House of Shem

The House of Shem consists of the descendants of Shem in direct line to Terah, father of Abraham.
== The Synoptic table ==
This synoptic table lists all the members of the House of Shem, from .
Name 	Born 	Age of parenthood	Life span	Died 	Name means 	Authority
Shem 	1558 AM (2446 BC) (summer)	100 yr 	600 yr 	2158 AM (1846 BC) (summer)	renown, prosperity, name	
Arpachshad 	1658 AM (2346 BC) (summer)	35 yr 	438 yr 	2096 AM (1908 BC) (summer)	healer, releaser 	
Salah 	1693 AM (2311 BC) (summer)	30 yr 	433 yr 	2126 AM (1878 BC) (summer)	mission, sending 	
Eber 	1723 AM (2281 BC) (summer)	34 yr 	464 yr 	2187 AM (1817 BC) (summer)	one that passes, anger 	
Peleg 	1757 AM (2247 BC) (summer)	30 yr 	239 yr 	1996 AM (2008 BC) (summer)	division 	
Reu 	1787 AM (2217 BC) (summer)	32 yr 	239 yr 	2026 AM (1978 BC) (summer)	his friend, his shepherd	
Serug 	1819 AM (2185 BC) (summer)	30 yr 	230 yr 	2049 AM (1955 BC) (summer)	branch, layer, twining 	
Nahor the Elder	1849 AM (2155 BC) (summer)	29 yr 	148 yr 	1997 AM (2007 BC) (summer)	hoarse, dry, hot 	
Terah 	1878 AM (2126 BC) (summer)	70 yr 	205 yr 	2083 AM (1922 BC) (fall) 	breathe, scent, blow 	
== Chronological placement ==
: Main Article: Biblical chronology dispute
The beginning anchor event of this chronology is settled: it is the global flood. The ending anchor point is disputed. At issue is whether Terah was 70 years old when he begat Abraham, or 70 years old when he began begetting his three named sons. James Ussher (The Annals of the World) and his editor Larry Pierce state that Terah was in fact 130 years old when he became the father of Abraham, because the Bible described Terah's death ahead of Abraham's departure for Canaan.Ussher, James. The Annals of the World, Larry Pierce, ed. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003, pghh. 64, 71 Jones, in The Chronology of the Old Testament, agrees.Jones, Floyd N. The Chronology of the Old Testament, Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2004 (ISBN 9780890514160), pp. 25, 259 and Charts 1 and 6 The testimony given by Stephen to the Sanhedrin provides further support. Other commentators cite the Seder Olam, which assumes that Terah was 70 years old; they reconcile the apparent discrepancy by saying that the "death" of Terah in Haran was spiritual, and the physical death would not follow until sixty years later.
== Life spans ==
In the earlier generations of Adam, the average life span of each of the patriarchs was more than 900 years. Suddenly, in one generation (from Noah to Shem), it decreased by one-third. In eight more generations, the life span of man declined by more than seventy-five percent—and it declined further throughout the line of Abraham, this although the Hebrews generally lived longer than did members of other people groups.
== Meanings of the names ==
Dean Thomas Coombs has suggested a possible meaning of the names of the House of Shem, in their birth order. To do this, he takes an alternate meaning of the name of Arpachshad: stronghold of Babylon, or Babel as it was likely then known. The names would then make two whole sentences, thus:Coombs, Dean Thomas. "Meaning of names: genealogy of Adam to Abraham." Bible Codes. Accessed December 25, 2007. Or literally, "with (heavy) breathing."
The name Peleg does stand for "division," and the assumption, common to Ussher and others, is that the Tower of Babel Incident took place during his life. The names Reu and Serug ("shepherd" and "branch") both presage Jesus Christ, because both of these are alternate Names for Him. Finally, the book of Revelation is mostly a story of the rise (again) and fall of Babylon and the outpouring of the Wrath of God.
== References ==
== See Also ==
* Biblical genealogy
Category:Book of Genesis Persons