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Genesis 11:24

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

When Nahor was twenty-nine years old, he became the father of Terah.

EOB Footnote:

The LXX includes an additional generation not found in the MT: after stating that Nahor lived twenty-nine years and fathered Terah, the LXX adds that Nahor lived after fathering Terah one hundred and twenty-nine years, fathered other sons and daughters, and then died. The MT gives Nahor’s remaining years as one hundred and nineteen rather than one hundred and twenty-nine. No DSS manuscript preserves this verse.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:

WEB (World English Bible):

Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And Nachor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Tharrha.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And Nachor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Thare.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

Nahor lived twenty-nine years and became the father of Terah.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

Nahor lived twenty-nine years and fathered Terah.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

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EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 11:24

Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.

This verse, while appearing to be a simple genealogical notation within the Table of Nations following Babel, carries significant weight in the history of salvation. It marks the penultimate generation before Abraham, positioning Terah as the father of the patriarch through whom all nations would be blessed.

Christological and New Testament Significance

The genealogy in which this verse is embedded finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Gospel of Luke, where the evangelist traces the lineage of Christ back through Terah, Nahor, and Serug to Adam and to God Himself (Luke 3:34-35). The Church Fathers understood these genealogies not as mere historical records but as the very bloodline through which the Incarnation would occur. Each generation preserved the promise, each name a link in the chain leading to the Theotokos and her Divine Son.

Saint John Chrysostom, commenting on the genealogies of Genesis, notes that God’s providence works through ordinary human generations, preparing across centuries for the extraordinary event of the Word becoming flesh. The seeming monotony of these begettings reveals divine patience and faithfulness.

Patristic Interpretation

The Fathers observed that the lifespans recorded in this chapter show a marked decrease from the antediluvian patriarchs. Nahor’s twenty-nine years before fathering Terah reflects humanity’s continued diminishment after the Flood and Babel. Yet within this diminishment, God’s salvific plan advances. Saint Ephrem the Syrian saw in these shortened generations a hastening toward Abraham, as if sacred history itself was accelerating toward its appointed moments of revelation.

Liturgical and Spiritual Themes

In the Orthodox understanding, genealogies remind us that we are not isolated individuals but members of a continuous community stretching back to creation and forward to the eschaton. The commemoration of ancestors in the faith, particularly celebrated on the Sunday of the Forefathers before the Nativity, includes these figures from Genesis 11. They are honored not for extraordinary deeds recorded in Scripture but for their faithful transmission of life and faith across generations.

This verse also speaks to the Orthodox emphasis on theosis as a multigenerational reality. Salvation is worked out not in isolation but within families, communities, and the communion of saints across time. Nahor’s begetting of Terah was an act of cooperation with divine providence, however unknowing, participating in the preparation for Christ’s coming.

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