Haran or Aran (Hebrew: הָרָן Hārān)[1] is a man in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.[2] He was a son of Terah, brother of Abraham, and father of son Lot and daughters Milcah and Iscah. He died in Ur of the Chaldees. Through Lot, Haran was the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites.
Haran | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Other names | Aran |
| Children | Lot (son), Milcah (daughter), Iscah (daughter) |
| Parent | Terah (father) |
| Relatives | |
Haran and his family
editTerah, a descendant of Shem son of Noah, was the father of Abram/Abraham, Nahor, and Haran.[3] Their home's location is not certain, but it is usually supposed to have been in Mesopotamia. Besides Lot and Milcah, Haran fathered a daughter Iscah.[4]
After Haran died in Ur of the Chaldees 'before his father Terah', his family travelled towards Canaan, the Promised Land. However, Terah stopped at Charan (or Haran [Hebrew חָרָן, Ḥārān]) and settled there, as did Nahor and Milcah, whereas Lot accompanied Abraham and others onwards to Canaan.[5][6]
Etymology
editThe name Haran possibly comes from the Hebrew word har, = "mountain", with a West Semitic suffix appearing with proper names, anu/i/a.[7] Thus, it has been suggested that Haran may mean "mountaineer".[8] Personal names which resemble Haran include ha-ri and ha-ru, from texts of second millennium BC Mari and Alalakh, and ha-ar-ri, from one of the Amarna letters—but their meanings are uncertain.[9][10][11] The initial element of Haran can be found in the Phoenician personal name hr-b`l, and also in the Israelite personal name hryhw from Gibeon.[11]
Others called Haran
editHaran is the English name of two other people mentioned in the Bible.
- Haran, son of Caleb (Hebrew: חָרָן – Ḥārān) (1Chronicles 2:46).
- Haran, son of Shimei (Hebrew: הָרָן – Hārān). He was a Levite who lived in the time of David and Solomon (1Chronicles 23:1–9).
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Freedman, Meyers & Beck. Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible ISBN 978-0-8028-2400-4, 2000, p.551
- ^ Genesis 11:27–32
- ^ Genesis 11:10–27
- ^ Genesis 11:29
- ^ Genesis 11:28–12:5
- ^ Eerdmans dictionary, p. 997
- ^ D. Sivan, Grammatical Analysis and Glossary of the Northwest Semitic Vocables in Akkadian Texts of the 15th–13th C., BC from Canaan and Syria, 1984, p.97–98
- ^ A Dictionary of the Bible: Dealing with its Language, Vol. 1, 1899, p.301
- ^ H. Huffmon, Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Archives: A Structural and Lexical Study, 1965, p.204
- ^ D. Sivan, Grammatical Analysis of Northwest Semitic Vocables, p. 222
- ^ a b Alexander & Baker. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, 2002, p. 380