Interesting Facts

• Zoba was born to Terah in his old age.
• His mother was Pelilah, Terah’s other wife besides the mother of Abraham and Nahor.
• Zoba was the son of Terah born after Abraham and Nahor.

Genealogy

• Zoba‘s father was Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor.
• His mother was Pelilah, who became Terah’s wife in his old age.
• This makes Zoba the half-brother of Abraham and Nahor.

Historical Context

According to Jasher, Zoba was born in the forty-third Jubilee year, corresponding to the year 2059. This places his birth after significant events in Abraham’s life, including his time in Gerar, and the birth of Isaac in the year 2049. The weaning of Isaac, the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael, and Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech at Beersheba in the year 2075 all precede Terah taking Pelilah as his wife and the birth of Zoba. Jasher 22:32 states that Terah lived twenty-five years after he begat Zoba, and Terah died in the thirty-fifth year of Isaac’s birth, which is the year 2084. Therefore, Zoba would have been approximately twenty-five years old at the time of his father’s death. The cultural context of the time, as suggested by Terah taking another wife in his old age, highlights the importance of lineage and procreation.

Narrative

Zoba’s appearance in the narrative is limited to his birth as recorded in the genealogy of Terah in Jasher. He is mentioned as the son born to Terah by his wife Pelilah in Terah’s old age. The narrative does not provide any details regarding Zoba’s life, actions, or interactions with his half-brothers, Abraham and Nahor, or other members of the extended family. His birth is presented as a genealogical marker, indicating the expansion of Terah’s descendants. While the text notes his existence and parentage, it offers no further elaboration on his personal story or his role in the broader narrative involving Abraham and his lineage. The inclusion of his birth in the record suggests the importance of tracing familial connections, even for those figures whose lives are not detailed further in the presented excerpts. Later, Jasher 22:36-39 mentions Aram son of Zoba son of Terah, indicating that Zoba went on to have descendants and that his lineage continued, eventually settling in a region named after his grandson Aram, known as Aram Zoba. This passage, although focused on Aram, indirectly implies Zoba’s role as a progenitor.