Chapter 11

1 One language in the world. 3 The building of Babel. 5 The confusion of tongues. 10The generations of Shem. 27 The generations of Terah the father of Abram. 31 Terah goeth from Ur to Haran.

1. One language. Literally, “one lip and one kind of words,” indicating not only one language understood by all but the absence of differences in dialect as well. Pronunciation and vocabulary were the same among all men. Unity of language goes with unity of descent, and a common language does much to promote unity of thought and action. Modern research in comparative grammar has demonstrated conclusively that all known languages are related and that they have descended from one common original. The question as to whether any known language resembles that original speech cannot be answered. It is possible, even probable, that one of the Semitic tongues, such as Hebrew or Aramaic, is similar to the language men spoke before the confusion of tongues. Personal names of the period preceding the confusion of tongues, as far as they can be interpreted, make sense only if considered to be originally Semitic. The record containing these names, the book of Genesis, is written in Hebrew, a Semitic tongue, by a Semite author, and for Semitic readers. It is therefore possible, although unlikely, that Moses translated these names from an original language unknown to his readers, into Hebrew names that would have meaning for them.

2. As they journeyed. As indicated by the verb “journeyed,” literally, “to pull out,” like the pegs of a tent, men lived a nomadic life for a time after the Flood. The mountainous region of Ararat was not well adapted to agricultural pursuits. Furthermore, those who forsook God resented the silent witness of the holy lives of those who were loyal to Him. Accordingly, there occurred a separation of the evil from among the good, with those who defied God leaving the mountains (PP 118).

From the east. The KJV translation “from the east,” for miqqedem, is misleading. The same Hebrew expression is translated “eastward” in ch. 2:8 and “east” in ch. 13:11. To reach the land of Shinar, Babylonia, from the mountains of Ararat, the direction of travel would of necessity be southeasterly, not “from the east” in a westerly direction.

They found a plain. That is, a wide, open land. In antiquity the southern Mesopotamian lowland, often called “Shinar” in the Bible (see on ch. 10:10), was a well-watered, fertile region. The oldest known civilization, that of the Sumerians, thrived here. The spade of the archeologist reveals this land to have been densely populated in earliest historical times. This fact agrees with Genesis as to the locality in which a permanent settlement was first attempted. Excavations have shown, furthermore, that the earliest population of Lower Mesopotamia possessed a high culture. The Sumericans invented the art of writing on clay tablets, built well-constructed houses, and were masters in the production of jewelry, tools, and household utensils.

3. Let us make brick. The plain of Babylonia, alluvial in formation, lacked stone of any kind but had an ample supply of clay for making brick. Lower Mesopotamia has as a result always been a land of brick buildings, in contrast to Assyria, where stone is plentiful. Most bricks, in ancient as in modern times, were sun dried, but bricks for public buildings were baked in the fire to make them more durable. This process was employed by the earliest settlers in Mesopotamia, as the Bible and the spade both testify.

Brick for stone. Writing for the Hebrews in Egypt, a land of majestic stone monuments and public buildings, Moses explains that in Babylonia brick was used because of the lack of stone. This detail, like many others, attests the historical and geographical accuracy of the Genesis narrative.

Slime had they for morter. Another exact detail concerning Babylonian methods of construction. The Hebrew word here translated “slime” means, more accurately, asphalt or bitumen. Mesopotamia abounds in oil and related products, and asphalt wells existed in the vicinity of Babylon as well as in other parts of the country. Having discovered the durable quality of asphalt, early Babylonian builders used it extensively in the erection of buildings. Asphalt binds the bricks together so well that it is difficult to save any of them when a building is demolished. In fact, it is almost impossible to detach bricks from ancient ruins in whose construction asphalt was used.

4. Let us build us a city. Cain had built the first city (ch. 4:17), in an attempt, perhaps, to avoid the nomadic life God had marked out for him. God’s original plan called for men to spread over the face of the earth and to cultivate the soil (see ch. 1:28). The building of cities represented opposition to this plan. The concentration of human beings has always encouraged laziness, immorality, and other vices. Cities have ever been hotbeds of crime, for in such an environment Satan finds less resistance to his attacks than in smaller communities where people live in close touch with nature. God had told Noah to replenish, or fill, the earth (ch. 9:1). In fear of unknown or suspected dangers, however, men wanted to build a city, in the hope of finding security through the works of their hands. They chose to forget that true security comes only in trusting and obeying God. The rapidly increasing descendants of Noah must have departed very soon from the worship of the true God. In the fear that their evil ways would again invite catastrophe, they sought protection.

A tower. This would give inhabitants of the city the desired feeling of security. Such a citadel would protect them against attack, and enable them, they believed, to escape another flood—which God had promised should never be. The Flood had covered the highest mountains of the antediluvian world, but had not reached “unto heaven.” If, therefore, a structure higher than the mountains could be erected, men reasoned, they would be safe whatever God might do. Archeological excavations reveal that the earliest inhabitants of Lower Mesopotamia erected many towerlike temples dedicated to the worship of various idol deities.

Let us make us a name. The Tower of Babel was to have been a monument to the superior wisdom and skill of its builders. To establish a “name,” or reputation, for themselves, men have been willing to endure hardship, danger, and privation. The desire for renown was apparently one of the impelling motives for building the tower, and pride in such a structure would, in turn, tend to maintain unity in the accomplishment of other unsanctified schemes. According to the divine purpose, men were to have preserved unity through the bond of true religion. When idolatry and polytheism broke this inner spiritual bond, they lost not only unity of religion but also the spirit of brotherhood. A project such as the tower, to preserve by outward means the inward unity which had been lost, could never succeed. Obviously, only those who had forsaken God took part in these activities.

5. The Lord came down. This coming down is not the same as at Sinai, where the Lord revealed His presence by a visible symbol (see Ex. 19:20; 34:5; Num. 11:25; etc.). It is simply a description in human language of the fact that men’s doings are never hidden from God. When men would build up toward heaven and exalt themselves, God came down to investigate and defeat their impious plans.

Builded. The perfect form of the Hebrew verb here translated “builded” implies that construction was progressing rapidly toward completion. The term “children of men,” literally “sons of the man,” is so general in its sweep as to suggest that all, or at least a majority, of those who no longer served God took part in the project.

6. This they begin to do. The Tower of Babel represented doubt of God’s word and defiance of His will. It was designed as monument to apostasy and as a citadel of rebellion against Him. This was but the first step in an evil master plan to control the world. Prompt and decisive action was called for, to warn men of God’s displeasure and to frustrate their wicked schemes. That men may be assured that God is not arbitrary in His dealings and does not act on sudden impulse, He is represented as taking counsel with Himself. The reason for His intervention is clearly stated.

Except for the restraining power of God exercised from time to time in the course of history, the evil designs of men would be carried forward to success, and society would become wholly corrupt. The comparative order in society today is due to the restraining power of God. Satan’s power is definitely limited (see Job 1:12; 2:6; Rev. 7:1).

7. Let us go down. The use of the pronoun “us” indicates the participation of at least two persons of the Godhead (see Gen. 1:26).

Confound their language. God did not wish again to destroy man. Wickedness had not as yet reached the limits to which it had gone before the Flood, and God determined to check it before it should again reach that point. By confusing their language and thus forcing them to separate, God designed to forestall future united action. Each of the groups might yet pursue an evil course, but the division of society into many groups would prevent concerted opposition to God. Upon repeated occasions since the dispersion of the races at Babel, ambitious men have sought, unsuccessfully, to contravene the divine decree of separation. Ingenious leaders have succeeded, at times, in forcing the nations into an artificial unity. But with the establishment of God’s glorious kingdom the nations of the saved will be truly united and speak one language.

Not understand one another’s speech. Not that one man could not understand any of his fellow men, as such a situation would render the existence of society impossible. There were to be various tribal groups, each of which was to have its own speech. Such is the origin of the world’s great variety of languages and dialects, which now number approximately 3,000.

The division of languages, though an obstacle to human schemes for political and economic cooperation, was not to be an obstacle to the triumph of the cause of God. The gift of tongues at Pentecost was to be one means of overcoming this difficulty (see Acts 2:5–12). National differences do not prevent either unity of faith and action on the part of God’s children or the advancement of His eternal purpose. God’s Word has been made available to the nations in their own tongue, and brethren of like faith, though separated by racial and linguistic differences, are nevertheless bound together in their love for Jesus and their devotion to truth. The brotherhood of faith unites them more firmly than could the possession of a common language. In the unity of the church the world is to see convincing evidence of the purity and power of its message (see John 17:21).

8. Scattered them abroad What men had not been willing to do voluntarily and under favorable circumstances, they were now compelled to do because of necessity. Inability to understand one another’s speech led to misunderstanding, distrust, and division. Those who could understand one another formed a small community of their own. This verse indicates that the builders of Babel were scattered far and wide, with the result that soon thereafter representatives of the human family were to be found in most parts of the world. Evidence from many lands testifies to the presence of human beings within a comparatively short time after the Flood. Archeological discoveries point to the Mesopotamian valley as the first locality to develop a distinct civilization. Similar civilizations sprang up soon afterward in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Anatolia, India, China, and elsewhere. All available evidence supports the cryptic saying of Holy Writ that “the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth.”

They left off to build. The tower that was to rise to heaven to rise to heaven was never completed. However, it is evident from the Bible and from history that the local population subsequently completed the work of building the city.

9. Babel. By a play on words the Hebrew linked the name of the city, Babel, with the Hebrew verb balal, “to confuse.” It would have been a strange procedure, however, for the Babylonians to derive a name for their city from a Hebrew word. Ancient Babylonian texts interpret BabРilu or BabРilanu as meaning “port of god” or “gateway of the gods.” It is, however, possible that this meaning was secondary, and that the name was originally from the Babylonian verb babalu, meaning “to scatter,” or “to disappear.” Perhaps the Babylonians were not particularly proud of a name that reminded them of the inglorious climax of earlier plans for the city, and so invented an explanation that made it appear to be a compound of the names bab, “port,” and ilu, “god” (see on ch. 10:10).

Most modern commentators explain the story of the building of the tower and the subsequent confusion of tongues either as an outright legend or as a gross exaggeration of some tragedy that occurred during the construction of Babylon’s historical temple tower, called a ziggurat. Contrary to what many popular works on Biblical archeology have stated, archeologists have found no evidence that the Tower of Babel ever existed. The very fragmentary tablet K3657 of the British Museum, which has frequently been quoted as referring to the story of the building of the Tower of Babel and the confusion of tongues, actually makes no references at all to this event, as subsequent studies and a better understanding of this text have shown. One who believes only those Bible stories that are corroborated by outside evidence will refuse to believe the story of Gen. 11. However, he who believes the Bible to be the inspired word of God will accept this narrative, along with all other Bible narratives, as authentic.

The passion of Mesopotamian peoples for building lofty towers did not cease with the first unsuccessful attempt to erect one that would “reach unto heaven.” Throughout antiquity they continued building temple towers, or ziggurats. Several such ruins are still standing. The best preserved one is at Ur, Abraham’s early home.

The exact location of the original tower is unknown. Probably the later temple tower of Babylon replaced it. An old Jewish tradition, probably based mistakenly on a 7th-century ruin, located the Tower of Babel at Borsippa, a city 9 mi. southwest of Babylon. An imposing ruin 156 feet high is all that remains of an ancient tower in Borsippa which once consisted of seven steps surmounted by a temple. Inscriptions by Nebuchadnezzar found under the foundations of the building state that he completed the building of this tower, the erection of which a former king had begun. The Jewish historian Josephus attributes the tower to Nimrod, a tradition that has been perpetuated by the local population in their name for it, BirsРNimrud. Like all Babylonian edifices, this tower was built of brick and bitumen, and the ruins show the marks of numerous bolts of lightning which struck it in ages past. This application of heat has welded the uppermost bricks and asphalt together in a solid mass. Travelers have for centuries described the effects of heavenly fire upon the tower, usually with reference to the events described in Gen. 11.

It should not be forgotten, however, that the tower of Borsippa was not built earlier than the 7th century b.c., by Ashurbanipal and Nebuchadnezzar. Whatever the location of the first Tower of Babel may have been, all traces of the original structure have vanished.

It is more probable that the ancient Tower of Babel was on the site of the temple tower of the city of Babylon, which once stood in the Marduk temple area on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. Babylonian traditions claimed that its foundation had been laid in very early times. Several kings restored the tower during the course of its history, Nebuchadnezzar being the last to do so. This tower is described in detail by the Greek historian Herodotus, and also by a Babylonian cuneiform text, as having had 7 steps and a total height of 250 ft. The Persian king Xerxes destroyed it completely, along with the city of Babylon, in 478 b.c. Planning to rebuild the tower, Alexander the Great had the debris cleared away, but he died before his plan could be carried out. Nothing whatever remains of the highest and most famous temple tower of ancient Mesopotamian, save the foundation stones and the lowest steps of its old stairway. The fact that since Xerxes’ time nothing could be seen of this tower, whereas the one in neighboring Borsippa remained standing, may be the reason that Jews and Christians alike connected the story of Gen. 11 with the ruins of Borsippa.

10. The generations of Shem. The usual title for a genealogy (see chs. 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; etc.). Moses now returns to the line of Shem, his discussion of which was interrupted by the account of the confusion of tongues. But vs. 10–26 do not form a continuation of the table of nations of ch. 10; they present the genealogy of the patriarchal line from Shem to Abraham. Chapter 10 sets forth the racial relationship of the various tribes and nations and their common descent from Noah, whereas ch. 11:10–26 presents the exact descent of God’s chosen people through the many intervening generations. This is a continuation of the list of generations from Adam to Noah as given in ch. 5. The first four descendants of Shem, already enumerated in the Shemite part of the table of nations, are repeated here to show the direct descent of the Terahites through Peleg.

Shem was an hundred years old. This statement shows that Shem was two years younger than Japheth (see on ch. 5:32).

The list doubtless presents personal, not tribal, names; for it gives the exact age of each man at the birth of the son through whom the line continues, and his length of life thereafter. Although names such as Arphaxad or Eber are also tribal names, as in ch. 10:21, 22, that does not contradict the fact that the men here named were real individuals.

11. Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad. Inasmuch as the formula used by Moses in vs. 10 and 11 is a pattern for the brief biographical sketches that follow, it is not necessary to comment in detail on vs. 12–26. A notable difference between the formula used here and one of ch. 5 is the omission of the total age of each person listed in ch. 11. Nothing is lost, however, because in each case the total age can easily be computed by adding the years of a man’s age at the birth of the son to the remaining years of his life. Moses’ reason for making this difference between the style of the two lists is not known.

12. Arphaxad. See on ch. 10:22. Prior to the Flood the average age of paternity had been 117 years (the lowest 65, the highest 187 years), but thereafter it decreased to 30-35 years, reaching unusual heights only in the cases of Terah and Abraham.

The same decrease is seen in the total ages of men after the Flood. Although Noah himself reached the antediluvian age of 950 years, Shem’s age was only 600 and that of his son Arphaxad but 438 years. In succeeding generations the process continued, so that Nahor, the grandfather of Abraham, lived to be only 148 years of age. This greatly abbreviated life span may have been due partly to climatic changes. More important still was the change in diet from vegetarian to one including the flesh of animals (PP 107; CD 391). With each succeeding generation the human race was further and further removed from the vigorous physical heritage of Adam and from the invigorating fruit of the tree of life.

13. Salah. “The one sent forth.” This is a Semitic name, used also among the Phoenician colonists of Carthage in Northern Africa.

14. Eber. “The one who passes over.” Inasmuch as Eber’s descendants were to cross the Euphrates and migrate toward Syria and Palestine, this name may indicate prophetic insight on the part of his parents (see on ch. 10:21).

16. Peleg. Meaning “division” (see on ch. 10:25).

18. Reu. Meaning “friend” or “friendship.” It is possibly an abbreviation of Reuel, “friend of God,” the name of several Bible characters (Gen. 36:4; Ex. 2:18; Num. 2:14).

20. Serug. May mean “the one interlaced,” “the entangled one,” or “vine branch.” Which meaning was intended is uncertain.

22. Nahor. “The snorter.” Perhaps there may have been some impediment in his speech.

24. Terah. Without meaning in Hebrew, but in the related Ugaritic language, “bridegroom.”

26. Terah lived seventy years. This text seems to imply that Abram, Nahor, and Haran were triplets, born when their father Terah was 70 years old. That such was not the case is evident from the following considerations. Terah died in Haran at the age of 205 years (ch. 11:32). Abram journeyed to Canaan at the age of 75 (ch. 12:4). Abram’s call to leave Haran came after his father’s death, as explicitly stated in Acts 7:4.

Abram cannot then have been older than 75 at the death of his father, and Terah was at least 130 years old when Abram was born. Therefore, ch. 11:26 means that Terah began to beget sons when he was seventy years old. Youngest of the three sons, Abram is mentioned first because of his importance as ancestor of the Hebrews. Although it is not certain which of the two remaining sons of Terah, Nahor or Haran, was the elder, the fact that Nahor married Haran’s daughter (ch. 11:29) may point to Haran as Nahor’s senior (cf. on ch. 5:32).

Abram. “Father of elevation” or “exalted father,” pointing to his honored position as ancestor of God’s chosen people. His name was later changed by God to Abraham (ch. 17:5). The name appears in Egyptian records as that of an Amorite ruler of a Palestinian city at the very time Abram lived. It appears also in a contemporary cuneiform document from Babylonia, showing that the name was not uncommon.

Nahor. This son of Terah was named after his grandfather.

Haran. This name has no meaning in Hebrew. It is similar to Haran, Charan, the city where Terah settled. The name of the city, related to an Assyrian root word meaning “highway,” may indicate its location astride one of the principal trade routes between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean.

As with the antediluvian chronology, the Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX credit patriarchs from the Flood to the birth of Abram with considerably longer lives than do the Hebrew text and English translations based upon it (see on ch. 5:32). Whereas the KJV has 352 years between the Flood and Abram’s birth, the Same LXX, 1,132 or 1,232 (according to variant readings; see p. 180).

The LXX insertion of Cainan between Arphaxad and Salah may, however, be justified. In this the LXX is confirmed by Luke, who also lists Cainan in this position (Luke 3:35, 36). In spite of apparent disagreement between Moses (and 1 Chron. 1:24) on the one hand and Luke and the LXX on the other, no real difficulty exists. The Scriptures contain numerous and striking instances of the omission of names from genealogical lists. In tracing his own ancestry back to Aaron, Ezra for instance, omits at least six names (see Ezra 7:1–5; cf. 1 Chron. 6:3–15).

Centuries later Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus omits four kings of Judah, and possibly other ancestors of our Lord (see on Matt. 1:8, 17). Moses’ possible omission of Cainan from the list of Gen. 11:10–26 should not therefore be considered an inaccuracy, but rather an example of what was a common practice among Hebrew writers.

Whatever may be the case, the list as given by Moses must be considered at least fairly complete. Ellen G. White refers (PP 125) to an “unbroken line” of righteous men—from Adam to Shem—who passed down the knowledge of God that Abram inherited. This has been taken by some to imply that Abram must have been instructed by Shem personally; if so, then Abram was born some years before Shem’s death, which is dated 500 years after the Flood.

the chronology of genesis 11

Hebrew

Samaritan

LXX

Josephus

Age at son’s birth

Rest of years

Age at son’s birth

Rest of years

Age at son’s birth

Rest of years

Age at son’s birth

Shem (Age 2 yrs. after the Flood)

100

500

100

500

100

500

(omits)

Arphaxad

35

403

135

303

135

430*

135

Cainan

130

330

Salah

30

403

130

303

130

330

130

Eber

34

430

134

270

134

370*

134

Peleg

30

209

130

109

130

209

130

Reu

32

207

132

107

132

207

130

Serug

30

200

130

100

130

200

132

Nahor

29

119

79

69

179*

129*

120

Terah

70

135

70

75

70

135

Terah (at Abram’s birth)

130

75

70

135

130

75

70

Those who arrive at this conclusion from the above passage infer that it upholds the Hebrew against both the Samaritan and LXX chronologies of the period, and renders impossible any considerable number of omissions from Moses’ genealogical list. Until more definite information becomes available the chronology of events prior to the birth of Abram should be considered approximate. With the advent of the patriarch Abram we reach a more solid foundation on which to build

27. Terah. Up to this point Moses has narrated the history of all mankind. Henceforth the inspired record concerns itself almost exclusively with the history of but one family, the chosen people of God. Throughout the remainder of the OT attention is generally given to other nations only as they come in contact with God’s people.

Haran begat Lot. Lot, “the concealed one.” Lot is introduced because of the role he is to play as Abram’s companion in the land of Canaan and as ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites.

28. Haran died before his father. Literally, “in the face of his father,” meaning “while his father was still alive,” or, “in the presence of his father.” This is the first mention (though not necessarily the first case) of a son having died before his father.

Ur of the Chaldees. As shown by literary documents and recent excavations, the city of Haran’s nativity had a long and glorious history. The ruins of Ur have long been known under the modern name Tell elРMuqayyar, which is situated about halfway between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf. Between 1922 and 1934 a joint British-American expedition carried out what have proved to be among the most fruitful of all Mesopotamian excavations. Royal tombs of an early dynasty gave up their fabulous store of treasures. The well-preserved ruins of houses, temples, and a temple tower have provided a wealth of material from which we may reconstruct the checkered history of this city which played so important a role from the dawn of history to the time of the Persian Empire. At the beginning of the second millennium b.c., when Abram lived there, the city possessed an exceptionally high culture. Houses were well constructed, and usually two stories high. Rooms on the ground floor were grouped around a central courtyard, and a staircase led up to the second story. The city had an efficient sewage system, which is more than some cities in that country can boast even today. In the schools of Ur reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography were taught, as the many school exercises that have been recovered make evident. In the OT this city is usually called “Ur of the Chaldees,” an expression that has not yet been found in the cuneiform texts of Mesopotamia. There it is simply called “Ur.” It is, however, known that the region of Ur was later inhabited by Aramaic Chaldean tribes, who may have come somewhat earlier (see on ch. 10:22). These tribes were closely related to the family of Terah, and both were descendants of Arphaxad. The memory of this relationship was kept alive by referring back to the original family home as Ur in Chaldea, or “Ur of the Chaldees.”

The advanced cultural level of Ur in Abram’s time puts to silence the sneers of those who would stigmatize Abram as an ignorant nomad. His youth was spent in a highly cultured and sophisticated city as the son of one of its wealthy citizens, and without doubt he was a well-educated man.

Abram must, as well, have been acquainted with the religious life of Ur, which, as excavations have shown, was polytheistic. Joshua states that Terah, Abram’s father, had served other gods in Ur (Joshua 24:2). We are led to assume that Terah’s other sons did likewise, for Rachel, Jacob’s wife, stole idols from her father, Laban, who was a grandson of Abram’s brother Nahor (Gen. 31:19). It is a miracle that Abram remained untouched by the pagan influences surrounding him.

29. Abram and Nahor took them wives. Nahor’s wife, Milcah, was a daughter of his brother Haran and therefore his own niece. Abram’s wife, Sarai, was his half sister, a daughter of Terah by another wife than Abram’s mother (see ch. 20:12). Marriage with a half sister, and with other close relatives, was afterward forbidden by the Mosaic civil code, though apparently still permitted in Abram’s time (see Lev. 18:6, 9, 14).

Iscah. It is not clear why Iscah, another daughter of Haran, is mentioned here. Following an old Jewish tradition, some commentators have seen the name as another name of Sarai, Abram’s wife. Others think she was the wife of Lot. There is no factual basis for any such suppositions.

30. Sarai was barren. This statement seems to imply a contrast with Milcah, Sarai’s sister-in-law (see ch. 24:24), and foreshadows the great importance of Sarai’s childlessness in the trial of Abram’s faith.

31. They went forth. The Scriptures make it clear that Abram was the one to whom God revealed Himself in Ur of the Chaldees, and not to Terah, as might be inferred from this passage (PP 127). Stephen told his hearers that Abram had left “Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,” in response to an explicit command addressed to him personally of God (Acts 7:2, 3). God later reminded Abram that He had brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. 15:7), not out of Haran (see also Neh. 9:7). We conclude that Abram’s call occurred in two stages. The first call, when he lived at Ur, was to leave his ancestral tribe, but the second, at Haran, was to forsake his immediate relatives, even his father’s house (see Gen. 12:1). When the first call came to Abram, he obeyed immediately and left the old environment to find a new home in the country God promised to provide for him. He must have had considerable influence over his father, Terah, his brother Nahor, and his nephew Lot, because they all chose to accompany him. Nahor is not mentioned as one of those who left Ur with Terah and Abram, but if he did not go at this time he must have followed a little later (see ch. 24:10). Although Abram was the one to whom the call came at Ur, he still lived under his father’s roof and would look to his father to take the initiative should he be willing to do so. Terah evidently consented and, as head of the house, led out in making the move. Oriental propriety would require that Terah be given credit for acting as head of his house. It would seem most inappropriate to say that Abram took his father Terah.

To go into the land of Canaan. This indicates that Canaan was their destination from the very beginning. There were two possible routes of travel from Ur in southern Mesopotamia to Canaan. One route lay directly across the great Arabian Desert, but a large caravan of flocks, herds, and many servants could not possibly traverse such terrain. The other route lay up the Euphrates, across the narrow desert of northern Syria, and then through the Orontes valley southward into Canaan. This was obviously the way by which they must travel.

They came unto Haran. Haran is situated on the Balikh river in northern Mesopotamia, halfway between Ur and Canaan. The reason for this interruption of the journey is not given, but it may have been occasioned by the attractiveness of the region, or more likely by the advancing age and feebleness of Terah. For the greater part of the family Haran became a permanent place of abode, which implies, perhaps, that the attractiveness of the region may have led to the original decision to stop there. The Balikh and Chabur valleys contain fertile pastureland. It is possible that the whole region was sparsely populated, and seemed to offer fine possibilities for increasing the wealth of the family before they proceeded on to Canaan. Whatever the reason may have been, Terah and his family camped at a place they called Haran, perhaps in honor of their son, and brother, who had died in Ur. Because of a slight difference between the Hebrew spelling of the name of Terah’s son Haran and that of the city Charan the relationship of the two is uncertain.

Evidence of how strongly the Terahites took root in their new home is plainly seen in the fact that several of their family names remained attached to cities of the region for centuries, and in some instances for millenniums. Haran, an important city during the second and first millenniums b.c., may have been named in honor of Haran, as suggested above. Peleg’s memory lived on in the name of the city Paliga, at the mouth of the Chabur River. Nahor gave his name to Nahor’s city (ch. 24:10, the later TilРNahiri, near Haran. Serug’s name is reflected in the neighboring town of Sarugi, and the site TilРshaРturahi on the Balikh River may perpetuate the name of Terah. These place names are clear evidence of the fact that the family of Terah occupied this region in ancient times.

32. Terah died in Haran. How long Terah lived in Haran is not indicated. In view of Abram’s proverbial readiness to obey God, it seems most unlikely that he would have remained in Haran for many years, knowing that the Lord wanted him to go to Canaan, except on account of his father’s age or illness. It is more likely that Terah halted for a season at the Balikh River to restore his wasted powers, than that the attractiveness of the region led him to forget his objective. Filial piety, under such circumstances, would keep Abram watching solicitously over his father. All would thus have remained in Haran in anticipation of resuming their journey upon Terah’s recuperation. When he died Abram and Lot went forward with their original plan, but other members of the family were bewitched by the fertility of the region and were unwilling to leave.

Terah, like Moses some centuries later, failed to enter the Land of Promise. We are forcibly reminded of our pilgrim state by the fact that many of God’s faithful ones die on their way to the heavenly Canaan. The seriousness of Terah’s death, however, was as nothing in comparison to Nahor’s decision to remain in Haran. He and his family voluntarily separated themselves from God’s promises by refusing to accompany Abram to the Promised Land. As a result, they and their descendants finally vanish from the stage of history, while Abram and his posterity remain for centuries the recipients of God’s special favor and the channel of His blessing for the world.

Ellen G. White comments

1-9PP 117-124; SR 72-75

2, 4 PP 118; 8T 213

5 PP 123; 8T 214

5-7PP 119

8 PP 120

9 8T 215

28 3T 138

31 PP 127