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Genesis 15:7
And he said unto him, Iam the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

Nehemiah 9:7
Thouart the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

Acts 7:2-4
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, …

Haran died
Haran's death is significant as it impacts the family structure and future events. Haran was the father of Lot, who later plays a crucial role in the narrative of Genesis, particularly in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Haran's death leaves Lot without a father, which may explain why Lot accompanies Abram (later Abraham) when he leaves Ur. This event foreshadows the importance of family ties and responsibilities in the unfolding biblical narrative.

in his native land
The mention of Haran's native land underscores the connection to his birthplace and cultural roots. This detail is important for understanding the identity and heritage of Terah's family. It also highlights the significance of land and place in the biblical narrative, as the land often represents more than just a physical location; it is tied to identity, promise, and divine purpose.

in Ur of the Chaldeans
Ur of the Chaldeans is identified as Haran's birthplace and the starting point of Abram's journey. Ur was a prominent city in ancient Mesopotamia, known for its advanced civilization and polytheistic worship, particularly of the moon god, Nanna. The reference to the Chaldeans connects the narrative to a specific historical and geographical context, providing insight into the cultural and religious environment from which Abram was called by God. This setting contrasts with the monotheistic faith that Abram would come to embody, highlighting the transformative journey from a land of idolatry to a land of promise.

In Ur of the Chaldees.--Ur-Casdim.A flood of light has been thrown upon this town by the translation of the cuneiform inscriptions, and we may regard it as certain that Ur is now represented by the mounds of the city of Mugheir. When first we read of this city, it was inhabited by a population of Accadians, a Turanian race, sprang probably from an early offshoot of the family of Japheth; but in course of time it was conquered by men of the Semitic family, who from thence overran the whole of Shinar, or Babylonia, and expelled from it the descendants of Cush. Mr. Sayce (Chald. Gen.p. 20) puts this conquest at some very uncertain date, two or three thousand years before Christ; but the establishment of a powerful monarchy under a king named Lig-Bagas, and the consolidation under his sway of several petty kingdoms, into which Chaldea had been previously split up, he places with some confidence at 3,000 years before the Christian era (ibid.,p. 24). Now, there are in our museums inscribed bricks and engraved cylinders actually from the library of Lig-Bagas, and we learn that the Accadian literature was still older; for many of the works found at Agane are translations from it: and thus all those difficulties as to the antiquity of the art of syllabic writing which used to exist when men had nothing better to judge by than Egyptian picture-writing have passed away. Abraham migrated from a town which was then a famous seat of learning, and where even the ordinary transactions of life were recorded on tablets of terra-cotta. Very probably, therefore, he carried with him bricks and cylinders inscribed with these ancient records. We are no longer, therefore, surprised at the striking similarity between the narratives in the Book of Genesis prior to the migration of Abraham and those preserved in the cuneiform inscriptions. But the believer in inspiration cannot fail to be struck also at their dissimilarity. The cuneiform inscriptions are polytheistic, acknowledging twelve superior gods, and of gods inferior a countless multitude. The Semitic race is accused of adding to these a number of goddesses, chief among whom were Beltis, the wife of Bel, and Istar, the planet Venus. Of all this there is no trace in the Biblical records; nor is there in the whole Chaldean literature anything so grand and Divine as the thoughts expressed in the opening words of Genesis: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

As Ur is an Accadian word, we must reject all Semitic interpretations of its meaning; we must further add that Mr. Rawlinson gives reasons for believing that its early importance was due to its being a great maritime emporium (Anc. Mon.,i. 27). It was, we read, a walled town, and the great port for the commerce of the Persian Gulf, while round it lay a marvellously rich country, said to be the original home of the wheat-plant, and famous for its dates and other fruits. Its being called Ur-Casdim, "Ur of the Chaldees," shows that they had already won it from the Accadians when Terah dwelt there. Its subsequent name, Mugheir, probably means "mother of bitumen"--that is, producer of it.

(1) Abram's settlement among them,

(2) the preservation of the nameKesed among his kindred (Genesis 22:22),

(3) the close affinity to a Shemite tongue of the language known to modern philologists as Chaldee, an Arameean dialect differing but slightly from the Syriac (Heeren), and . . .

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