Bible Person
Meaning: to breathe; scent; blow · Male · 10 cross references
Terah is the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran, the patriarchal ancestor from whom the migration out of Ur begins. He stands at the threshold between the primeval genealogies and the Abraham story proper. First appears in Gen 11:24.1
Name meaning
to breathe; scent; blow
Identity
male
First appears
Gen 11:24
AI summary: Terah matters because the cross references present him as the family head from whom the Abraham narratives emerge historically. His household leaves Ur, pauses at Haran, and contains within it the key kinship lines that shape the rest of Genesis. Joshua later recalls his family as formerly serving other gods, which adds theological depth to the call of Abraham. Taken together, the material presents Terah as a transitional patriarch whose family becomes the launching point for God's covenant dealings with Abraham.1
Central Figure
Terah
Meaning: to breathe; scent; blow
The wanderer; loiterer, for some unknown reason emigrated with his family from his native mountains in the north to the plains of Mesopotamia.
Name meaning
to breathe; scent; blow
Identity
male
Birth year
2128 BC
Death year
1923 BC
The wanderer; loiterer, for some unknown reason emigrated with his family from his native mountains in the north to the plains of Mesopotamia. He had three sons, Haran, Nahor, and Abraham, and one daughter, Sarah. He settled in “Ur of the Chaldees,” where his son Haran died, leaving behind him his son Lot. Nahor settled at Haran, a place on the way to Ur. Terah afterwards migrated with Abraham (probably his youngest son) and Lot (his grandson), together with their families, from Ur, intending to go with them to Canaan; but he tarried at Haran, where he spent the remainder of his days, and died at the age of two hundred and five years (Gen. 11:24-32; Josh. 24:2). What a wonderful part the descendants of this Chaldean shepherd have played in the history of the world! 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
| Book | Cross-References |
|---|---|
| Gen | |
| Josh | |
| 1Chr | |
| Luke |
Figure1: A table of cross references between the selected passage and other passages (Data from Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.)
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, person metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.