Genesis 11:27

Summary

Genesis 11:27 opens a new genealogical section with the formula "these are the toledot" applied to Terah, then states that Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and that Haran in turn fathered Lot. The verse functions as a heading introducing the family line that will lead into the Abram narrative.

Key words

• 'Elleh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle that opens the formulaic heading, pointing forward to the list that follows.
• toledot ("accounts of / begettings of", H8435) — feminine plural noun in construct state, meaning it must be followed by a name ("the toledot of X"); it introduces a genealogical or narrative unit, not merely a list of births.
• Terach ("Terah", H8646G) — the name appears twice in immediate succession: once as the object of the construct phrase ("the toledot of Terah") and once as the subject of the following verb, a repetition characteristic of this heading style.
• holid ("he fathered", H3205) — Hiphil (causative) perfect of the root for "to bear/give birth"; the causative stem shifts the verb's sense from "to give birth" (typically said of a mother) to "to cause to be born," i.e., "to father," used here of the male ancestor. It appears twice, once for Terah and once for Haran.
• 'et (object marker, H0853) — untranslated particle marking each personal name (Abram, Nahor, Haran, Lot) as the direct object of holid, structuring the list of offspring grammatically rather than through conjunctions alone.

What the text says

The verse is built on the recurring Genesis heading pattern: 'Elleh toledot + name, here "these are the toledot of Terah." Because toledot is a construct-state plural noun, the phrase requires a following genitive, and that genitive (Terah) is then immediately repeated as the grammatical subject of the verb holid. This double occurrence of "Terah" is not redundancy in narrative content but a structural feature: the first instance anchors the heading, the second launches the actual clause reporting who fathered whom.

The verb holid appears twice, both times in the Hiphil perfect, marking completed causative action: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; then, in a second clause, Haran fathered Lot. Each son's name is introduced by the object marker 'et, which has no independent meaning but signals that each name functions as the object of the fathering, not as a separate clause subject. The sentence therefore moves in two steps: first Terah's three sons are listed together under one verb, then a second verb introduces one further generation (Haran → Lot), setting up the family relationships that the following verses will develop.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders toledot as genesis ("generations/origins"), and the Vulgate uses generationes, both shifting the sense from "accounts of" toward "genealogical generations." The LXX text also shows an internal spelling inconsistency, giving "Θάρα" in the heading but "Φάρα" for the same name in the clause about fathering, where the Hebrew and Vulgate consistently use one form, "Terah"/"Thare."