Shem, Ham and Japheth. James Tissot, French. c. 1896-1902
Reading Biblical Genealogies
Genealogical lists are often overlooked, and yet they represent a distinct biblical literary genre with ideological content. What messages are these lists meant to convey?
Published November 3, 2016
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Last Updated September 7, 2026
Yigal Levin, “Understanding Biblical Genealogies,” Currents in Research: Biblical Studies9 (2001): 11-46.
See also Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah’s lineage back ten generations to Ezra (TP Yebamoth 1: 6; 3b). Also note the formulation: There are ten generations from Adam to Noah and from Noah to Abraham.
A. Demsky, “The Clans of Ephrath: Their Territory and History,” Tel Aviv, 13, pp. 46-59. [An updated Hebrew version appeared in Z.H. Ehrlich, (ed.) Perakim Benahalat Yehudah(1995, Bnai Brak), pp. 20-37.]
U. Cassuto , From Noah to Abraham (Jerusalem, Magnes Press, 1959):117-154 (Hebrew). See also Y. Levin, “The Family of Man: The Genre and Purpose of Genesis 10,” K. Abraham and J. Fleishman (eds.), Looking at the Ancient Near East and the Bible through the Same Eyes (Bethesda, CDL Press, 2012):291-308.
Editor’s note: For an analysis of this chapter and its implied geography of Israel, see Dudu Cohen’s TABS essay, “Decoding the Table of Nations: Reading It as a Map.”
The reliance on empiric evidence to organize and analyze data is the basis of science. Another biblical example of this rational approach is found in the listing of pure and impure zoa (Lev. 11:1-30; Deut 14:3-20). While the criteria in the Table of Nations are not consistent with modern science, it is noteworthy that 19th century linguists chose to organize two branches of languages with the biblical terms Semitic and Hamitic languages.
Editor’s note: For more on the meaning of 70, see Noga Ayali-Darshan’s TABS essay,“Sukkot’s Seventy Bulls.”
T. Ishida, “The Structure and Historical Implications of the lists of Pre Israelite Nations,”Biblica 60 (1979): 461-490.
Editor’s note: For more on these three terms, see Yigal Levin’s TABS essay, “Who Was Living in the Land when Abraham Arrived?”
For a similar league of minor Levantine kingdoms, see the Monolith from Kurch, describing the victories of the court of Shalmaneser III (853 BCE) including Byblos, `Arqat, Arwad, Usanatu, and Sianu. See, M. Cogan, The Raging Torrent: Historical Inscriptions from Assyria and Babylonia relating to Ancient Israel, 2nd updated and expanded edition, Jerusalem: Carta, 2015, pp. 20–21.
It probably does not include cities like `Arqa, Sin, Arwad, Semer and Hammath mentioned above (vss. 17-18) as well as the unmentioned kingdom of Gebal (Byblos).
א’ דמסקי, “‘מכזיב ועד הנהר ועד אמנה’ (משנה שביעית ו, א): להבהרת הגבול הצפוני של עולי מצרים”, שנתון י’ (ירושלים תשמ”ו-תשמ”ט), עמ’ 71‑81,
A. Demsky, “The Route of Jacob’s Funeral Cortege and the Problem of ‘Eber Hayyarden(Gen. 50:10-11),” in M. Brettler and M. Fishbane (eds.), Minhah le-Nahum (N.M. Sarna Jub. Vol.), (Sheffield, 1993): 54-64.
The rest of the border is not given, however as we see from the description of the Land of Canaan in Numbers 34:7-12, the eastern border follows the Jordan Valley northward skirting the Golan around the Senir mountain range to Lebo Hammath at the mouth of the Orontes (25 km north of Baalbek). From there the border goes westward to Hor Hahar on the Mediterranean coast.
