Haran | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | |
Other names | Aran |
Children | Lot (son), Milcah (daughter), Iscah (daughter) |
Parent | Terah (father) |
Relatives |
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.
Terah, a descendant of Shem son of Noah, was the father of Abram/Abraham, Sarai/Sarah, 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]
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]
Haran is the English name of two other people mentioned in the Bible.