Abraham's brother living at the time of the Patriarchs
Nahor, the son of Terah and brother of Abraham, was the father of Bethuel and the grandfather of Rebekah.
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Nahor, mentioned in Genesis 11, 22, 24, 29, and 31, was the son of Terah and the brother of Abraham and Haran. He was born in Ur of the Chaldeans and later settled in the city of Nahor, which was likely named after him.
Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran, and together they had eight children, including Bethuel, who became the father of Rebekah (Gen.22.20-23). Rebekah would later marry Isaac, Abraham's son, thus continuing the lineage of the patriarchs.
When Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac, the servant traveled to the city of Nahor and met Rebekah at the well (Gen.24.10). Rebekah's family connection to Nahor and Abraham was confirmed when she identified herself as Bethuel's daughter and Nahor's granddaughter (Gen.24.15, 24, 47).
Later, when Israel (or 'Jacob'), Rebekah's son, fled from his brother Esau, he sought refuge with Laban, Rebekah's brother, in the city of Nahor (Gen.29.5). This shows that Nahor's descendants maintained close ties with Abraham's family.
In Gen.31.53, when Jacob and Laban made a covenant, they invoked the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor as witnesses, suggesting that Nahor and his descendants had come to acknowledge the God of Abraham.
Nahor's role in the biblical narrative is primarily as a link in the lineage of the patriarchs, connecting Abraham to the subsequent generations. His descendants, particularly Rebekah and her family, play a crucial role in the continuation of the covenant promises made to Abraham.
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11 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H5152
When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abramʼs wife was named Sarai, and Nahorʼs wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:
And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abrahamʼs brother Nahor.
Then the servant took ten of his masterʼs camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahorʼs hometown in Aram-naharaim.
Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abrahamʼs brother Nahor.
She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”
Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
“Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.
May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.