15 Facts About Terah

Terah or Terach is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis.

Terah is listed as the son of Nahor and father of the patriarch Abraham.

Terah is said to have had three sons: Abram, Haran, and Nahor II, and one daughter: Sarai.

Terah's grandchildren were Lot, Milcah and Iscah, whose father, Haran, had died at Ur.

Terah set out for Canaan but stopped in the city of Haran along the way, where he died.

Genesis 11:26 states that Terah lived 70 years, "and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran".

Terah then brought his unruly son before Nimrod, who threw him into a fiery furnace, yet Abram miraculously escaped.

The Zohar says that when God saved Abram from the furnace, Terah repented and Rabbi Abba B Kahana said that God assured Abram that his father Terah had a portion in the World to Come.

Terah left Abram to mind the store while he departed.

When Terah returned, he demanded that Abram explain what he'd done.

Terah is identified as the person who arranged and led the family to embark on a mysterious journey to Canaan.

In Jewish tradition, when Terah died at age 205, Abraham was already 135 years old.

The significance of Terah not reaching Canaan was a reflection of his character, a man who was unable to go "all the way".

Some commentators said: Terah's, had two names: Azar and Terah, as Al-Tabari narrated in Jami' al-Bayan with his chain of transmission on the authority of Saeed bin Abdul Aziz.

Terah is portrayed by Vittorio Gassman in the film Abraham.