GENESIS 11
27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 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. 32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran. – Genesis 11:27-32
GENESIS 11 TERAH’S GENERATIONS
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
When Terah was seventy, he fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran
Haran fathered Lot but died ahead of Terah in Ur of the Chaldeans
Aside from Lot, Haran also had two daughters, Milcah and Iscah
Abram took Sarai as his wife and Nahor’s wife was his own niece, Milcah.
Abram’s wife Sarai was barren and had no child when they left Ur
Terah took his son Abram, Sarai and Lot planning to go to Canaan
But they were sidetracked and settled in a place called Haran
It was there that Terah died at age two-hundred five.
In this account we place the spotlight on Terah who is the father of Abram (the one God chose to be the Father of all Nations). It is in Abram’s line where Jesus would come from. Terah must have been led by God to move Abram, Sarai and his grandson Lot to journey to Canaan, but got derailed to Haran. Haran, served as a crossroads trading town between Arabia and Syria in northern Mesopotamia. Abram would have traveled along the Euphrates to get to Canaan rather than crossing the desert with his large group of people and animals. Why Terah did the move was not clear but in Acts 7:4, Stephen mentioned that Abram left Haran after his father died to resume their journey to Canaan. He was 75 when he left Haran to proceed to Canaan where God told him to go.
REFLECTION
- Why do you think God chose Abram (also Abraham)who came from an idolatrous country Ur to be his own Son Jesus’ ancestor?
