Haran | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | |
Other names | Aran |
Children | Lot (son), Milcah (daughter), Iscah (daughter) |
Parent | Terah (father) |
Relatives |
Haran or Aran (Hebrew: הָרָן Hārān)[1] is a man in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.[2] He was a son of Terah, brother of Abraham, and father of son Lot and daughters Milcah and Iscah. He died in Ur of the Chaldees. Through Lot, Haran was the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites.
Terah, a descendant of Shem son of Noah, was the father of Abram/Abraham, Nahor, and Haran.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5][6]
The name Haran possibly comes from the Hebrew word har, = "mountain", with a West Semitic suffix appearing with proper names, anu/i/a.[7] Thus, it has been suggested that Haran may mean "mountaineer".[8] 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.[9][10][11] 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.[11]
Haran is the English name of two other people mentioned in the Bible.