This section begins the Abraham narrative (11:27–25:18), which details Abraham’s life from the time he receives God’s call to the time of his death. (See the Introduction for a survey of the Abraham narrative as a unit.) The Abraham narrative opens with a travelog and the family history, or toledoth, of Terah, which begins here, and continues through 25:18. Members of this family set out from their home in Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan (11:31). They stop at Haran, where they decide to settle. Later God commands Abram to go on to Canaan, and Abram obeys. Once there, he moves through the land, making three stops for indefinite periods: at Shechem (12:6), between Bethel and Ai (12:8), and in the Negev (12:9). At the center of this account is Yahweh’s call of Abram and the wonderful prom…