Genesis 9:19

 Genesis 9:19

These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

a. NLT: From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: These three were the sons of Noah: and of these was the whole earth overspread. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: These three are sons of Noah, and from these hath all the earth been overspread. [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: These are the three sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was overspread and stocked with inhabitants. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole world was spread out. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.”

a. These [are] [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. [the] three [Strong: 7969 shalowsh shaw-loshe' or shalosh {shaw-loshe'}; masculine shlowshah {shel-o-shaw'}; or shloshah {shel-o-shaw'}; a primitive number; three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multipl.) thrice:--+ fork, + often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, + thrice.]

c. sons [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.]

d. [of] Noah [Strong: 5146 Noach no'-akh the same as 5118; rest; Noach, the patriarch of the flood:--Noah.]

e. [and] of them [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).]

f. [the] whole [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

g. earth [Strong: 776 'erets eh'-rets from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

h. overspread [Strong: 5310 naphats naw-fats' a primitive root; to dash to pieces, or scatter:--be beaten in sunder, break (in pieces), broken, dash (in pieces), cause to be discharged, dispersed, be overspread, scatter.]

1). All of the sons of Noah were born before the flood. All of them were close to 100 years old.

a). Genesis 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

b). Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

2). Shem is the only son whose age at death is given, the others have to be compared with Shen’s lineage to get any idea of who live when during that time. 

3). Abraham was 75 when his father Terah died in Haran: Genesis 12:4, which means Terah was 130 when Abram was born not 70 as Genesis 11:26 implies. Doing the math reveals Abraham was born 352 years after the flood. This shows some intriguing revelations. Shem at the birth of Abram, would be 450 years old and he would live another 150 years. When Shem dies Abraham was 150 years old.  Abraham lived another 25 years before he died. Shem was 550 years old when Isaac was born, Genesis 21:5; and he died 10 years before Jacob and Esau was born, Genesis 25:26. Shem was 590 years old when Isaac and Rebekah were married. He seems to fall off the Biblical landscape and yet he lived 500 more years after the flood. It is sobering to think that Shem survived the flood and did not have a prominent effect in the after flood culture. Even though he lived for another 502 years after the flood, it is Abraham that has the prominence, not Shem. Using the Biblical timeline and the length of lives the post flood patriarchs lived we have the following information.

 

a). Shem, Noah’s son who lived for 98 years before the flood, lived 502 years after the flood. Abraham was 150 years old when Shem died.

 

b). Arphaxad, Shem’s son, born two years after the flood lived a total of 438 years and died 440 years after the flood. Abraham was 88 when Arphaxad died.

 

c). Salah, Shem’s grandson and Arphaxad’s son, was born 37 years after the flood. He lived a total of 433 years and died 470 years after the flood. Abram was 118 years old when Salah died.

 

4).  According to the Biblical chronology, Shem’s grandson, Salah lived until Abraham was 118 years old. Because the Bible does not give the age breakdown of the descendants of Japheth and Ham like it does with Shem’s we have to compare them. Using those comparisons, if Shem’s grandson Salah was contemporary with Abraham for 118 years it is probable that Ham’s grandson, Nimrod was also contemporary with Abraham. Jewish tradition teaches they were not only contemporaries, but because of Abraham’s faith, they were enemies. In the battle with the four Mesopotamian kings in Genesis 14, in which Abraham “slaughtered” all four. Jewish tradition teaches that Amraphel was none other than Nimrod, and Chedolaomer was none other than Elam, the son of Shem!

5). The odd thing is that not one of them took the lead in leading the generations to serve God.