Gen. 11:, 101 years after the flood, and 121 years after Peleg, was born Terah the father

of Abraham.

Terah's generation comes central in the book of Genesis. On the one side we have the

generations of the heavens and earth, Adam, Noah, the sons of Noah, and Shem. On the

other side we have the generations of Ishmael, Isaac, Esau, the sons of Esau, and Jacob.

Terah is the link between the "nations" and the "nation". Strangely, Abram has no

separate generation, but has his line traced under the generations of Terah. While the

genealogy from Terah to Abram is exceedingly brief, the section covered by these

generations is very full, extending to Gen. 25: 11.  Terah has three sons, Abram,

Nahor, and Haran. Abram marries his half sister Sarai; Nahor marries his niece Milcah,

the daughter of his brother Haran, and becomes the grandfather of Rebekah. Lot was

brother to Milcah.

Gen. 11: 28 tells us that Ur of the Chaldees was the land of Haran's nativity, while

verse 31 shows that Abram dwelt there also. The Hebrew name of this city is

Ur-Kasdim. Hommel has shown that the name, like many others, has changed with time.

From the 9th century onwards Kasdim was Kaldu, which gives the Greek word Chaldaioi,

Chaldeans, before that, as early as the second millennium B.100:, in fact to the very time of

Abraham, and the dynasty of Khammurabi. This city, Ur of the Chaldees, was at the time

of Abraham a centre of learning, science, art, and wealth, even to the point of luxury. All

this has been discovered from the monuments and remains of the great city.

It is of great importance that we remember that it was not Abram's ordinary mode of

life to dwell in a tent. He was not by upbringing and choice a nomad; he was a citizen of

no mean city. The fact therefore that Abram chose to leave this city behind, and become

a stranger and a pilgrim, is an evidence of faith, and becomes an example of enduring

hardships for Christ's sake. With all the light and learning of Ur of the Chaldees there

was darkness and ignorance of the true God.

So again when Laban and Jacob made their covenant, Laban sware by

Idolatry had reached a high pitch by the time Abram was born. An elaborate ritual

and priesthood, with altar, sacrifice, and temple. With gods many and lords many, with

awful magical rites and powers, and a definite league with evil spirits had enveloped the

earth a with a pall. Into this mire and corruption descended the God of grace, and led

Abram forth to make of him the father of the faithful and the friend of God. Abram

therefore stand out in the page of history as a kind of firstfruits, a pledge of the blessing

yet to be realized.

The nations of the earth had been given up by God as a retribution for turning away

from Himself, and for instituting idolatry. He might have left them to perish with their