1. Name and Meaning
• Name: Terah (Hebrew: תֶּרַח, Téraḥ)
• Meaning: Possibly “station,” “delay,” or “wanderer”; the name may reflect a life of transition or sojourning, which aligns with his family’s partial migration toward Canaan

2. Genealogical Placement and Lineage Role
• Position: Nineteenth generation from Adam; ninth generation after the flood in the Messianic line
• Father: Nahor – one of the final patriarchs before the covenant with Abraham
• Sons: Abram (Abraham), Nahor (Jr.), and Haran – with Abram carrying forward the Messianic line
• Lineage Role: Transitional patriarch between the post-Babel line and the Abrahamic covenant; father of the one through whom the redemptive promise would be established

3. Life Summary and Historical Setting
• Originated in Ur of the Chaldeans, a major Mesopotamian city known for idolatry and sophistication
• Began a journey toward Canaan but settled in Haran, possibly indicating hesitation or delay (Genesis 11:31)
• Though not described as a man of faith like his son Abram, he appears in the biblical narrative as the generational link just before God’s covenantal breakthrough
• Lifespan: 205 years (Genesis 11:32)

4. Theological and Christological Significance
• Terah represents the final stage in the era of broad genealogical transmission before God’s focus narrows to covenantal engagement with a chosen nation
• Though not a covenant bearer himself, he is essential to the historical and familial setup for God’s redemptive dealings with Abraham
• His role as father to Abraham makes him an indirect but crucial figure in the unfolding lineage of Christ

5. Legacy and Interpretive Reflections
• Referenced consistently in biblical genealogies; distinguished from post-flood patriarchs by his proximity to the Abrahamic call
• May symbolise the transition from cultural religiosity to covenantal faith, as his family moved out of idolatrous Ur (cf. Joshua 24:2)
• Though not a prominent spiritual figure, Terah’s place in salvation history is fixed through his role in birthing the Abrahamic promise

6. Summary Insight
• Terah stands at the threshold of redemptive history, marking the final generational link before the inauguration of God’s covenant with Abraham and the direct ancestral line to Christ.

7. Biblical References
• Genesis 11:24–32
• 1 Chronicles 1:26
• Luke 3:34
• Joshua 24:2