Genesis 11:26

And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. It appears that Terah did not acquire the paternal character until he had reached the age of seventy, and that although in the enumeration of his sons, Abram, like Shem (Genesis 5:32; Genesis 6:10; Genesis 7:13), is, from his great eminence, mentioned first, he was not the oldest of the family. That honour belonged not to him, but to Haran (Genesis 11:29); and Abram, who seems to have been the youngest son, was not born until sixty years after: for by comparing Genesis 11:32 with Genesis 12:1-20, and subtracting 75 from 205, Terah must have been one hundred and thirty years old at Abram's birth. This is the explanation given by Chrysostom among the Fathers, Calvin and Musculus among the Reformers, Usher, Clinton, and others in later times, of a very perplexing difficulty; and it seems to be in accordance with the Scripture (see the note at Genesis 11:32), although it makes Abram's exclamation of surprise (Genesis 17:17) at the announcement of his own paternity at a less advanced age than Terah's not a little remarkable.