Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 7:3

καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν, and said unto him. It does not appear from the narrative in Genesis whether there had been some divine communication which caused the first removal from Ur to Haran. We are only told (Genesis 11:31) that Terah took his family and removed, but as it is there added ‘to go into the land of Canaan,’ and as in the following chapter, where God’s order to remove is expressly given (Genesis 12:1), it is also said that ‘they went forth to go into the land of Canaan,’ we may reasonably conclude that the first removal had been enjoined by God, and that it was only on account of Terah’s age that the country for which they set forth was not reached at once. In Genesis 15:7 God says ‘I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees,’ language which implies a command given for the first removal. Cp. Nehemiah 3:7; Genesis 12:1 should be rendered ‘Now the Lord said unto Abram,’ not ‘had said,’ as A.V.

ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου, Get thee out of thy land. Let γῆ be translated alike in both clauses of the verse. In Genesis 12:1 the words καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου are added after συγγενείας σου. Although the emigrants halted at Haran, their destination was known to be Canaan before they started from Ur. (See Genesis 11:31.)

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 7:3

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