Haran

Haran designates both a person and an important city in the patriarchal narratives. As a person, Haran was the eldest son of Terah and the younger brother of Abraham, the father of Lot and of Milcah (Gen. 11:26–31). He died in Ur of the Chaldees before his father Terah, the first recorded death in the patriarchal genealogies. As a city, Haran (also spelled Charran) was a major commercial center in northwestern Mesopotamia on the Balikh River, a tributary of the Euphrates in what is now southeastern Turkey, where Terah's family settled after leaving Ur (Gen. 11:31–32).

Haran the city was where Terah died and where Abraham received the divine call to continue to Canaan (Gen. 12:1–5; Acts 7:2–4). It was also the home of Abraham's relatives, including Laban, to whom Rebekah belonged (Gen. 24:10) and to whom Jacob fled after deceiving Esau (Gen. 27:43). Haran was a well-attested Assyrian city, an important center of moon-god worship, and a major point on the ancient caravan routes connecting Mesopotamia with the Levant. Assyrian records confirm its prominence, and 2 Kings 19:12 mentions its conquest by Assyria.