Bible Strands
Genesis 11:26
When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text functions as a genealogical and chronological marker within a patriarchal family record, noting a specific point in Terah’s life before the narrative shifts to Abram. It is presented as historical documentation rather than a spoken address.
The words — וַיּוֹלֶד (va/y.Yo.led) translates literally as "and he fathered," marking the biological transition. שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה (shiv.'Im sha.Nah) means "seventy years," establishing the precise age at which this generational shift occurred.
The thread — This lineage marker appears in the broader patriarchal record of Joshua 24:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:26, while its chronological placement directly precedes Abram’s departure at age seventy-five in Genesis 12:4.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to anchor the covenant narrative in a specific historical timeline, demanding attention to divine timing and generational succession without adding interpretive speculation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Cross-references
- Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods.
- Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
- 1 Chronicles 1:26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,
- Genesis 22:20 Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:
- Genesis 29:4 “My brothers,” Jacob asked the shepherds, “where are you from?” “We are from Haran,” they answered.