Keraia
Genesis 11

Genesis 11:30

Terah’s Descendants · Genesis 11:27–32
Read Genesis 11

Translations

Modern
But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
Traditional
But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Literal
And Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Latin
Erat autem Sarai sterilis, nec habebat liberos.

Original

Hebrew
English
But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

Notes

Genesis 11:30

Sarai, Rebekah, and Rachel could not have children at first (25:21; 29:31). Sarai’s case especially shows the tension between what people could see and what God had promised. God had promised to make Abram into a great nation (12:2).

Israel began through women who could not bear children. This shows that Israel existed because of God’s power and choice. God gave children to women who were barren (unable to have children), as these passages also show (see also 1 Samuel 1:2; 2:5; Psalm 113:9; Isaiah 54:1).

Genesis 11:27–32

This brief section provides a complete summary of Terah’s life and accounts for his other sons and their marriages. It also introduces Lot, Abram’s nephew, who later played an important role. The ancestors, including Terah and his family, were idolatrous, worshiping other gods in Mesopotamia (Joshua 24:2).

Theme notes and profiles

Abraham Lot Sarah Infertility Symbolic Numbers

People

Sarah: Wife of Abraham; mother of Isaac

Glossary

Abraham Architecture Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Chronology of the Bible (Old Testament) Ebla Tablets Genealogy Genesis, Book of Haran (Person) Land Lot Man Mesopotamia Nations Patriarchs, Period of the Ur (Place)

Topics

Genealogy: To Abraham Haran: Father of Lot and Brother of Abraham Sarah: Also Called Sarai: Wife of Abraham Terah: The Father of Abraham