Terah
Pronounced TEH-ruh
- Meaning
- "Station; Wanderer; Delay"
- Origin
- Hebrew
Terah means "station" or "wanderer" in Hebrew. He was the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran — the man who began the journey from Ur of the Chaldees toward Canaan but stopped halfway and settled in the city that bore his son's name: Haran. Joshua 24:2 reveals a startling detail: "Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham... and they served other gods." The father of the great patriarch of faith was himself an idolater in Mesopotamia. Terah set out from Ur toward Canaan — perhaps responding to God's initial call — but settled in Haran and never completed the journey. He lived 205 years and died in Haran. It fell to his son Abraham to complete the journey his father had begun. Terah's story raises the poignant question of unfulfilled calling. He started toward the Promised Land but stopped short. His life is a reminder that beginning a journey of faith is not the same as completing it — and that God sometimes raises up the next generation to finish what their parents started.
Spiritual meaning
Terah started the journey to the Promised Land but settled halfway. His story asks: are we completing our calling, or have we stopped at a comfortable station short of God's full purpose?
Related verses (KJV)
"And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law... and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there."
Genesis 11:31 (KJV) →"Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods."
Joshua 24:2 (KJV) →