When I was doing my Bible study the other day, I found myself in the lineage of Noah. And never have I read a lineage or genealogy in the Bible and actually found myself interested in reading it and knowing more about it. But honestly, whenever there is a genealogy or lineage in the Bible we should pay more attention because it's also our lineage too, especially the ones in Genesis since that's where our "human-kind" beginning started. Also it's important to pay attention to the names and their meanings... names and numbers are super important in Hebrew.
I must be honest, usually when I'd come to that long long loooooooong list of names, I either skimmed over them quickly or struggled while trying to pronounce all their names, just to get to the next section. God thought it was important for the writer to include that, so it was included. Probably so that we all know that we are a part of this story too. Genesis is our story too.
Because you know... I've always wondered where and how I fit into it too--or at least how my ancestry lines up with the Bible? Because I've always known, that since I am not Jewish, I wouldn't be a part of the 12 tribes of Israel, which made me wonder where did those of us fit in that aren't a part of the 12 tribes?
So I started doing some research about it all, because the answers are there in the lineage and also in the pages of history. Since the whole world came from one family--each of our families came from one of the brothers lineages.
Noah went on the Ark with his wife and his three sons and their wives. (His sons were: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem was actually the youngest and Japheth was the oldest.) So there were eight people on the Ark.
But What About Race?
Of course we don't have all the answers, or know very much about each of the sons and their wives, but some people think that the brother's wives were probably of different races. And that then led to keeping all the races alive that God had created. Which honestly sounds poetic and beautiful. But of course we don't know the exact mechanics of it all.
Some of the names throughout the lineage of the son's kids' names, had descriptors. For example, in the Biblical times, names were very important. Because they meant something. Here are some examples and I've bolded the meaning of the names as well:
Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. - Genesis 3:20
She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. - Genesis 29:23
When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” Exodus 2:10
Those are just a few examples of many throughout the Bible. Another one is where Jesus gave Simon the new name Peter, meaning Rock. Since he was the Rock of the church.
I watched a video that went into some of the descriptions of some the names of the people on the lineage. Flavius Josephus was a historian (born in 37 AD) who also recorded some of the descriptions of some of the different families.
The Sons of Noah's Sons
Did you know... Shem is listed first in Genesis 10, but he's the youngest of Noah's sons? Japheth was the oldest son. Found that interesting. I read that, it's because Shem's line led to Jesus and that's why his line was listed first. Guess this also happens later when Abraham's sons are mentioned. “The sons of Abraham; Isaac and Ishmael.” - So, I guess the ones listed first are usually the ones that led to the line which was a part of Jesus' line.
Noah's and Our Family Tree
Japheth's Sons:
Gomer - Josephus identified Gomer with Galatians, Gauls and Celts.
Magog - Josephus mentioned that the Scythians were the people north of the Black Sea. There was also mention though, that this could be connected to or referring to the Mongols. (I'm not sure if this is pointing at one or both of those) I do know though, that later Magog is mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and again in Revelation. Not sure if it's referring to those people or the place. Or if that's the same thing? As I read more, I might learn more about this.
Madai - Madai led to the people that are: Mitanni, the Iranian Medes, the Kachin, the Kurd, and the Medes.
Javan - Josephus said that Javan was the ancestor of the Greeks. Yavan or Yāwān was considered the same.
Tubal - Traditions say that he was the founder of Italy, Spain, and the Caucasian Iberians.
Tiras - Josephus shared that Tiras was the ancestor of the "Thirasians" or the (Thracians) — a "flame-haired" (red or blond haired). Later, it was said that his people worshipped him as Thor, the god of war. So if you know anything about Norwegian Mythology, that pins him to Scandanavia. So interesting.
Something I find so interesting while reading through all these names, is that each son's kids names are so unique and different than the other's son's kids names. You can see how they all led to other nations that were different than the others. So interesting.
Ham's Sons:
Cush - Cush means black or blackness and is an Ethiopian name. Apparently, some historian's believe Cush's line ended up in Ethiopia.
Mizraim - The ancestor of Hamites from (lower) Egypt and also in Africa and any of the Hamites from Canaan.
Put or Phut- His name means "bow" like what you'd shoot an arrow with. His ancestors are said to be in Libya now.
Canaan - His name means merchant or trader. It is believed that his family line ended up in Canaan.
Shem's Sons:
Elam - "There is also Elam (the nation) which may have been named after him. It is located towards the west of ancient Persia and today’s Iran," says Amazing Bible Timeline.
Asshur - Asshur is the Biblical name of Assyria, so it's believed his descendants are from there.
Arphaxad - "The name Arphaxad means “stronghold of Chaldees” from Hebrew origin. It is said that Arphaxad dwelt in Mesopotamia and is the forefather of Chaldeans." says Amazing Bible Timeline.
Lud - "The descendants of Lud are usually, following Josephus, connected with various Anatolian peoples, particularly Lydia," says Bible History.
Aram - Syrians came from Aram's line of family.
There's no way for us to know everything, but a good thing to remember when it comes to Noah's descendants, that he was only one eighth of the equation. His wife was another eighth of the equation, and then the son's wive's parents were one eighth of the equation as well. Each of the sons are half of their descendants DNA.
And when it comes to all of that, what people did Noah's wife come from pre-flood? How about his son's wives? There were many kinds of people of all races living preflood. It makes sense, right.
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