Original Word: נָחוֹר
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Nachowr
Pronunciation: nah-KHOR
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-khore')
KJV: Nahor
NASB: Nahor, Nahor's
Word Origin: [from the same as H5170 (נַחַר נַחֲרָה - To snort)]

1. snorer
2. Nochor, the name of the grandfather and a brother of Abraham

Nahor

From the same as nachar; snorer; Nochor, the name of the grandfather and a brother of Abraham -- Nahor.

see HEBREW nachar

Word Origin
from the same as nachar
Definition
grandfather of Abraham, also the brother of Abraham
NASB Translation
Nahor (16), Nahor's (2).

נָחוֺר proper name, masculine (connection with √ obscure); —

1 father of Terah Genesis 11:22,23,24,25 (all P), 1 Chronicles 1:26.

2 son of Terah and brother of Abraham Genesis 11:26,27 (P), Genesis 11:29 (twice in verse); Genesis 22:20,23; Genesis 24:15,24,47; compare Genesis 29:5 (all J), Joshua 24:2 (E); ׳עִיר נ Genesis 24:10 (J); ׳אֶלֹהֵי נ Genesis 31:53 (E). — ᵐ5 always Ναχωρ.

Identity and Family Place in Redemptive History

Nahor appears in two successive generations of the post-Flood Shemite line:

1. Nahor son of Serug, sixth in line from Shem (Genesis 11:22-25; 1 Chronicles 1:26).
2. Nahor son of Terah, brother of Abram (later Abraham) and Haran (Genesis 11:26-29).

Thus the name marks both the grandfather and the uncle of Abraham, placing Nahor at strategic junctures in the unfolding covenant story.

Nahor Son of Serug—Link in the Messianic Genealogy

The first Nahor spans the years between Peleg and Terah. Scripture records that he “lived twenty-nine years, and he became the father of Terah” (Genesis 11:24). His chief biblical role is genealogical: from him the promised Seed line continues unbroken. The brevity of the record underscores the sovereignty of God in preserving a righteous lineage through otherwise obscure individuals.

Nahor Son of Terah—Brother of Abraham

While Abraham obeyed the divine call to leave Ur, his brother Nahor settled in Haran, yet his household remains intertwined with the chosen line. Notable details:
• Marriage: “Nahor took as his wife Milcah the daughter of his brother Haran” (Genesis 11:29). The family’s practice of marrying within the clan later safeguards Isaac and Jacob from Canaanite syncretism.
• Progeny: Through Nahor’s sons (especially Bethuel the father of Rebekah and Laban) the Abrahamic family will twice return to secure covenant wives (Genesis 22:20-24; 24:15, 24, 47; 29:5).
• God of Nahor: When Jacob and Laban covenant, Laban appeals to “the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor” (Genesis 31:53). The juxtaposition exposes Nahor’s descendants to the witness of Yahweh, even as vestiges of idolatry linger (cf. Joshua 24:2).

The City of Nahor

By Genesis 24, Haran is also called “the city of Nahor” (Genesis 24:10). Located in Aramean territory north of the Euphrates, it functions as:
• A haven of kinship where Abraham’s servant finds Rebekah, ensuring that Isaac marries within the covenant family.
• The homeland Jacob later seeks for refuge and a bride, reinforcing God’s providence over distant geography.

Theological and Ministry Significance

1. Continuity of Promise: Nahor’s place in the genealogy affirms that every generation matters to God’s redemptive timeline.
2. Family as Mission Field: Though Abraham departs for Canaan, the gospel reaches back to Nahor’s household. Rebekah’s acceptance of Yahweh’s purposes and Laban’s repeated encounters with God’s servants show how covenant blessings overflow to extended family.
3. Separation and Engagement: Abraham is called out from a milieu still tainted with idolatry (Joshua 24:2), yet God keeps relational bridges intact so that righteous marriages and covenant testimony may occur.
4. Oath-Making and Divine Witness: Laban’s reference to the “God of Nahor” (Genesis 31:53) illustrates how the patriarchs invoked the divine name in legal agreements, anticipating Israel’s later covenant practice.

Intertextual Links

• Hebrews 11 highlights Abraham’s faith; Nahor’s static location in Mesopotamia contrasts with Abraham’s pilgrimage, accentuating obedience over comfort.
• The calling of Rebekah from Nahor’s city foreshadows the Church, a bride drawn from the nations to the promised Son.
• The presence of idolatry in Nahor’s line (Joshua 24:2) underscores the universal need for redemption despite physical kinship to the patriarchs.

Legacy

Nahor is more than a footnote; he embodies the tension between election and common grace. His descendants become essential conduits for God’s unfolding plan, proving that divine sovereignty harmonizes both dispersion and reunion, separation and sanctified return, in service of the coming Messiah.

וְנָח֛וֹר ונחור לְנָח֖וֹר לְנָח֥וֹר לְנָחֽוֹר׃ לנחור לנחור׃ נָח֑וֹר נָח֔וֹר נָח֖וֹר נָח֗וֹר נָחֽוֹר׃ נָחוֹר֙ נחור נחור׃ lə·nā·ḥō·wr lenaChor lənāḥōwr nā·ḥō·wr naChor nāḥōwr venaChor wə·nā·ḥō·wr wənāḥōwrInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts