Terah

Technical Profile

• Name Meaning: Hebrew Teraḥ (תֶּרַח), meaning uncertain; used as a personal name in Abram’s lineage
• Period/Era: Patriarchal Period
• Main References: Genesis 11:24–32; Genesis 12:1; Joshua 24:2; 1 Chronicles 1:26; Acts 7:2–4
• Key Connections: Father of Abram (Abraham), Nahor, and Haran; grandfather of Lot; family associated with Ur and Haran

Who was Terah?

Terah was a patriarch in the genealogical line from Shem to Abram.
He fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and became the grandfather of Lot.
Genesis presents him as the head of a household that migrated from Ur of the Chaldeans.
He died in Haran after settling there with his family.

Key Events & Achievements

• Migration Begun: Departed from Ur of the Chaldeans with Abram, Lot, and Sarai, aiming for Canaan (Genesis 11:31).
• Settlement in Haran: The family stopped and lived in Haran, where Terah’s life concluded (Genesis 11:31–32).
• Ancestral Background Noted: Remembered as part of Israel’s ancestral past, associated with serving other gods beyond the Euphrates (Joshua 24:2).

Life Lesson & Legacy

Terah’s household transition from Mesopotamia into the landward journey frames the family setting from which Abram’s covenant story begins.

Key Verse

"Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there." — Genesis 11:31, NIV