Nahor

Nahor, Nachor, or Naghor (Heb. נָחֹור Nāḥōr) may refer to three different names in the Hebrew Bible: two biblical people, who were both descendants of Shem, and one biblical place named after one of these descendants.

1. Nahor, son of Serug, whose son was Terah
2. Nahor, son of Terah
3. Nahor, a town in the region of Aram-Naharaim that was named after the son of Terah

Nahor, son of Serug

In Genesis Chapter 11, Nahor is listed as the son of Serug.^[v.22] According to some interpretations, he was born and raised in the Sumerian city-state of Ur on the Euphrates River of lower Mesopotamia, about four Millennia ago.^[1] He lived to be 148 years old ^[v.24,25] and had a son, Terah at the age of 29.^[v.24] He was also the grandfather of Abraham, Nahor II and Haran, all descendants of Shem.^{[v.10,25-27][2]}

Jewish tradition

In Jubilees, Nahor's mother was Milcah daughter of Kaber. Nahor also married 'Iyoska, daughter of Nesteg of the kin of Ur Kasdim, a son of Arpachshad for whom Ur was named.

Nahor, son of Terah

In the account of Terah's family, mentioned in Gen.11:26-32, Nahor II is listed as the son of Terah, amongst two other brothers, Abram and Haran.^[v.26,27] His grandfather was Nahor I, son of Serug. Nahor married the daughter of his brother Haran, Milcah, his niece.^[v.29] They were all born and raised in the city of Ur. When Abram had an encounter with God,^[3] this brother directed his family to leave their native land and go to the land of Canaan. Terah, their father, coordinated the gathering of his family to journey west to their destination.^[v.31] They followed the Euphrates River, with their herds, to the Paddan Aram region. This was about halfway along the Fertile Crescent between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean, in what is now southeastern Turkey.^[4] In this region, Nahor and his family settled except for his brother Haran, who had died sometime ago back in Ur.^[V.28] The city where they settled, Harran, is the place that Nahor's father eventually died.^[V.32]

Nahor II continued his own travels and settled in the region of Aram Naharaim where he founded the town, Nahor.^[Gen.24:10] Here, he had eight sons to Milcah:^{[Gen.22:19-23]}

1. Uz, the firstborn
2. Buz
3. Kemuel
4. Kesed
5. Hazo
6. Pildash
7. Jidlaph
8. Bethuel, father of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac

To his concubine, Reumah, Nahor had these sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.^[Gen.22:24]

Family tree

See also

• Harran, the city the family first settled, is spelled differently in Hebrew, than the family name of Haran.

References

1. ↑ Dorothy Weitz Drummond. Holy Land, Whose Land?: Modern Dilemma, Ancient Roots, 2004. p.75
2. ↑ 1 Chr.1:4,26,27
3. ↑ Acts 7:2-4
4. ↑ Drummond, 2004, p.75
5. ↑ Sarah was the half–sister of Abraham: Geness 20:12
6. ↑ Genesis 22:21-22: Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, and Jidlaph