Died Ur Kaśdim Siblings Abraham, Nahor | Parents Terah | |
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Children Lot, Milcah, Iscah, Lot in Islam Similar | ||
Haran or Aran (Hebrew: הָרָן, Modern: Hārān) is a man in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. He died in Ur of the Chaldees (Ur Kaśdim), was a son of Terah, and brother of Abraham. Through his son Lot, Haran was the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites, and through his daughter Milcah he was ancestral to the Aramaeans.
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Haran and his family
Terah, a descendant of Shem son of Noah, was the father of Abram/Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. 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.
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) and settled there, as did Nahor and Milcah, whereas Lot accompanied Abraham and others onwards to Canaan.>
According to Christianity, as a descendant of David, Jesus is a descendant of Haran through David's great-grandmother Ruth, a Moabitess and hence a descendant of Lot. Solomon's wife Naamah, mother of Rehoboam and ancestress to all of Judah's subsequent kings, was an Ammonitess and thus also descended from Haran.
Etymology
The name Haran possibly comes from the Hebrew word har, = "mountain", with a West Semitic suffix appearing with proper names, anu/i/a. Thus, it has been suggested that Haran may mean "mountaineer". 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. 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.
Others called Haran
Haran is the name of two other people mentioned in the Bible.