Abraham's Converts in Haran

Authors

Stephen O. Smoot
John Gee
Kerry Muhlestein
John S. Thompson

Keywords

Book of Abraham, missionary work, Haran, Sarai, Lot, Hugh Nibley, patriarch

Abstract

In the Genesis account of Abraham’s sojourning, the text indicates that at the outset of his journey the patriarch “took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came” (Gen. 12:5). This passage is paralleled in the Book of Abraham, with one small but important difference. It reads, “And I took Sarai, whom I took to wife when I was in Ur, in Chaldea, and Lot, my brother’s son, and all our substance that we had gathered, and the souls that we had won in Haran, and came forth in the way to the land of Canaan, and dwelt in tents as we came on our way” (Abr. 2:15, emphasis added). As Hugh Nibley rightly recognized, the Book of Abraham thus portrays the patriarch as an exemplary missionary (compare Abr. 1:7).

Recommended Citation

Smoot, Stephen O.; Gee, John; Muhlestein, Kerry; and Thompson, John S. (2022) "Abraham's Converts in Haran," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 61: Iss. 4, Article 18.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol61/iss4/18