‘And Sarai was barren. She had no child.'
The matter is stated quite starkly to explain why no information is given as to Abram's seed. Abram and Sarai stood out from the others in that they had no children, which in those days was a matter of great grief and shame. It also caused problems in the matter of inheritance (15:3). It is quite possible that this was seen by his family as being the result of Abram not worshipping the family gods. But the writer clearly has future events in mind. The starkness here brings out the wonderful joy when this is at last remedied.
‘And Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go into the land of Canaan. And they came to Haran and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years. And Terah died in Haran.'
The repetition of detail is typical of ancient narrative. The description of Sarai is interesting. Not Terah's daughter but his daughter-in-law. She was childless! How deeply this was felt. Not even her outstanding beauty could make up for that. Alternatively it may stress her status, not just a daughter but the wife of Abram. Haran is well attested to as an ancient city existing well before this time and being on a regular trading route.
We do not know what caused Terah to determine to go to Canaan. Was it the constant urging of his son Abram who had received a divine command (Genesis 12:1)? But when they arrived at Haran Terah decided to stay. Perhaps it was too nice a place to leave, or perhaps it resulted from his zeal for the moon god. So he exercised his authority as ‘prince' of the family. Thus they settled down there and made it their home to such an extent that it was later looked on as their motherland (Genesis 24:4; Genesis 29:4).
We are not told at this stage what Nahor did, but certainly later he is found at Haran. The writer is not concerned with the motives and doings of Terah and Nahor. His thoughts are centred on Abram. For the covenant around which the document is written (Genesis 12:1-3), which is the reason for the writing of the record, is with Abram.
“And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years. And Terah died in Haran”. Such is the detail of Terah's life. He bore children and he died. He never reached Canaan, never even realised what he was missing, - to be a part in the greatest adventure of all time, the beginning of the long history of salvation, and to miss out. How easy it is to fail to recognise our opportunity! But the days in Haran were beneficial to Abram for he established his independence and built up his own family tribe and wealth (Genesis 12:5). When it seems to us that God's plans for us have come to a stop we must take the opportunities that are on our doorstep.