GENESIS 10
21 To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations. 32 These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.
– Genesis 10:21-32
GENESIS 10 NOAH’S DESCENDANTS FROM SHEM
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
It was from Shem that Abraham was descended. According to ESV study bible notes, many of Shem’s descendants are Arabian tribes or kingdoms. Eber is one of Shem’s great grandsons who receives special attention in verse 21 even before the sons were mentioned. Matthew Henry’s commentary states that Shem was called “father of all the children of Eber” even though Eber was his great grandson. Probably because Abraham and his seed, God’s covenant-people, not only descended from Heber, but from him were called Hebrews (14:13), Abram the Hebrew. Eber himself was a man well-known for religion in a time of great apostasy and a great example of holiness and the holy tongue being commonly called from him, the Hebrew.
Another commentary says that from Elam (Shem’s son) comes the Persian peoples. Asshur, another son of Shem was the father of the Assyrians and Lud was the father to the Lydians who lived for a time in Asia Minor. Aram was the father to the Arameans also known as Syrians. Arphaxad was the ancestor of Abram and the Hebrews. Uz was another one that came in a region in Arabia. Jobab may be the one we know as Job in the Old Testament.
REFLECTION
- Why do you think Shem’s descendants were chosen by God?
