Genesis 11:10

Genesis 11:10

These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

a. NLT: This is the account of Shem’s family. Two years after the great flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

b. NIV: This is the account of Shem’s family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

c. YLT: These are births of Shem: Shem is a son of an hundred years, and begetteth Arphaxad two years after the deluge.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was 100 years old when he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood.

e. Septuagint: And these [are] the generations of Sem: and Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, the second year after the flood.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: These are the descendants of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old when he begot Arpachshad, two years after the flood.

1. “These are the generations of Shem…”

a. These [Strong: 428 'el-leh ale'-leh prolonged from 411; these or those:--an- (the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).]

b. [are the] generations [Strong: 8435 towldah to-led-aw' or toldah {to-led-aw'}; from 3205; (plural only) descent, i.e. family; (figuratively) history:--birth, generations.]

c. of Shem [Strong: 8035 Shem shame the same as 8034; name; Shem, a son of Noah (often includ. his posterity):--Sem, Shem.]

1). Unger’s Bible Dictionary: Shem (shem; name), one of the three sons of Noah, born when his father was 500 years of age (Genesis 5:32). At the age of 98 years, he entered the ark, being married but childless (Genesis 7:7, and two years after the flood (i.e., the beginning of the flood) he became the father of Arphazad, other children being born still later (Genesis 11:10, 11; 10:22).

2. “…Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:”

a. Shem [Strong: 8035 Shem shame the same as 8034; name; Shem, a son of Noah (often includ. his posterity):--Sem, Shem.]

                                       

b. [was an] hundred [Strong: 3967 me'ah may-aw' or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction:--hundred ((-fold), -th), + sixscore.]

c. years [Strong: 8141 shaneh shaw-neh' (in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year (as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old, year(X -ly).]

d. old [Strong: 1121 ben bane from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

e. and begat [Strong: 3205 yalad yaw-lad' a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).]

f. Arphaxad [Strong: 775 'Arpakshad ar-pak-shad' probably of foreign origin; Arpakshad, a son of Noah; also the region settled by him:--Arphaxad.]

g. [two] years 8141 h' (in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year (as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old, year(X -ly).]

h. after [Strong: 310 'achar akh-ar' from 309; properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses):--after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth), when, with.]

i. the flood [Strong: 3999 mabbuwl mab-bool' from 2986 in the sense of flowing; a deluge: -flood.]

1). Arphaxad was born two years after the flood. He lived a total of 438 years, making his death 440 years after the flood (Genesis 11:12, 13). Arphaxad was a contemporary with Abraham for 88 years. Arphaxad died two years after Ishmael was born. His father Shem, out lived Arphaxad, for Shem lived 502 years after the flood (Genesis 11:10, 11).

2). With Shem living 502 years after the flood, this puts his death well after the tower of Babel and well into the time of Abraham and the implications are rather astounding. He seems to fall off the Biblical landscape and yet he lived 500 more years after the flood. Shem was 450 years old when Abram was born and he was 550 years old when Isaac was born, living another 50 years. Abraham was 150 years old when Shem died. While his death is reported here, Shem actually lived past Genesis 24 and into Genesis 25. How long is unclear because there are no chronological markers of when Abraham married Keturah in Genesis 25. We only know that he died 25 years before Abraham and ten years before Jacob and Esau were born. Yes Abraham was contemporary with Jacob and Esau for 15 years.