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The World of the Patriarchs“See the Good Land”
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STEPHEN began a famous speech with some geographic facts: “[Jehovah] appeared to our forefather Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, before he took up residence in Haran, and he said to him, ‘Go . . . into the land I shall show you.’” (Ac 7:1-4) This laid a basis for key events in the Promised Land involving Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, events linked to God’s purpose to bless mankind.—Ge 12:1-3; Jos 24:3.
God called Abraham (or, Abram) from Ur of the Chaldeans, a prosperous city then located on the east bank of the Euphrates River. What route would Abraham take? From Chaldea, a region also called Sumer or Shinar, it might seem easy to go due west. Why go way up to Haran?
Ur lay near the eastern end of the Fertile Crescent, a semicircle extending from Palestine to the basin of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This area may formerly have had a more moderate climate. Below the curve of the crescent lay the Syro-Arabian Desert, marked by limestone hills and sandy plains. The Encyclopædia Britannica says that it was “a nearly impenetrable barrier” between the Mediterranean Coast and Mesopotamia. Some caravans might cross from the Euphrates to Tadmor and then to Damascus, but Abraham did not lead his family and herds through such a wilderness.
Rather, Abraham went up the Euphrates River valley to Haran. From there he could follow a trade route to a ford at Carchemish and then head south by Damascus and on to what came to be called the Sea of Galilee. The Via Maris, or “The Way of the Sea,” ran by Megiddo and on to Egypt. However, Abraham traveled through the mountains of Samaria, finally tenting at Shechem. In time, he continued down that highland route. Follow him as you read Genesis 12:8–13:4. Note other places that were part of his varied experience: Dan, Damascus, Hobah, Mamre, Sodom, Gerar, Beer-sheba, and Moriah (Jerusalem).—Ge 14:14-16; 18:1-16; 20:1-18; 21:25-34; 22:1-19.
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The World of the Patriarchs“See the Good Land”
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Abraham’s Travels (see publication)
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