Sunday, June 17 2012
A Biography Of Abraham: The Genealogy Of Abram

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

Studies in this series of A Biography Of Abraham:1. The Genealogy Of Abram2. From Ur To Canaan3. The Battles Of Sodom4. Hagar And Ishmael5. Isaac6. Sarah7. Mamre in Hebron8. Abrahamic Religions

"Abram," as Abraham was originally named, is the English rendering of the Hebrew name, pronounced awv-rawm, which means esteemed father. The LORD (i.e. Jesus Christ; see Appearances Of The LORD God and What Does Word of God Mean To You?) later renamed Abram as "Abraham," from the Hebrew name, pronounced awv-raw-hawm, which means father of a multitude. This series of "A Biography Of Abraham" will examine why and how Abraham became a key ancestor of the Messiah.

Humans have existed in two genealogical groups: the primary line of Adam and Eve, from which all humans that have ever lived are descended, and the subsequent line of Noah and his wife (her name is not recorded) from which all humans since the time of the Flood are descended i.e. while all humans that have ever existed are descended from Adam, not all humans that have ever existed are descended from Noah.

"8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped [see How Did The Flood Happen?], and the rain from heaven was restrained; 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen." (Genesis 8:1-5 KJV)

Just as humanity began in a new world, so too humanity started again in what was made into a new world - just as it will when salvation has been completed (see The Church: Mission Accomplished and The Constitution Of The Kingdom Of God), a coming out of Babylon and into a promised land that Abraham's life portrayed.

"8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 8:14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.

8:15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 8:16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 8:17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth [see The Voyage To The New World].

8:18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 8:19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark." (Genesis 8:13-19 KJV)

Humanity as it exists today was re-established from the three sons, and their wives (one of each i.e. there were only 8 people saved aboard the ark) of Noah and his wife.

"9:18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 9:19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread." (Genesis 9:18-19 KJV)

"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham"

After the Flood, the families of each of the sons of Noah inhabited their own territory, as illustrated on the map below (the red X shows where Jerusalem would be located - right in the geographic center of the lands of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

"10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

10:2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

10:3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

10:4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 10:5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles [see What Did The Messiah Say About Gentiles?] divided in their lands; every one after his tongue [see The Word Of God In The Tongues Of Man], after their families, in their nations." (Genesis 10:1-5 KJV)

Ham produced some of the greatest nations known to ancient history, including Assyria and Babylon, and the people who made themselves inhabitants of what became the land of Israel.

"10:6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan [see The Sin Of Canaan].

10:7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 10:11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 10:12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

10:13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 10:14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

10:15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 10:16 And the Jebusite [see A History Of Jerusalem: Jebus Of Canaan], and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 10:17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

10:19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

10:20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations." (Genesis 10:6-20 KJV)

Abram / Abraham was born of the line of Shem, in the land that is known today as Iraq.

"10:21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

10:22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

10:23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

10:24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

10:26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 10:27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 10:28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 10:29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

10:30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.

10:31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood." (Genesis 10:21-32 KJV)

The Holy Scriptures detail Abraham's genealogy from Shem. Note very carefully that Abraham was not an Israelite or a Jew - neither existed in the time of Abraham. Israelites originated from Abraham's grandson Jacob (see Where Jacob Became Israel and Are Levites 'Jews'?), while Jews originated from Jacob's son Judah (see Who Were The First Jews?).

"11:10 These are the generations of Shem:

Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11:11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 11:13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 11:15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 11:17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 11:19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 11:21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 11:23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 11:25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran." (Genesis 11:10-26 KJV)

That genealogy of Abraham was the root of the ancestry of King David and the Messiah.

"1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David [see Where Is The Messiah's Royal Line?], the son of Abraham.

1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar [see Who Were The First Jews?]; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 1:4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 1:5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

1:6 And Jesse [see Jesse The Bethlehemite] begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias [see David And Bathsheba]; 1:7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 1:8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 1:9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 1:10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 1:11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

1:12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 1:13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 1:14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 1:15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." (Matthew 1:1-17 KJV)

Fact Finder: What did the Messiah say about His ancestor Abraham?
See What Did Jesus Christ Say About Abraham?