וַיִּקַּ֨ח תֶּ֜רַח אֶת־אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנֹ֗ו וְאֶת־לֹ֤וט בֶּן־הָרָן֙ בֶּן־בְּנֹ֔ו וְאֵת֙ שָׂרַ֣י כַּלָּתֹ֔ו אֵ֖שֶׁת אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנֹ֑ו וַיֵּצְא֨וּ אִתָּ֜ם מֵא֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֗ים לָלֶ֨כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ עַד־חָרָ֖ן וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃
(Genesis 11:31)
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son; and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Kenaʿan, and they came to Ḥaran and settled there.
Genesis 11:31 stands as a grammatical and theological threshold in the biblical narrative. It closes the genealogical line of Shem and opens the door to the patriarchal story that will define Israel’s covenant identity. Through carefully chosen Hebrew forms, particularly the wayyiqtol verbs, prepositions of motion, and construct relationships — the verse encodes a story not only of human migration but of divine redirection. What begins as Terah’s journey will ultimately become Abram’s calling.
The Opening Movement: וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח
- וַיִּקַּח: Qal wayyiqtol 3ms of לקח, “and he took.” This form marks sequential narrative action, introducing a new stage of movement.
- תֶּרַח: Subject, “Terah.”
The wayyiqtol form (preterite with conjunctive waw) serves as the heartbeat of Hebrew prose. It signals progression: Terah becomes the narrative agent. Though Abram’s faith journey is central to later chapters, this verse establishes that divine history often begins in ordinary initiative. Terah “takes” — a verb of leadership, intent, and decision — setting motion to a divine story that will soon transcend his grasp.
Enumerating the Travelers: The Direct Object Chain
The verse presents three direct objects, linked by the particle אֵת (“[the] object marker”), forming a syntactic rhythm typical of genealogical narrative:
- אֶת־אַבְרָם בְּנֹו — “Abram his son.”
- וְאֶת־לֹט בֶּן־הָרָן בֶּן־בְּנֹו — “and Lot, the son of Haran, his grandson.”
- וְאֵת שָׂרַי כַּלָּתֹו אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם בְּנֹו — “and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son.”
The repetition of בְּנֹו (“his son”) and בֶּן־בְּנֹו (“his grandson”) constructs a linguistic ladder of descent and relational order. Each phrase defines both family structure and narrative role. The coordination by וְ (“and”) creates a slow, deliberate rhythm — mirroring the way genealogical lists build identity through repetition.
The Departure: וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים
- וַיֵּצְאוּ: Qal wayyiqtol 3mp of יצא, “and they went out.” The plural subject includes Terah’s household.
- אִתָּם: Preposition + suffix (3mp), “with them.”
- מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים: “from Ur of the Chaldeans.”
The motion away from Ur, a prosperous city of Mesopotamia, marks the first physical exodus in Scripture. The preposition מִן (“from”) introduces separation, both spatial and symbolic: leaving culture, lineage, and security. This linguistic detail foreshadows the later command to Abram in Genesis 12:1, “Go from your country” (לֶךְ־לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ). The grammar thus anticipates divine initiative within human action.
Purpose and Direction: לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן
- לָלֶכֶת: Infinitive construct of הלך with prefix לְ, “to go.” Expresses purpose or intent.
- אַרְצָה: Noun אֶרֶץ with directional he (“toward the land”).
- כְּנַעַן: Proper noun, “Kenaʿan.”
The infinitive construct with לְ conveys intention — the journey has an envisioned goal. The directional he on אַרְצָה intensifies motion: not just “the land,” but “toward the land.” Grammatically, this phrase is a purpose clause; theologically, it encodes destiny. The goal of Kenaʿan transforms a mere migration into a covenantal trajectory. Every morpheme points forward — to a land yet unpossessed, promised but unseen.
Arrival and Pause: וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־חָרָן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם
- וַיָּבֹאוּ: Qal wayyiqtol 3mp of בוא, “and they came.”
- עַד־חָרָן: Preposition עַד (“as far as”) marks boundary or limit.
- וַיֵּשְׁבוּ: Qal wayyiqtol 3mp of ישׁב, “and they settled.”
- שָׁם: Adverb, “there.”
The paired verbs וַיָּבֹאוּ … וַיֵּשְׁבוּ form the archetypal Hebrew travel pattern: arrival followed by settlement. Yet עַד signals incompletion — “as far as Haran,” not the goal itself. The journey pauses, suspended between calling and fulfillment. The grammatical limit mirrors a theological one: human initiative reaches only “as far as” it can; divine command must finish the path.
Parsing Table of Key Forms
Form | Parsing | Literal Sense | Grammatical Insight |
---|---|---|---|
וַיִּקַּח | Qal wayyiqtol 3ms of לקח | “and he took” | Initiating verb of the narrative sequence |
וַיֵּצְאוּ | Qal wayyiqtol 3mp of יצא | “and they went out” | Collective departure from Ur; verb of separation |
לָלֶכֶת | Infinitive construct of הלך with לְ | “to go” | Expresses purpose — movement toward a goal |
וַיָּבֹאוּ … וַיֵּשְׁבוּ | Qal wayyiqtol 3mp sequence | “and they came … and they settled” | Standard Hebrew travel formula: arrival → settlement |
עַד־חָרָן | Preposition + proper noun | “as far as Haran” | Marks boundary or halting point |
Masoretic Balance and Narrative Design
The verse divides into three balanced clauses: (1) Terah takes (initiation), (2) they depart (movement), and (3) they arrive and settle (interruption). This tripartite structure corresponds to the Masoretic rhythm of the verse, creating natural pauses in oral recitation. The symmetry underscores the theological point: the journey begins in human will but concludes in divine delay.
Theological Implication: A Journey Interrupted
The prepositions that shape the narrative — מִן (“from”), לְ (“to”), and עַד (“as far as”) — describe movement that is directional but incomplete. Each indicates transition, not arrival. Terah’s story ends “as far as Haran,” suspended in anticipation. Only in Genesis 12:1 does divine speech break the silence: לֶךְ־לְךָ (“Go for yourself”) — a command that finishes what human initiative began. The syntax of Genesis 11:31, therefore, is not merely descriptive; it is theological. Grammar becomes geography, and geography becomes revelation.
The Hinge of Redemptive History
Genesis 11:31 stands as a hinge between the genealogical history of humanity and the covenantal history of faith. Through its wayyiqtol progression, construct phrases, and directional prepositions, the verse narrates both motion and limitation — humanity’s striving and divine redirection. Terah’s halted pilgrimage becomes the prologue to Abram’s obedient journey. The story pauses in grammar, waiting for the Word of YHWH to complete it. Thus, in this single verse, Hebrew syntax reveals the pulse of redemptive history: intention, interruption, and divine continuation.