Genesis 11:10-26

The Genealogy of the Patriarchs from Shem to Abram. (P.)

This genealogical table is taken from P. It resembles the table in chap. 5 (1) in the manner of the enumeration of years, (a) at the birth of the firstborn, (b) at the patriarch's death: (2) in the general length of the list, nine (or, including Cainan, ten) generations: (3) in the last name, Terah, being represented, like Noah, as the father of three sons.

The gradual diminution in the duration of life from Shem (600 years) and Arpachshad (438 years) to Nahor (148 years) should be noticed. See Special Note on the Longevity of the Patriarchs, Genesis 14:17-24.

The period from the Flood to the birth of Abram covers 290 years. In LXX the period is given as 1070, in the Samaritan text as 940. See Note on the Genealogy of Shem, see below.

The names Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, and Peleg coincide with those in Genesis 10:22; Genesis 10:24-25 (J).

NOTE ON THE GENEALOGY OF SHEM

Name Massoretic Text Samaritan Text Septuagint Text Book of jubilees Total 1st Son After Total 1st Son After Total 1st Son 1. Shem 100 500 600 100 500 600 100 500 600 102? 2. Arpachshad 35 403 438 135 303 438 135 430 565 66? [Cainan] 130 330 460 57 3. Shelah 30 403 433 130 303 433 130 330 460 71 4. Eber 34 430 464 134 270 404 134 370 504 64 5. Peleg 30 209 239 130 109 239 130 209 339 61 (L. 134) 6. Reu 32 207 239 132 107 239 132 207 339 59 7. Serug 30 200 230 130 100 230 130 200 330 57 8. Nahor 29 119 148 79 69 148 79 129 208 62 (L. 125) 9. Terah 70 135 205 70 75 145 70 135 205 70 390 1040 1170 669 (L. 1174) From Flood to Birth of Abram 290 940 1070 567 10. These are the generations The heading of a new section in P: see Genesis 2:4 a.

Arpachshad See note on Genesis 10:22, where Arpachshad is the third son of Shem. Possibly Babylonia, or a locality in it, was regarded as the primitive home of Abram's ancestors.

after the flood Shem (see Genesis 5:32 and Genesis 7:6) was a hundred years old when the Flood began.