Haran (Son of Terah)

Biblical Record

Haran appears only in the genealogy of Terah in Genesis 11. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran (Genesis 11:26), and Haran begat Lot (Genesis 11:27). Haran also had two daughters, Milcah and Iscah. Milcah became the wife of her uncle Nahor (Genesis 11:29).

"And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 11:28). This verse is often cited as the first biblical record of a son dying before his father. Scripture does not give the cause of his death. Terah later left Ur to go to Canaan, taking with him his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot (Genesis 11:31).

Significance Within Scripture

Scripture records nothing of Haran's own deeds. Through his children, however, he is connected to the narratives that follow.

• His son Lot set out with Abram (Genesis 12:4-5), and from Lot's descendants came Moab and Ammon (Genesis 19:37-38).
• His daughter Milcah bore Bethuel, whose daughter Rebekah became the wife of Isaac (Genesis 22:20-23; 24:15). Haran was thus Rebekah's great-grandfather.

The New Testament does not mention Haran the person. The "Haran" referred to in Acts 7:2-4 is the name of the place where Abraham dwelt.

Interpretations and Issues

• Distinction from the place name: In Hebrew, the personal name Haran and the place name Haran are distinct words that begin with different letters. The New Korean Revised Version renders both identically as "Haran." Some have explained that the place was named after this person, but the text offers no basis for this.
• Order of the brothers: Interpreters differ on whether the order in Genesis 11:26 reflects the actual birth order. Some, comparing Abram's age (Genesis 12:4) with Terah's age (Genesis 11:32), regard Haran as the firstborn.
• Jewish tradition: Jewish midrash (rabbinic literature that expounds Scripture) tells of Abram being cast into a fire for rejecting idols. In this story, Haran sought to wait for the outcome before choosing a side and was burned to death. The story arises from an interpretation linking "Ur" to a Hebrew word meaning "fire" and is not found in the biblical text. The Talmud and some Jewish commentators also identify Iscah with Sarai, but this too is a tradition the text does not state.
• Others of the same name: The same name also appears for a member of Caleb's family (1 Chronicles 2:46) and for a Levite, a son of Shimei (1 Chronicles 23:9). These are different individuals from the son of Terah.

In the Korean Church

Haran is mentioned mainly when explaining why Lot accompanied Abram: Abram took with him a nephew who had lost his father early. Because the New Korean Revised Version spells the personal name and the place name identically, confusion easily arises in Bible study and in reading through the Bible. For this reason, study materials and commentaries sometimes explain the distinction between the two "Harans."