Haran

Haran

Haran

Biblical character


Haran or Aran (Hebrew: הָרָן Hārān)[3] is a man in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.[4] He died in Ur of the Chaldees, was a son of Terah, and brother of Abraham. Through his son Lot, Haran was the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Haran and his family

Terah, a descendant of Shem son of Noah, was the father of Abram/Abraham, Nahor, and Haran.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7][8]

Etymology

The name Haran possibly comes from the Hebrew word har, = "mountain", with a West Semitic suffix appearing with proper names, anu/i/a.[9] Thus, it has been suggested that Haran may mean "mountaineer".[10] 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.[11][12][13] 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.[13]

Others called Haran

Haran is the English name of two other people mentioned in the Bible.

See also


References

  1. Freedman, Meyers & Beck. Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible ISBN 978-0-8028-2400-4, 2000, p.551
  2. Eerdmans dictionary, p. 997
  3. 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
  4. A Dictionary of the Bible: Dealing with its Language, Vol. 1, 1899, p.301
  5. H. Huffmon, Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Archives: A Structural and Lexical Study, 1965, p.204
  6. D. Sivan, Grammatical Analysis of Northwest Semitic Vocables, p. 222
  7. Alexander & Baker. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, 2002, p. 380

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