Page 8 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Student Textbook

It was from this city that God
asked Abram to move his
family to a new promised
land that God would show
him (Genesis 12:1). God
promised Abram a land,
multiple descendants,
blessings, and a “seed” who
would come to be the Savior
of all mankind. In obedience
and faith, Abraham packed
up his goods, and with his
wife, Sarah, and nephew, Lot along with his father, Terah journeyed up the Fertile Crescent finally
arriving in Haran or Harran, a city whose ruins lie within present-day Turkey. Note that there is a large
desert between Abram’s starting point in Ur to his final destination in Shechem. All travelers going to
Egypt had to travel this route.

Haran was a place where Terah and Abram temporarily settled. He lived there until he was 75 years old
before continuing his journey south. Although Abram’s nephew Lot accompanied him to Canaan, other
descents of Terah
remained in the area
where Abraham’s
grandson, Jacob,
sought his parent’s
relatives, namely
Laban, for whom he
worked twenty years in
Haran (Genesis 31:55).
Also Abraham sought a
wife for Isaac from the
family of Nahor, who was his older brother living in Haran (Genesis
11:27-32). So Haran is a significant location on our map in Bible
geography and history!

The ruins of Haran. To the right is a mud-
brick Beehive Village similar to the houses
built there in ancient Haran. Located in
Sanliurfa, Turkey.

Abraham and Ancient Mesopotamia
Abraham was a man of his culture who Yahweh called into a special relationship. As Abraham followed
Yahweh the relationship became closer and he realized Yahweh was not going to allow for Abraham
worshipping other gods. Yahweh made a covenant with Abraham and Abraham responded in faith. We
know from Romans 4 that God credited Abraham’s faith as righteousness and blessed him. Abraham

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