Who was Nahor in the Bible?
Abraham's brother, in the age of the patriarchs
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 appears in 14 verses across 2 books of the Bible.
The Bible uses the name Nahor for 2 different people. All 2 are below, each with its own passages.
Nahor in Genesis
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.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Nahor in 1 Chronicles 1:26
Nahor, mentioned in Gen.11.22-25, Jos.24.2, 1 Chronicles Jos.1.26, and Luk.3.34, was the son of Serug and the father of Terah. He was the grandfather of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites. According to the genealogical records in Genesis and 1 Chronicles, Nahor was born to Serug when Serug was 30 years old. Nahor himself became the father of Terah at the age of 29 and lived for a total of 148 years. In Jos.24.2, it is mentioned that Terah and his family, including Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and served other gods. This suggests that Nahor and his family were originally polytheistic and not worshippers of the one true God. Nahor's significance in the biblical narrative lies primarily in his role as a direct ancestor of Abraham. His inclusion in the genealogies of Genesis, 1 Chronicles, and Luke demonstrates the importance of tracing the lineage of the patriarchs and establishing the continuity of God's plan through the generations.
5 verses: 1 Chronicles 1:26, Genesis 11:22, Genesis 11:23, Genesis 11:24, Genesis 11:25
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Where does Nahor appear in the Bible?
Nahor is referenced in 14 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- Genesis 11:26
- Genesis 11:27
- Genesis 11:29
- Genesis 22:20
- Genesis 24:10
- Genesis 24:24
- Genesis 24:47
- Genesis 29:5
- Genesis 31:53
Showing the first 9 of 14.
Open all 14 references in ProtosWhat else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Nahor.
Common questions
How many people in the Bible are called Nahor?
Nahor refers to 2 different people in the Bible: Nahor in Genesis; Nahor in 1 Chronicles 1:26.
How many times does the Bible mention Nahor?
Nahor appears in 14 verses across 2 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 13 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Nahor?
Genesis, 1 Chronicles.
Where can I read every verse about Nahor?
This page lists 9 of them. Protos carries all 14, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
