Terah takes Abram, Lot, and Sarai to Haran. Each name is identified by kinship.

Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson …: this follows the Hebrew word order, which is awkward in English as well as in many other languages. It may be clearer to say, as in Good News Translation, “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, who was the son of Haran, …,” or “Terah took Abram and Lot, who were his son and his grandson. Lot was also Haran’s son….” In some languages it may be better to begin with the second part of the verse, as Biblia Dios Habla Hoy does: “Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan, and he took with him….” His grandson in Hebrew is “son of his son.”

To go into the land of Canaan appears to mean that they were headed for Canaan, or that Canaan was their destination until they reached Haran. Land of Canaan is the same expression as used in “land of Havilah” and “land of Cush” in 2.11 and 2.13, where Good News Translation translates “country of…”; and it may be better translated in that way here.

But when they came to Haran: but suggests a change of plans or destination. Haran is mentioned again in 12.4, 5; 27.43; 28.10; 29.4. Haran in northern Babylonia was located on the east bank of a tributary flowing into the Euphrates. It was an important commercial center on the trade route from Nineveh to Damascus. Settled translates the same verb as in Gen 11.2. See there for discussion.

This whole verse may be translated, for example:

• Terah took with him his son Abram and his grandson Lot. Lot was Haran’s son. He also took Sarai, who was Abram’s wife. They all left together from the city of Ur in Babylonia to go to the country of Canaan. However, when they arrived in Haran, they stayed there to live.

But in this verse again, the reference to such a number of relationships and movements makes the text quite difficult to follow. And so some translators may wish to rearrange the various elements in it. One translation, for example, says:

• Terah took his whole family group, and they left the town of Ur in the country of Chaldea to go to the land of Canaan. The names of those who went with Terah were: Abram his son, and Sarai the wife of Abram, and Lot the son of Haran and grandson of Terah. This family group went as far as the town of Haran, and they stayed there.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .