Genesis 11:32Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It would also be illogical to assert that within the lineages meticulously recorded, where each individual’s years are specified, Terah’s years would be the single exception omitted. When years are not provided in the sacred texts, it pertains only to those that are outside this specific lineage structure. The genealogical records from Adam to Noah, and from Noah to Abraham, ensure that every individual is mentioned alongside their respective lifespan. This speaks to the faithfulness of God’s plan.

When Abraham reached adulthood, his father arranged for his marriage, selecting a beautiful bride from his own kin. Initially named Sarai, she was later called Sarah by God, as she mirrored her husband’s faith and virtues. Her faith is honored by the Apostle Paul (Hebrews 11:11), while St. Peter holds her up as a paragon for wives, noting her purity, meekness, and obedience (1 Peter 3:6). This righteous couple, Abraham and Sarah, were exceptionally united in both body and spirit, distinguished like thorns among thorns, sparks amid ashes, and like gold within refuse. Despite the widespread idolatry and ungodliness of their contemporaries, they maintained their knowledge and belief in the one true God, serving Him faithfully and engaging in righteous deeds. They proclaimed His holy name and educated others in His ways. Consequently, God guided them on a journey from Chaldea to Harran, from Harran to Canaan, from Canaan to Egypt, and back to Canaan, with the intention of making His name known among the unfaithful Gentiles, thereby glorifying His greatness.

In those times, Abraham and Sarah were vessels chosen by God, proclaiming His name before nations and rulers. For subsequent generations, their holy lives serve as a cornerstone of faith, an exemplary standard of righteousness, and a guide for godly conduct. This is why the Lord, in the prophecy of Isaiah, urged the wayward Jewish people toward correction, presenting Abraham and Sarah as models, saying, “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you” (Isaiah 51:2). Here, the Lord encourages His people to emulate the faith and lives of Abraham and Sarah.

Some writers and scholars of Sacred Scripture suggest that Abraham was the youngest of Terah’s sons, despite his prominent mention in the Scriptures. They propose that Arran was the eldest, followed by Nahor, then Abraham by another wife, with Sarah viewed as the daughter of Arran. Arran had three children: Lot, his son, and Melchah and Eschah, his daughters. The Scriptures reveal, “And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah” (Genesis 11:29). Some interpreters identify Eschah as Sarah, named so by Abraham. Melchah married Nahor, while Abraham married Eschah.

Abraham gave Sarah the name meaning 'mistress' in Hebrew as an expression of honor, as he recognized her deference to him, affirming her as his master. Though Abraham had originally married Eschah, whom God later named Sarah, it becomes evident that he was younger than Arran since he was merely a decade older than Sarah, as shown in Genesis 17:17, where Abraham asks God, “Shall a son be born to him who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” If he were truly elder to his brothers, this would imply he was significantly older than Sarah.

The natural order would not permit younger brothers to marry before their elders. During the time Arran raised his daughter Sarah to marriageable age, Abraham had yet to marry her. Thus, it is evident that Arran was older, followed by Nahor, and finally Abraham as the youngest. Despite Saint Moses’s narrative placing Abraham first among Terah’s sons, this was done to emphasize his faith and righteous life, particularly since the promised Messiah would descend from him.

Abraham's faith developed at the age of twenty-four as he began to recognize the true God residing in heaven, who governs all things. His understanding of the Creator frequently stemmed from reflections on nature. His knowledge was rooted in the teachings of his forefathers about the universe and its wonders, despite their foolishness in worshiping idols instead of the Creator. Abraham was troubled by these practices and, seeking truth, pondered the origins of everything.

One night, as he gazed upon the star-studded sky, the divine light of knowledge illuminated his understanding, and according to George Kedrin, an angel guided him in this realization. Although he endeavored to share this revelation with his family, he encountered resistance, finding only his wife Sarah sharing his faith. In his sixtieth year, seeing his inability to convert any others from idolatry, Abraham felt compelled to act. He stealthily ignited the temple of idols. The ensuing chaos roused his brothers, who rushed to salvage the idols. Tragically, Arran, in his zealous protection of the idols, was gravely burned during the incident and died, marking him as the first to die before his parents in their lineage.

It is recounted that the Chaldeans were enraged by Abraham’s actions and attempted to burn him as punishment; however, he emerged unharmed from the flames, an event that led Farrah, his father, to recognize the true God and discard the idols in favor of worshiping the Lord alongside Abraham. Following this, God appeared to Abraham, issuing a command to leave the land of his birth, as noted by the first martyr Stephen: “The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelled in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee” (Acts 7:2-3).

Upon receiving this divine charge, Abraham convinced Farrah to depart from the land of idolatry due to the animosity they faced in their city because of their worship of the one true God. Farrah, along with Abraham, Lot (Harran’s son), and Sarah, who would become Abraham's wife, set out for Canaan, while Nahor remained with the idolaters. After reaching Harran, Farrah chose to settle there due to his advanced age and weariness, eventually passing away at the age of two hundred and five. Nahor arrived in Harran shortly before Farrah's passing, and together with Abraham, they buried their father. Following this event, Nahor remained in Harran with his family, yet neither he nor his descendants turned from idol worship, as illustrated by his grandson Laban’s later actions.