Bible Strands
Genesis 11:29
And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records family movements immediately following Haran’s death in Ur of the Chaldeans, documenting the marriage arrangements of Abram and his brother Nahor.
The words — נָשִׁ֑ים (na.Shim) translates literally to “wives,” and שָׂרָ֔י (sa.Rai) identifies Abram’s spouse by her given name.
The thread — The verse introduces Sarai, whose name later becomes Sarah in Genesis 17:15, and Milcah, who later bears sons to Nahor in Genesis 22:20, while Genesis 20:12 clarifies Sarai’s half-sibling relationship to Abram.
Why it lands — The text establishes the familial framework and marital connections that drive the subsequent covenant narrative, requiring the reader to track how these named individuals function within God’s unfolding lineage.
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 Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.
- Genesis 22:20 Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:
- Genesis 20:12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife.
- Genesis 24:15 Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.