Acts 7:2

Contradictions (5)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

• How old was Terah when he died?

  Genesis 11:32 states directly that Terah died in Haran at age 205. But Gen 11:26 says Terah was 70 when Abram was born, Gen 12:4 says Abram left Haran at 75, and Acts 7:4 says Abram only left after his father had died — which would put Terah's death at age 145, not 205.

  Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.

  Numbers

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• How old was Abraham when Ishmael was born?

  Genesis 16:16 says plainly that Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born. But if you stack Gen 11:26 (Terah was 70 when Abram was born), Acts 7:4 (Abram left Haran only after Terah died), and Gen 11:32 (Terah died at 205), then Abram was at least 135 when he left Haran — which would make Ishmael's birth even later than that, not at 86.

  Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.

  Numbers

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• Did God call Abraham before or after he moved to Haran?

  Acts 7:2-3 has Stephen claim God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and commanded him to leave his country. Genesis 11:31-12:4 has the family settle in Haran first, and then Yahweh speaks to Abram there, issuing the call from Haran — not from Mesopotamia before it.

  Critical scholarship: Genuinely disputed among scholars.

  Chronology

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• Can God be seen?

  The Hebrew Bible repeatedly narrates theophanies in which God is seen face-to-face — by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, seventy elders, Manoah, Micaiah, Job, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Habakkuk. A parallel stream (Exod 33:20; John 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16; Col 1:15) insists God is invisible and cannot be seen, and that anyone who did see him would die.

  Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.

  Theology

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• How old was Abraham when he left Haran?

  Genesis 12:4 says Abram was 75 years old when he departed Haran. Genesis 11:26 says Terah was 70 when he begat Abram; Genesis 11:32 says Terah died at 205.

  Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.

  Numbers

  More on this question

  The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.

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