Genesis 11:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

NIV: After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

NASB: Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

CSB: Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

NLT: After Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

KJV: And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

NKJV: Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

The line from Noah to Abraham (Abram) is now complete. It follows through Shem to Arpachshad to Shelah to Eber to Peleg to Reu to Serug to Nahor to Terah and now to Abram. The end of this genealogy includes the fact that Terah had three male children after living 70 years. In addition to Abram, one child is named after Terah's father and the other shares the name of the city Haran.

Abram's name apparently means something like "exalted father." This is a major moment in the genealogy of mankind. Abram will later be renamed Abraham. Abraham's relationship to God will be the cornerstone of three major modern world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Abraham will be called by God (Genesis 12:1), and given special blessings (Genesis 12:2–3). His grandson, Jacob, will be renamed Israel, fathering the nation God will designate as His chosen people.

Genesis 11:10–26 provides a direct genealogy from Noah to Abram, through Noah's blessed-by-God son, Shem. This record shows a direct genetic line from Noah and the flood, through Peleg and the dispersion of humanity at the Tower of Babel, to Terah, Abram's father.

Genesis 11 contains three sections: God confuses and scatters the people of the world to stop the building of Babel and its tower. A genealogy is provided showing the direct links between Noah and Abram. The ''generations'' of Terah are introduced, providing a description of the family out of which God will call Abram to become the father of His chosen people.

Genesis 10 provided a table of the nations, describing the peoples and tribes that descended from Noah's three sons and where they settled. Genesis 11 describes how God scattered the peoples of the world after confusing their languages to stop the building of Babel and its tower. The chapter also provides a direct genealogy from Noah to Abram and then introduces Abram by way of his father Terah. The following chapter will begin the story of Abram and God's chosen people, Israel.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/4/2024 9:45:03 PM