into a spacious valley, replenished with vineyards, orchards, and gardens: the walls are very strong, furnished with great store of artillery, and contain in circuit three English miles, and, for the gallantness of its sight, it was once reckoned the metropolitical seat of Mesopotamia. At Shechem, God promised to give this land to Abram (12:7). Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. There are ample evidences of elaborate wealth, skilled craftsmanship, and advanced technology and science.131 All of this tells us something of the city which Abram was commanded to leave. He had twelve chief gods, one for each month of the year, and other idols. In attempting now to determine the connection between the appearance of the Angel of Jehovah (or Elohim) and the appearance of Jehovah or Elohim Himself, and to fix the precise meaning of the expression Maleach Jehovah, we cannot make use, as recent opponents of the old Church view have done, of the manifestation of God in Genesis 18 and 19, and the allusion to the great prince Michael in Daniel 10:13, Daniel 10:21; Daniel 12:1; just because neither the appearance of Jehovah in the former instance, nor that of the archangel Michael in the latter, is represented as an appearance of the Angel of Jehovah. Terah is the one who told the people to leave Ur Kasdim in the book of Genesis, not Abram. But this exclusiveness contained from the very first the germ of universalism. He is promised a seed and when that seed is delayed, he must somehow see meaning in that delay and learn faith in God. It is there that the specific details of the covenant are spelled out. (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 beginning of Genesis 12:1 indicate that the call had already been given and the response was only now being recorded. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! The command of God to Abram was in conjunction with an appearance of God.134 While Moses mentioned only an appearance of God after Abram was in the land (12:7), Stephen informs us that God appeared to Abram while in Ur (Acts 7:2). "A faith, which laid hold of the word of promise, and on the strength of that word gave up the visible and present for the invisible and future, was the fundamental characteristic of the patriarchs" (Delitzsch). Such will be the case as we can look back upon our lives from the vantage point of time. On the other hand, Gods command was deliberately vague. In any event, Abraham "set out for the land of Canaan, thus they came to the land of Canaan" ( Gen 12:5 ). 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). ). Haran was in the north, where Terah, Abraham's father, had taken him after Terah's father died (Genesis 11:27-32). Abram was secure and comfortable in Ur, a great city. For the essential unity of the Angel of Jehovah with Jehovah Himself follows indisputably from the following facts. Paul chose Abraham as the finest example of a man who is justified before God by faith apart from works (Romans 4). We often read of Abraham, the man of faith, supposing that he was always that kind of man. Why did Terah died in Haran? 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 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. Terah, their father, coordinated the gathering of his family to journey west to their destination ( Genesis 11:31 ). Shem had converted Abe. 133-134. Abram was called, that through him all the families of the earth might be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). This land never belonged to Abram in his lifetime, even as God had said (15:13-16). We are not inclined to be impressed with Abrams age because of the length of mens lives in olden times, but Genesis chapter 11 informs us that mans longevity was much greater in times past, than in Abrams day. As Abram went from place to place, the will of God must have seemed like a riddle. So he may have found a blossoming trade in Haran. Joshua gives us helpful insight into the character of Terah in his farewell speech at the end of his life: And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods (Joshua 24:2). 129 Cyrus Gordon has suggested that the true Ur of Genesis 11:31 is to be found in northern Mesopotamia, probably northeast of Haran. 128 S. Schultz, Abraham, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975, 1976), I, p. 26. God commanded Terah to leave Ur of Chaldees for the land of Canaan in Genesis 11:31. b. But isnt that enough? God also appeared to Moses at the time of his call (Exodus 3:2, etc.). First, the emphasis of Hebrews 11 is on faith. Though Josephus (j) represents it in this light, that Terah hating the country of Chaldea, because of the mourning of Haran, he and all his went out from thence: and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there; which Josephus (k) calls Charan of Mesopotamia, and yet Stephen speaks of Abraham being in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Charan; but then Mesopotamia is to be taken both in a more general and a more limited sense; in general, it took in Mesopotamia and Chaldea, and in the eastern part of it was Ur of the Chaldees, and when Abram came from thence to Haran, he came into Mesopotamia, strictly so called. Terah received instructions from God to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go into the land of Canaan. Terah wanted to leave Ur because he was afraid a war would start. The tent is thus the symbol of the pilgrim. 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. Terah started out well (11:31), journeyed about four months, probably stopped at Babylon and then did something very strange. 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). At the time of the call, Abram did not know where this land was. There are nearly 75 references to him in the New Testament. vol. We should not find this discouraging, but consistent with our own reluctance to put our future on the line in active, aggressive, unquestioning faith. (1) Abrams faith was commenced at the initiative of God. (2) Abrams spiritual life continued through the sovereign work of God. 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! All rights reserved. I guess he was mad that you were allowing yourself to be misled by the other, false idols.". 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. What a thrill that must have been for the people of Moses day to read this promise and realize that the time for possession had come. 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. Later he was instructed to go up to Bethel (35:1; cf. 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. 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. 5.) The Word of God is sufficient for mans faith. The incongruity of God's covenant with Abram in Gen 12:1? I can identify with men and women like this. It is difficult to believe that Abrams public act of worship was not noted and viewed with particular interest by the Canaanites. I am saying that Abram obeyed God in faith, but it was a very little faith, and a very late faith. Can you fathom the fact that after leaving Haran for Canaan, God worked in Abrams life for one hundred years? A physical death interpretation would state that Terah had died and his total lifespan is recorded as 205 years. d. What we do know, is that Terah NEVER LEFT Haran but died when the blessings were there . Terah set out on his journey, no doubt, as soon after the call of Abram as the preparatory arrangements could be made. 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. But it seems in Genesis only the call to leave Haran is recorded. There are many speculations on why Terah took his family, left the Ur of the Chaldeans and headed for Canaan. Abrams life is a growth in faith developed under delayed fulfillment of divine promises. Although no direct evidence of Abrahams residence is available, it is significant that the city of Ur reflects a long history preceding Abrahams time, possessing an elaborate system of writing, educational facilities, mathematical calculations, business and religious records, and art. Life Span. But as soon as Abram had gone to Canaan, in obedience to the call of God, Jehovah appeared to him there (Genesis 12:7). Real blessing does not come from toil and agonizing hours of labor, but from the fruit of intimacy, namely children. He simply wrote, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out. Let us remember that Abram did go to Canaan, just as Moses went to Egypt, but not without considerable pressure from God. Moses tells us that Abram was 75 when he entered the land of Canaan. From Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. (h) Ut supra. 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. 63-64. Now Abram obeyed God by faith and entered into the land of Canaan, but only after considerable preparatory steps had been taken by God. Even to Noah He revealed Himself before the flood as one who was present on the earth. The command of God to Abram is, in effect, a reversal of what man attempted at Babel. 14-15. 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