Genesis 10:21-32

²¹ To Shem also children were born. He was the ancestor of all the children of Eber, and an older brother of Japheth.

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, because in his days the land 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 region in which they lived extended from Mesha in the route 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 in the land after the flood. _________________________________________

A name

Shem was the ancestor of all of the Semitic peoples, and is noted here for being the root from which the descendents of Eber (the Hebrews) emerged. The word Shem is the Hebrew word for name itself. Moses includes this genealogical data to set the stage for what God is going to do through one of Shem’s descendants – Abraham.

LORD, give us a name that we can proudly pass on to the generations after us – a name that displays our relationship with you.