Leaving Ur
And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
After providing an overview of Abram’s family, we are told of an important event in Abram’s life—leaving Ur of the Chaldeans. Ur was probably located in southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) on the Euphrates River not far from where the Tigris and Euphrates converge. The ancient city of Ur was located close to the modern Iraqi city of An Nassiriya. Ur was an important urban commercial center of the ancient world. Archaeological excavations have revealed that Ur was an extremely wealthy city that included advanced architectural structures.
Here we read that at least four members of Abram’s immediate family left Ur of the Chaldeans and headed north to Haran en route to Canaan. Abram and his family left Ur and later Haran because God commanded Abram to “get out of your country” (Genesis 12:1, 4; Acts 7:2-4).
Next week, we will examine why God commanded Abram to leave his homeland and the significance it has for us today.
To learn more about the origins of mankind, read our article on Genesis.
Tomorrow on the Daily Bible Verse Blog: “Thanksgiving Day: The Source of America’s Blessings.”
