Terah תֶּ֫רַח
Abraham's father who settled in Haran
Biography
Terah was the son of Nahor and the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran (Gen.11.24-26). He lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, where he worshipped idols (Jos.24.2). At age 70, he became the father of his three sons (Gen.11.26). After Haran died in Ur, Terah took Abraham, Sarah, and Lot and set out for Canaan, but they settled in the city of Haran instead (Gen.11.31). Terah died in Haran at the age of 205 (Gen.11.32). Jewish tradition portrays Terah as an idolater who turned to God. The Bible does not provide further details about his life, but his significance lies in being the father of Abraham, the recipient of God's covenant promises.
Family
Offspring
- Abraham Early PatriarchSon of TerahPatriarch, chosen by God to father His peopleView full profile →
- Nahor Early PatriarchSon of SerugSon of Serug; father of Terah, Abraham's father.View full profile →
- Haran Early PatriarchSon of TerahSon of Terah, brother of Abraham and father of Lot.View full profile →
- Sarah Early PatriarchSister of AbrahamWife of Abraham; mother of IsaacView full profile →
In Scripture
4 biblical books ; 3 with study contentGenesis 5 verses Study available
- Genesis 11:24
"Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 11:25
"Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of more sons and daughters."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 11:26
"Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 11:27
"Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 11:28
"Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees, while his father Terah was still alive."
Study Genesis →
Joshua 1 verse Study available
- Joshua 24:2
"Joshua said to all the people, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Your fathers lived of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor. They served other gods."
Study Joshua →
1 Chronicles 1 verse
- 1 Chronicles 1:26
"Serug, Nahor, Terah,"
Luke 1 verse Study available
- Luke 3:34
"the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,"
Study Luke →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | תֶּ֫רַח | H8646G |
| Greek | Greek | Θάρα | G2291 |
Terah (1)
f> f). At Abraham's birth Terah was 70 years old (Ge 11:26), and after Abraham's marriage, Terah, Abraham, Sarah and Lot emigrated from Ur of the Chaldees on the road into the land of Canaan, but stopped in Haran (Ge 11:31). When Abraham was 75 years old he and his nephew resumed their journey, leaving Terah in Haran, where 60 years later he died (Ge 11:32). Stephen, however, states (Ac 7:4) that Terah was dead when Abraham left Haran, an impression that is easily gained from Ge 11-12 if the dates are not computed. As there is no reason to suppose that Stephen was granted inspiration that would preserve him from such a purely formal error, the contradiction is of no significance and attempts at "reconciliation" are needless. In particular, the attempt of Blass (Stud. u. Krit., 1896, 460 ff) to alter the text of Ac is quite without foundation. For further discussion see especially Knowling, The Expositor's Greek Testament, at the place It is worth noting that Philo makes the same error (Migr. Abr. 177 (section 32)), perhaps indicating some special Jewish tradition of New Testament times. In Jos 24:2 Terah is said to have been an idolater. In Jubilees 12 this is softened into explaining that through fear of his life Terah was forced to yield outward conformity to the idolatrous worship of his neighbors. On the other hand certain Jewish legends (e.g. Ber. Rab. 17) represent Terah as actually a maker of idols. Otherwise in the Bible Terah is mentioned only by name in 1Ch 1:26; Lu 3:34.
Burton Scott Easton
(Codex Vaticanus Tarath; Codex Alexandrinus Tharath): A wilderness camp of the Israelites between Tahath and Mithkah (Nu 33:27,28).
See