H0218b H0218b
Ur (of the Chaldeans); the ancient Mesopotamian city, homeland of Abraham's family
The celebrated Mesopotamian city Ur of the Chaldeans, identified with modern Muqayyar in southern Iraq, an ancient center of moon-god worship. All four biblical references frame Ur as the point of origin for Abraham's family: Terah departed from Ur with Abram (Gen 11:28, 31), and God later reminds Abraham that he brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen 15:7; Neh 9:7). The city name anchors the entire patriarchal narrative of divine calling and migration.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Ur of the Chaldeans — the ancient Sumerian city from which Abraham's family emigrated. English renders 'from-Ur' and 'in-Ur,' Spanish 'de-Ur-de' and 'en-Ur-de,' and French 'de-Ur' and 'dans-Ur,' all consistently treating it as a place name with prepositional context. German 'von-Licht' intriguingly reflects the common noun meaning of the root ('light, fire'), though the proper noun is intended. Every occurrence (Gen 11:28, 31; 15:7; Neh 9:7) ties Ur to the foundational story of God calling Abram out of Mesopotamia toward the promised land. 4×
AR["فِي-أُورِ", "مِنْ-أُور", "مِنْ-أُورِ"]·ben["-ঊর-থেকে", "উর-থেকে", "উরে"]·DE["aus-Ur", "in-Ur", "von-Licht"]·EN["from-Ur", "from-Ur-of", "in-Ur"]·FR["[מאור]", "dans-Ur", "de-Ur"]·heb["ב-אור", "מ-אור"]·HI["उर-मे", "उर-से", "ऊर-से"]·ID["dari-Ur", "di-Ur"]·IT["[מאור]", "da-Ur", "in-Ur"]·jav["ing-Ur", "saking-Ur"]·KO["~에서-우르", "우르에서"]·PT["de-Ur", "de-Ur-de", "em-Ur-de"]·RU["в-Уре", "из-Ура"]·ES["de-Ur-de", "en-Ur-de"]·SW["katika-Uri", "kutoka-Uri"]·TR["-den-Ur", "Ur'da", "Ur'dan"]·urd["اور-سے", "اور-میں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† III. אוּר n.pr.loc. Ur (Bab. Uru; seat of moon-god worship; hence Eupolemos in EusebPraep. Ev. ix. 17 says Καμαρίνῃ ἥν τινας λέγειν πόλιν Οὐρίην), ancient city in Southern Babylonia; OT always אוּר כַּשְׂדִּים, i.e. Ur of the Kasdim (Chaldeans) v. כַּשְׂדִּים sub כשׂד; home of Terah, Abram’s father, & A.’s point of departure for Mesopotamia & Canaan Gn 11:28; 15:7 (both J), & hence Ne 9:7; also…