Gen 11:31-32 | TNotes | STEP | 11:31 Terah took: The text is clear that Abram’s departure from Ur was prompted by God’s calling (see study note on 11:28), but the event is described from Terah’s perspective, in keeping with the patriarchy of ancient Near Eastern culture. This cultural deference to the oldest male is evidently why Abram did not continue on to Canaan by himself at this time (see Acts 7:2-4 ). • Haran was 550 miles northwest of Ur, near the Syrian-Turkish border. Despite the similar name, there is no connection with Terah’s son Haran, who had died in Ur (11:28 ). • Haran means “caravan.” Ancient commercial routes converged there, making it a key site for trade. • Haran was also well known for the moon worship to which Terah’s family was apparently devoted (see study note on 11:29). Profile: Lot Lot was Abraham’s nephew and the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites. Like Abraham, Lot was born in Ur and accompanied Terah to Haran (Gen 11:27-32 ). After Terah’s death, he joined Abraham in journeying to Canaan and Egypt. When Lot and Abraham returned from Egypt to Canaan, their flocks and herds grew too numerous for them to live together, so Abraham gave Lot his choice of land on which to settle. Lot chose the fertile plain of the Jordan that was like “the garden of the Lord ” (Gen 13:10 ), and eventually he took up residence in Sodom. Lot’s increasing involvement with the completely corrupt cities of the plain compromised him. While Lot lived in Sodom, four Mesopotamian kings defeated the kings of five towns in the area; in the subsequent plundering, they carried off Lot, his family, and his possessions (Gen 14:1-12 ). When word of this reached Abraham, he launched a rearguard action against the invaders and recovered the prisoners and property (14:13-16 ). Because of the wickedness of Sodom and the neighboring city of Gomorrah, God decided to destroy these towns. He sent two angelic visitors to Lot in Sodom to encourage his departure from the doomed city (Gen 19:1-15 ). The city’s depravity became even more evident in an attempted homosexual attack on the visitors. Lot’s willingness to sacrifice his daughters, along with his reluctance to leave Sodom, shows how corrupt and compromised he had become. No one but his immediate family accompanied him, and his wife was destroyed when she turned back in disobedience. Soon after the destruction of Sodom, Lot’s daughters, despairing of having no husbands, got Lot drunk enough to have sexual relations with them. Their two sons, Moab and Ben-ammi, were ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites (Gen 19:30-38 ), two nations that became inveterate enemies of Israel (see Deut 23:3-6 ). Despite Lot’s waywardness, Peter declares that Lot was a “righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day” (see 2 Pet 2:6-9 ). This analysis of Lot may stem from Jewish interpretive tradition, as it is difficult to see in the Genesis account. Passages for Further Study Gen 11:27 , 31 ; 12:4-5 ; 13:1-14 ; 14:12-16 ; 19:1-38 ; Deut 2:9 , 17-19 ; Ps 83:4-8 ; Luke 17:28-33 ; 2 Pet 2:6-9

11:31 ^a Terah took: The text is clear that Abram’s departure from Ur was prompted by God’s calling (see study note on 11:28), but the event is described from Terah’s perspective, in keeping with the patriarchy of ancient Near Eastern culture. This cultural deference to the oldest male is evidently why Abram did not continue on to Canaan by himself at this time (see Acts 7:2-4 ^b).

• Haran was 550 miles northwest of Ur, near the Syrian-Turkish border. Despite the similar name, there is no connection with Terah’s son Haran, who had died in Ur (11:28 ^c).

• Haran means “caravan.” Ancient commercial routes converged there, making it a key site for trade.

• Haran was also well known for the moon worship to which Terah’s family was apparently devoted (see study note on 11:29).

Profile: Lot
Lot was Abraham’s nephew and the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites. Like Abraham, Lot was born in Ur and accompanied Terah to Haran (Gen 11:27-32 ^d). After Terah’s death, he joined Abraham in journeying to Canaan and Egypt.
When Lot and Abraham returned from Egypt to Canaan, their flocks and herds grew too numerous for them to live together, so Abraham gave Lot his choice of land on which to settle. Lot chose the fertile plain of the Jordan that was like “the garden of the Lord” (Gen 13:10 ^e), and eventually he took up residence in Sodom. Lot’s increasing involvement with the completely corrupt cities of the plain compromised him.
While Lot lived in Sodom, four Mesopotamian kings defeated the kings of five towns in the area; in the subsequent plundering, they carried off Lot, his family, and his possessions (Gen 14:1-12 ^f). When word of this reached Abraham, he launched a rearguard action against the invaders and recovered the prisoners and property (14:13-16 ^g).
Because of the wickedness of Sodom and the neighboring city of Gomorrah, God decided to destroy these towns. He sent two angelic visitors to Lot in Sodom to encourage his departure from the doomed city (Gen 19:1-15 ^h). The city’s depravity became even more evident in an attempted homosexual attack on the visitors. Lot’s willingness to sacrifice his daughters, along with his reluctance to leave Sodom, shows how corrupt and compromised he had become. No one but his immediate family accompanied him, and his wife was destroyed when she turned back in disobedience. Soon after the destruction of Sodom, Lot’s daughters, despairing of having no husbands, got Lot drunk enough to have sexual relations with them. Their two sons, Moab and Ben-ammi, were ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites (Gen 19:30-38 ⁱ), two nations that became inveterate enemies of Israel (see Deut 23:3-6 ^j). Despite Lot’s waywardness, Peter declares that Lot was a “righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day” (see 2 Pet 2:6-9 ^k). This analysis of Lot may stem from Jewish interpretive tradition, as it is difficult to see in the Genesis account.

Passages for Further Study
Gen 11:27 ^l, 31 ^m; 12:4-5 ⁿ; 13:1-14 ^o; 14:12-16 ^p; 19:1-38 ^q; Deut 2:9 ^r, 17-19 ^s; Ps 83:4-8 ^t; Luke 17:28-33 ^u; 2 Pet 2:6-9 ^v