A town on the Euphrates River in southern Mesopotamia, where Abraham and his family used to live before moving to Haran.
About Ur (Town)
Hometown of Terah, the father of Abraham, and the birthplace of Abraham and Sarah. It is mentioned by name only four times in the Bible (Gn 11:28, 31; 15:7; Neh 9:7), always with the full name “Ur of the Chaldeans.”
The modern site is known as Tell el Muqayyar, “The Mound of Bitumen.” The results of archaeological investigations demonstrate that Abraham came from a great city, cultured, sophisticated, and powerful. The landscape was dominated by the ziggurat, or temple tower, and the life of the city was controlled by a religion with a multiplicity of gods. The chief deity was Nannar, or Sin, the moon god, who was also worshiped at Haran. Near his ziggurat was a temple dedicated to his consort, the moon goddess, Ningal.
Key References
And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.
During his father Terah’s lifetime, Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
All Scripture References (4)
Genesis (3)
During his father Terah’s lifetime, Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.
The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Nehemiah (1)
You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.