01 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER I. Where Lot was born - His Ancestors and Relatives - Their Removal to Haran - Journey to Canaan - To Egypt - Thence back to Canaan - Remarks.

Lot, the relative and friend of Abraham, was born in Ur of the Chaldees, as the Scriptures call it; but where Ur was situated, exactly, is not known. It was, however, several hundred miles eastward, or north-eastward of Canaan or Palestine, probably in what now constitutes a part of Persia, though at that time it was called Mesopotamia. But I will tell you something about Lot’s ancestors and early life. His grandfather’s name was Terah. Terah had three sons, -- Nahor, Haran, and Abraham. Haran had three sons, Lot, Milcah, and Iscah; and dying early, these sons appear to have fallen into the care of their uncles, Nahor and Abraham, and to their grandfather Terah. Lot, at all events, fell to the care of Abraham.

Some time after the death of Haran, Terah and his son Abraham, with their families, and their brother Haran’s children, removed from Ur to Haran, or as it is sometimes called in Scripture, Charran. I do not know what the name of the place was before Abraham’s ancestors settled there, for it is believed that its name was given to it by Terah’s son Nahor, in honor of his deceased brother.

Haran lay north-westward of Ur, in about 37 deg. north latitude, and 39 deg. east longitude; above four hundred miles north-east of Jerusalem, and three hundred north-east of Damascus. At present it is peopled by nobody but a few wandering Arabs. It was here that Crassus, a famous Roman general was defeated and killed.

It is supposed, and not without reason, that Terah, Abraham’s father, was a worshipper of Idols; and some think his sons were, until they left Ur. This, however, is very uncertain. One can hardly believe that Abraham was ever an Idolater.

While they resided in Haran, Terah died. I forgot to tell you that the occasion of the removal of this family from Ur, was the call of God to Abraham to do so; and the rest of the family, as it appears, chose to follow him. Abraham was to be shown a land that was to be his won, for him and his posterity, viz., the land of Canaan.

There is reason to think that Nahor, Abraham’s brother, whom he at first left in Ur, afterwards removed to Haran, and remained there. But be that as it may, it was not long after Terah’s death, before Abraham, in obedience to the direction of God, set out, Lot with him, for the land of Canaan, the south-west.

Three hundred miles brought them to Damascus. From the fact that Abraham, some time afterward, had a servant in his family, named Eliezer, of Damascus, it may be supposed that he stopped there, and made it, for a time, his residence. But it could not have been very long. Abraham and Lot, when they arrived at Canaan, halted, with their troops and herds, at Shechem, or Sychem, as it was often called. This was forty miles north of Jerusalem.

I spoke of their herds; for it seems that Abraham had much property of this kind, as well as gold and silver; and it appears, too, that he had a very large number of servants, herdsman, and others.

After residing a little while at Shechem, a famine -- a very common thing in that country, befell them, and Abraham and Lot went to the south, into the borders of Egypt, and stayed for awhile; but when the famine had subsided they returned to the land of Canaan, stopped between Bethel and Ai, at a little place north of Jerusalem.

Up to this time there had been perfect harmony between Abraham and Lot, and their servants. Whether Abraham was the guardian of Lot, in our modern sense of the word guardian, it is difficult to say; but we cannot doubt that he was really his adviser, and of great service to him. It is impossible to tell what Lot’s age was at this period; but he does not appear to have been married. I cannot help thinking that he was not only intimate with Abraham, but a member of his family; and that he had access to all the means of improvement which the house, and so excellent and experienced a friend afforded.