Bible Encyclopedia: Haran

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

HARAN (1)

ha'-ran (haran):

(1) Son of Terah, younger brother of Abraham and Nahor, and father of Lot (Genesis 11:27). He had two daughters, Milcah and Iscah (Genesis 11:29).

(2) A Gershonite, of the family of Shimei (1 Chronicles 23:9).

HARAN (2)

ha'-ran (charan; Charhran): The city where Terah settled on his departure from Ur (Genesis 11:31 f); whence Abram set out on his pilgrimage of faith to Canaan (Genesis 12:1). It was probably "the city of Nahor" to which Abraham's servant came to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:10). Hither came Jacob when he fled from Esau's anger (Genesis 27:43). Here he met his bride (Genesis 29:4), and in the neighboring pastures he tended the flocks of Laban. It is one of the cities named by Rabshakeh as destroyed by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 19:12 Isaiah 37:12). Ezekiel speaks of the merchants of Haran as trading with Tyre (27:23).

The name appears in Assyro-Babalonian as Charran, which means "road"; possibly because here the trade route from Damascus joined that from Nineveh to Carchemish. It is mentioned in the prism inscription of Tiglath-pileser I. It was a seat of the worship of Sin, the moon-god, from very ancient times. A temple was built by Shalmaneser II. Haran seems to have shared in the rebellion of Assur (763 B.C., the year of the solar eclipse, June 15). The privileges then lost were restored by Sargon II. The temple, which had been destroyed, was rebuilt by Ashurbanipal, who was here crowned with the crown of Sin. Haran and the temple suffered much damage in the invasion of the Umman-Manda (the Medes). Nabuna`id restored temple and city, adorning them on a lavish scale. Near Haran the Parthians defeated and slew Crassus (53 B.C.), and here Caracalla was assassinated (217 A.D.). In the 4th century it was the seat of a bishopric; but the cult of the moon persisted far into the Christian centuries. The chief temple was the scene of heathen worship until the 11th century, and was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th.

The ancient city is represented by the modern Charran to the Southeast of Edessa, on the river Belias, an affluent of the Euphrates. The ruins lie on both sides of the stream, and include those of a very ancient castle, built of great basaltic blocks, with square columns, 8 ft. thick, which support an arched roof some 30 ft. in height. Remains of the old cathedral are also conspicuous. No inscriptions have yet been found here, but a fragment of an Assyrian lion has been uncovered. A well nearby is identified as that where Eliezer met Rebekah.

In Acts 7:2, 4, the King James Version gives the name as Charran.

W. Ewing

Greek

5488. Charran -- Haran, a city in northwest Mesopotamia
... Haran, a city in northwest Mesopotamia. Part of Speech: Proper Noun, Indeclinable
Transliteration: Charran Phonetic Spelling: (khar-hran') Short Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5488.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

2039. Haran -- "mountaineer," a brother of Abram, also an ...
... 2038, 2039. Haran. 2040 . "mountaineer," a brother of Abram, also an Israelite.
Transliteration: Haran Phonetic Spelling: (haw-rawn') Short Definition: Haran ...
/hebrew/2039.htm - 6k

1028. Beth Haran -- Beth-haran
Beth Haran. 1027, 1028. Beth Haran. 1029 . Beth-haran. Transliteration: Beth
Haran Phonetic Spelling: (bayth haw-rawn') Short Definition: Beth-haran. ...
/hebrew/1028.htm - 5k

3252. Yiskah -- a daughter of Haran
... 3251, 3252. Yiskah. 3253 . a daughter of Haran. Transliteration: Yiskah
Phonetic Spelling: (yis-kaw') Short Definition: Iscah. Word ...
/hebrew/3252.htm - 5k

2771. Charan -- "crossroads," a city in N. Mesopotamia
... 2770, 2771. Charan. 2771a . "crossroads," a city in N. Mesopotamia.
Transliteration: Charan Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-rawn') Short Definition: Haran. ...
/hebrew/2771.htm - 5k

2771b. Charan -- son of Caleb
... son of Caleb. Transliteration: Charan Short Definition: Haran. Word Origin from
the same as Charan Definition son of Caleb NASB Word Usage Haran (2). ...
/hebrew/2771b.htm - 5k

2771a. Charan -- "crossroads," a city in N. Mesopotamia
... 2771, 2771a. Charan. 2771b . "crossroads," a city in N. Mesopotamia.
Transliteration: Charan Short Definition: Haran. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/2771a.htm - 5k

1027. Beth Haram -- "house of the height," a place East of the ...
... Word Origin from bayith and perhaps rum Definition "house of the height," a place
E. of the Jordan NASB Word Usage Beth-haram (1), Beth-haran (1). Beth-aram. ...
/hebrew/1027.htm - 6k

Library

Of the Time of the Migration of Abraham, When, According to the ...
... Book XVI. Chapter 15."Of the Time of the Migration of Abraham, When, According
to the Commandment of God, He Went Out from Haran. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 15 of the time of.htm

Of the Years of Terah, who Completed his Lifetime in Haran.
... Book XVI. Chapter 14."Of the Years of Terah, Who Completed His Lifetime
in Haran. On Terah's death in Mesopotamia, where he is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 14 of the years of.htm

Abraham's Four Surrenders
... So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram
was seventy five years old and when he departed out of Haran.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/men of the bible/i abrahams four surrenders.htm

Of the Order and Nature of the Promises of God which were Made to ...
... be blessed." Eusebius thought this promise was made in Abraham's seventy-fifth year,
as if soon after it was made Abraham had departed out of Haran because the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 16 of the order and.htm

An Example of Faith
... So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram
was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/an example of faith.htm

Here Followeth the Life of Abraham
... Then I turn again to Terah which had three sons, which was Abram, Nahor, and
Haran. ... Of Haran came Lot and two daughters, Melcha and Sara. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here followeth the life of.htm

Why, in the Account of Terah's Emigration, on his Forsaking the ...
... Nahor. Next it is related how Terah with his family left the region of the
Chaldeans and came into Mesopotamia, and dwelt in Haran. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 13 why in the account.htm

Of the Era in Abraham's Life from which a New Period in the Holy ...
... Shem, Noah's son, down to Abraham, it then signalizes an era by saying, "These are
the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 12 of the era in.htm

Entire Sanctification in Patriarchal Times.
... And he came out of his native land, it is true, but not yet into the promised land.
"He came to Haran and dwelt there," or to give the record in full, "And ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter iii entire sanctification in.htm

The Story of the Tower of Babel
... and Japheth. Terah, a descendant of Shem, was the father of Abraham, Nahor
and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. Jehovah said ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the story of the tower.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Haran

mountainous country

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Haran

(a mountaineer).

The third son of Terah, and therefore youngest brother of Abram. (Genesis 11:26) (B.C. 1926.) Three children are ascribed to him --Lot, vs. (Genesis 11:27,31) and two daughters, viz., Milcah, who married her uncle Nahor, ver. (Genesis 11:29) and Iscah. ver. (Genesis 11:29) Haran was born in Ur of the Chaldees, and he died there while his father was still living. ver. (Genesis 11:28)
A Gershonite Levite in the time of David, one of the family of Shimei. (1 Chronicles 23:9)
A son of the great Caleb by his concubine Ephah. (1 Chronicles 2:46)
HARAN or CHARRAN, (Acts 7:2,4) name of the place whither Abraham migrated with his family from Ur of the Chaldees, and where the descendants of his brother Nahor established themselves. Comp. (Genesis 24:10) with Genesis27:43 It is said to be in Mesopotamia, (Genesis 24:10) or more definitely in Padan-aram, ch. (Genesis 25:20) the cultivated district at the foot of the hills, a name well applying to the beautiful stretch of country which lies below Mount Masius between the Khabour and the Euphrates. Here, about midway in this district, is a small village still called Harran . It was celebrated among the Romans, under the name of Charrae, as the scene of the defeat of Crassus.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Haran

1. The eldest son of Terah, brother of Abraham, and father of Lot, Milcah, and Iscah. He died before his father Terah, Genesis 11:26 31.

2. An ancient city called in the New Testament Charran, in the northwest part of Mesopotamia. Here, after leaving Ur, Abraham dwelt till is father Terah died; and to this old homestead Isaac sent for a wife, and Jacob fled from the wrath of Esau, Genesis 11:31,32; 12:5; 24:1-67; 27:43; 28:10; 29:4. Haran was ravaged by the Assyrians in the time of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19:12; Isaiah 37:12. Here also Crassus the Roman general was defeated and killed by the Parthiuated on a branch of the Euphrates, in 36 degrees 52- north latitude, and 39 degrees 5- east longitude, in a flat and sandy plain, and is only peopled by a few wandering Arabs, who select it for the delicious water it furnishes.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) Hebrews haran; i.e., "mountaineer." The eldest son of Terah, brother of Abraham and Nahor, and father of Lot, Milcah, and Iscah. He died before his father (Genesis 11:27), in Ur of the Chaldees.

(2.) Hebrews haran, i.e., "parched;" or probably from the Accadian charana, meaning "a road." A celebrated city of Western Asia, now Harran, where Abram remained, after he left Ur of the Chaldees, till his father Terah died (Genesis 11:31, 32), when he continued his journey into the land of Canaan. It is called "Charran" in the LXX. and in Acts 7:2. It is called the "city of Nahor" (Genesis 24:10), and Jacob resided here with Laban (30:43). It stood on the river Belik, an affluent of the Euphrates, about 70 miles above where it joins that river in Upper Mesopotamia or Padan-aram, and about 600 miles northwest of Ur in a direct line. It was on the caravan route between the east and west. It is afterwards mentioned among the towns taken by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 19:12; Isaiah 37:12). It was known to the Greeks and Romans under the name Carrhae.

(3.) The son of Caleb of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:46) by his concubine Ephah.

Thesaurus

Beth-haran (1 Occurrence)
Beth-haran. Bethharan, Beth-haran. Beth-har'an . Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia BETH-HARAN. beth-ha'-ran (beth haran): A ...
/b/beth-haran.htm - 6k

Haran (19 Occurrences)
... (1.) Hebrews haran; ie, "mountaineer." The eldest son of Terah, brother of Abraham
and Nahor, and father of Lot, Milcah, and Iscah. ...HARAN (1). ...
/h/haran.htm - 17k

Terah (12 Occurrences)
... He had three sons, Haran, Nahor, and Abraham, and one daughter, Sarah.
He ... Lot. Nahor settled at Haran, a place on the way to Ur. ...
/t/terah.htm - 13k

Nahor (18 Occurrences)
... He married Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran, and remained in the land of
his nativity on the east of the river Euphrates at Haran (Genesis 11:27-32). ...
/n/nahor.htm - 13k

Abram (48 Occurrences)
... Genesis 11:27 Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became
the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. ...
/a/abram.htm - 21k

Chaldees (13 Occurrences)
... Owing to its nearness to Haran, and because Stephen placed it in Mesopotamia, Urfa
or Oorfa, named Edessa by the Greeks, has also in modern times been ...
/c/chaldees.htm - 15k

Ur (5 Occurrences)
... Light, or the moon city, a city "of the Chaldees," the birthplace of Haran (Genesis
11:28, 31), the largest city of Shinar or northern Chaldea, and the ...
/u/ur.htm - 15k

Rezeph (2 Occurrences)
... Solid; a stone, (2 Kings 19:12; Isaiah 37:12), a fortress near Haran, probably
on the west of the Euphrates, conquered by Sennacherib. Int. ...
/r/rezeph.htm - 9k

Chalde'ans (74 Occurrences)
... Acts 7:4 Then having come forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran,
and from thence, after the death of his father, He did remove him to this ...
/c/chalde'ans.htm - 29k

Settled (112 Occurrences)
... God Most Glorious appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was living in Mesopotamia,
before he settled in Haran, (WEY). ... They came to Haran and lived there. ...
/s/settled.htm - 36k

Bible Concordance

Haran (19 Occurrences)

Acts 7:2 He said, "Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
(WEB WEY ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 7:4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land, where you are now living.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 11:26 Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 11:27 Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 11:28 Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 11:29 Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 11:31 Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 11:32 The days of Terah were two hundred five years. Terah died in Haran.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 12:4 So Abram went, as Yahweh had spoken to him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of Haran.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 12:5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother's son, all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls whom they had gotten in Haran, and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. Into the land of Canaan they came.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 27:43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 28:10 Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 29:4 Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:36 and Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Kings 19:12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 2:46 Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, and Moza, and Gazez; and Haran became the father of Gazez.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 23:9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers' houses of Ladan.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 37:12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 27:23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traffickers of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were your traffickers.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Haran

Haran: A Levite

Haran: Also Called Charran: A Place in Mesopotamia to Which Terah and Abraham Migrated

Haran: Also Called Charran: Abraham Leaves, by Divine Command

Haran: Also Called Charran: Conquest of, King of Assyria

Haran: Also Called Charran: Death of Terah At

Haran: Also Called Charran: Idolatry In

Haran: Also Called Charran: Jacob Flees To

Haran: Also Called Charran: Merchants of

Haran: Also Called Charran: Returns From, With Rachel and Leah

Haran: Father of Lot and Brother of Abraham